Bank of England to take early but cautious action on UK housing market

The Bank of England's starkest warning so far about Britain's booming house prices is likely to be followed by cautious measures, possibly as soon as next month, as policymakers test out their new powers. Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe told bankers...

India: Election manifestoes talk of similar buzzwords

As India undergoes general elections with 800 million eligible voters, what do the contenders for the Prime Ministerial role mean for its economy? Leading the race are Rahul Gandhi, the candidate of the Congress Party-led UPA coalition, and Narendra Modi,...

Urban conundrum of disappearance and death

Narayanganj, once a leading business centre, has already earned the notoriety of an urban conundrum of disappearance and death. The recovery of bodies from the river Sitalakhya  following abduction of Narayanganj city corporation  councilor Nazrul Islam, four of his aides,...

When delays pay dividends !

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD), one of the major spenders (and a top abuser also) of development funds has reportedly requested the Planning Commission (PC) for extension of tenure and additional fund for a bridge project. There is no...

Salvaging the jute sector

Public sector jute mills are in a bad shape. Their production has gone down for want of raw jute according to their needs. The traders are not willing to sell raw jute on credit to the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation...

Stocks see sharp decline

Stocks dipped sharply on Sunday, the opening day of the week, with turnover came down below Tk 4.0 billion mark once again as investors went for selling spree.The market started with a negative note and the downward trend continued till...

Stocks down at opening

Share prices on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw downward trend in early hours of trading on Sunday, the opening day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down by...

Move to bring 0.166m new taxpayers under tax net by June

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has moved to add 0.166 million new taxpayers under its tax net by opening their income tax files within next month. The board recently instructed its field offices across the country to open tax...

Ukraine crisis worsens: Where is it going?

Russia has warned Ukraine of "catastrophic consequences" if the latter does not halt a military operation against the "pro-Moscow" gunmen in eastern Ukraine. This serves as an indication that Kremlin is moving closer to direct involvement in the months'-long crisis....

Tapping surface water source

It is good to know that the government has, at long last, signed a $250 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADP) to tap surface water for Dhaka city. The deal, signed last week for the implementation of sustainable...

Govt to build multistoried buildings in city

The government will construct multistoried buildings on its unused land in Dhaka to accommodate its employees, officials say. The buildings will be built on abandoned government land in the Banani, Gulshan and Dhanmondi areas in the capital aiming to reduce...

BEZA owns land at Mongla port to develop zone

The economic zone authority has owned lands in Mongla port area for the first time since its formation in 2010, officials said. The Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) has purchased the land within the Mongla port area at Tk470 million...

Every day, DBL has some activities under CSR, company MD says

Dulal Brothers Ltd (DBL) Group has taken the corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an obligation to the society and requirement to continue sustainable growth of the industry. "We incorporated the CSR activities in our company so that we can maintain...

Securing Bangladesh\\\'s share of Teesta water

The issue of sharing Teesta waters has not only remained unresolved but has also given rise to a host of other side issues. Two most tormenting ones relate to desertification and drastic fall in underground water level in the northern...

Let there be proper evaluation of MPO

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said that the present government is not going to extend the MPO (monthly payment order) facilities. He said no new school will be brought under the scheme as the system has been destroying the secondary...

Why the Russian sanctions don\\\'t work

Why did the U.S. and European sanctions against Russia earlier this week trigger a rebound in the ruble and the Moscow stock market? To understand this paradox it is worth recalling Yes Minister, the British TV comedy about a blundering...

FY15 budget: Promoting inclusive growth

The budget for financial year 2014-15 (FY15) is in the offing. The development initiatives of the government in Bangladesh are mainly guided by a five-year plan, formulated in every five years on the basis of the review of the problems...

US job growth jumps, but shrinking labour force a blemish

US employers hired workers at the fastest clip in more than two years in April, pointing to a rebound in economic growth after a dreadful winter and keeping the Federal Reserve on track to end bond purchases this year. The...

After bombing in west, China angered by US criticism in terror report

China's foreign ministry has reacted angrily to U.S. criticism of the level of cooperation from Beijing on fighting terrorism, after an apparent suicide bombing in the country's far west pointed to a possible escalation of unrest there. The Chinese government...

West struggles for winning formula on Russian sanctions

Western states used targeted sanctions to isolate Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and push Iran into nuclear negotiations. Using similar tactics against President Vladimir Putin's Russia is a challenge on an entirely different scale. Not only is the volume of Russian money...

Importance of character education

Character education is the teaching of people in a manner that will help them develop as moral, civic, good, mannered, behaved, non-bullying, healthy, critical, successful, traditional, compliant or socially acceptable beings. It is not a new phenomenon, rather it is...

Our higher education: The current picture

Higher education in Bangladesh is imparted to students at 34 state-run, 78 private and 3 international universities. Students can choose to study in chartered accountancy, engineering, technology, agriculture and medicine at a variety of universities and colleges. At the higher...

Tough actions against hoarding, syndication under way

Some tougher provisions against illegal hoarding and market syndication are expected to be incorporated in the draft Bangladesh Competition Commission Rules 2014, officials said. Besides, the commission will be empowered to take action against artificial price hike and to restrict...

Tk 650b income tax collection target likely for FY \\\'15

The government is likely to fix a target of mobilising Tk 650 billion as income tax for the next fiscal year (FY) by increasing the collection of withholding tax and taking a few new tax measures. The target, if fixed,...

Further time extension for its completion likely

The Dhaka-Mymensingh Four-lane Highway project is unlikely to be completed within the time extended until June this year, officials said. Progress of the project varies according to the constructing organisations while, sources said, there might be 50 per cent progress...

Teesta: Strange flow and ebb

The nation witnessed, during the official visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Dhaka in September 2011, a drama concerning the Teesta river upon which millions in Bangladesh depend for their lives and livelihoods. The Awami League-led government was assured...

Sluggish investment — an unwelcome development for emerging economy

We are one of the ten newly emerging countries as identified by the Coface, a French credit insurer firm. Bangladesh is also listed among top twenty-five countries in terms of per capita income by the year 2050. Many economists are...

Overcoming medical malpractices

Medical ethics has long become a casualty. Ever since the pharmaceutical companies have sought to monopolise market, ethics has been relegated to the back burner. Profit motive has overtaken that of engagement in a cause for the humanity. That 10...

B\\\'desh gets duty-free market access to 37 countries only

Bangladesh's products are not getting duty-free market facilities to more than 150 countries due mainly to the lack of pro-active measures. Realising the urgency, the government is trying to secure duty-free market access to a number of countries including Russia,...

Event management firms mushrooming in country

Event management companies that help organise programmes professionally are mushrooming in the country, sources said.     There is no official record relating to how much the growth the sector has achieved, but the earliest companies are feeling the heat of competition...