Political debut for scion of Pakistan\\\'s Bhutto dynasty

The only son of Pakistan's assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto told hundreds of thousands of supporters last week that he would fight for his party's revival, in an appearance intended to mark the official launch of his political career. "The...

India tightens rules on cigarettes, tobacco branding

Tobacco companies in India will have to stamp health warnings across 85 per cent of the surface of cigarette packs and other products, the Health Ministry said last week, joining nations such as Thailand and Australia with stringent marketing rules....

Facing new oil glut, Saudis avoid 1980s mistakes to halt price slide

Still haunted by its failed attempt to prevent a steep drop in oil prices by slashing production by almost three quarters in the 1980s, the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is determined not to make the same mistake again....

When students fall victim to ceaseless experiments

Of late the country's standard of education at the secondary and higher secondary levels has come under scathing criticism from different quarters. The admission test at the University of Dhaka has added fuel to the fire. And there are some...

Risking life for a job abroad

Passengers of a delayed Malindo Air flight to Dhaka were waiting at the boarding lounge of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport-2 (KLIA2) in the early hours of last Thursday. Most of them were exhausted by the long wait. Suddenly, they...

Stocks plunge amid thin turnover

Stocks dipped on Sunday with key index of the major bourse lost over two per cent as investors went for massive sales, fearing further fall. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) shed 109.08 points or 2.06...

DSE, CSE down at opening

The prices of most of the shares at Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed negative trend in early hours of trading on Sunday, the first session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE,...

Retrofitting risky buildings

A team of experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) stressed last week the need for retrofitting country's important buildings vulnerable to earthquake. Leader of the JICA team, Fumio Kaneko said on the eve of International Day for Disaster Reduction...

Half a tonne smuggled gold seized last fiscal

Relevant Bangladesh official agencies seized a record volume of gold -- more than half a tonne, believed to be destined for Indian market, during the last financial year (2013-14).   The catch shows a steep rise in smuggling of the precious...

Recast policy seeks to redefine drugs Goes to cabinet this week

Clinical trial and bioequivalence test of medicines, pharmaco-vigilance, bioequivalence study and a new drug definition encompassing vaccines and insulin are the salient features of a recast national drug policy going to the cabinet this week.      Officials said the draft review...

Technology for change

Nobel Laureate economist Robert Solow pointed out quite sometime ago that the real engine of economic growth is science and technology. Economists cannot fail to note that it is science and technology that has acted as an instrument of change...

China now: Return of the Dragon

Since the end of the American civil war in 1865, the economy of the USA underwent massive industrial expansion fuelled by rapid urbanisation and huge population growth - including the immigration of nearly 30 million Europeans. In 1872, American economy...

Singing to the delight of bosses

Adolf Hitler, during the World War II, was not sure whether the fall of Moscow was imminent. Hitler kept looking at the time, fretted and fumed. A military adviser gave his candid opinion and told Hitler that Moscow might never...

Integrated maritime policy to boost Blue Economy

Gunter Pauli designed the Blue Economy concept. The concept of ocean economy that came out of the 2012 Rio+20 conference is popularly known as the blue economy. In Bangladesh, the issue of blue economy came into discussion following the settlement...

ECB policymakers clash over how to treat sickly euro zone economy

European Central Bank policymakers clashed last week over what policy medicine to administer to the sickly euro zone economy, laying bare deep-seated tensions within the Governing Council. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said he saw no need for fiscal stimulus in...

AbbVie cools on $55b Shire deal after US tax changes

US pharmaceutical company AbbVie said it was reconsidering its $55 billion (43.73 billion pounds) takeover of Shire in the wake of US government moves to curb deals designed to cut tax, wiping $13 billion off the London-listed firm's stock price....

Russia and Ukraine reach tentative gas deal in tough Milan talks

Russia and Ukraine made progress on Friday towards resolving a row over gas supplies, but European leaders said Moscow had to do much more to prop up a fragile ceasefire and end fighting in eastern Ukraine. The mooted deal aimed...

BJMC may fail to fulfil target for fund shortage

Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) is unlikely to fulfil its raw jute procurement target for delay in disbursement of fund from the government exchequer which may result in a slump of jute goods production, officials said. The procurement of raw...

University admission test and quality of education

Nagorik Oikko, a civil society platform, organised a roundtable titled 'Corruption in education system and ways forward' on October 2, 2014 at National Press Club, Dhaka. Blasting the education minister for what he said about the admission test, the speakers...

Malaysia\\\'s automation incentives draw mixed feelings from manufacturers

With the cost of hiring workers soaring in Malaysia as minimum wages kick in, the government is offering tax benefits to labour-intensive sectors going the automation route, a tactic that analysts say may help lift profits by up to 20...

Banned: Property tycoon KP Singh, who built India\\\'s first \\\'smart\\\' city

It was, by his own account, a chance encounter with a scion of the Gandhi political dynasty that turned former soldier Kushal Pal Singh into the man who built a city from nothing and made billions in the process. Singh...

JICA to fund installation of prepaid gas meters in city

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) has taken up a project to install 0.2 million new prepaid meters in the Dhaka Metropolitan City areas. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the project under the natural gas efficiency...

NPL in Karmasangsthan Bank goes up by 60pc in a year

The volume of non-performing loans (NPL) of the Karmasangsthan Bank swelled by nearly 60 per cent to Tk 608.4 million in the last financial year (FY-2013-14) compared to that of the previous fiscal. According to the central bank sources, the...

Country\\\'s trade competitiveness under threat

Bangladesh's economy may find it difficult to sustain its global competitiveness when two oncoming blocs styled TTIP and TPP come into shape involving both global trade giants and some emerging economies, analysts said. Economists and trade leaders fear that the...

Investors cash out fearing crash

Stocks edged higher last week, extending the rally for six weeks in a row with better turnover as investors focused on selected large-cap stocks ahead of corporate declarations. The first week after the 9-day Eid vacation featured five trading sessions...

Partial operation of third port in Patuakhali begins in March

The partial operation of newly-built Paira Port in Patuakhali district will begin in March next year, officials said. Earlier, the Paira Port Authority (PPA) had set a target to start partial operation in December this year, but it has been...

Canada offers package to further duty-free benefits

Canada has offered Bangladesh a wider package support for maximising trade opportunities out of the already-granted free market access to the North American country.      Official sources said the market-access facility to Bangladesh has been further extended by including more features...

Green economy for sustainable development

In recent times, government leaders, politicians, economists, ecologists and common people around the globe are increasingly becoming familiar with the concepts of green economy, green growth, green accounts, green banking and green jobs. Lots of seminars and publicity are taking...

Leather industry: Focus on diversification

Products other than footwear (both leather and non-leather) are now broadly categorised as 'leather goods'. Leather goods manufactured in Bangladesh today include bags, belts, purses, wallets, travelling kits, jackets etc. Increasing demand for footwear and leather goods in Bangladesh as...

The cost of EU sanctions against Russia

European leaders were shocked when they learnt that the combined GDP (gross domestic product) of the euro zone-the eighteen countries that use the euro-had not changed at all from that of the previous quarter. It happened, when they were expecting...