Traffic management - if we could do then, why not now?

The capital city dazzled with sparkling lights, cleaner roads and colourful hoardings during the T20 World Cup Cricket. The roads, road islands and important intersections were magnificently decorated. It is learnt that the government spent Tk 1.15 billion to give...

Times of India, Dr. Subramanian Swamy and water issues

A Times of India (TOI) report, a BJP leader's statement and a particular talk show should wake up the spirits of millions who became martyrs in 1971 in disbelief about what is happening in present-day Bangladesh. The TOI report concerned...

Guidelines for banks for safe lending

For some years now non-performing loans continue to pose a serious threat to the health of the country's financial institutions. The problem of lending money has assumed new dimension on account of sluggish demand for loans on the one hand...

DSE turnover crosses Tk 5b-mark again

Stocks closed higher for the fifth consecutive session on Wednesday with turnover crossing Tk 5.0 billion-mark once again as investors went for buying spree on large cap stocks. The market started with a positive note and continued till the market...

Stocks see positive trend at opening

The prices of most of the shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed positive trend in early hours of trading on Wednesday amid modest see-saw. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up by...

Policy decision likely soon on deep-sea port construction

Policy makers concerned would take a decision soon on the construction of the much-talked-about deep-sea port at Sonadia in Cox's Bazar, official sources said. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked the ministry of shipping (MoS) to send a comprehensive...

Government, the indifferent investor

Though belated, the issue of extremely poor rate of return on its equity investment in as many 135 establishments has come to the notice of the country's single largest investor  --  the government. The government, according to a report published...

TCB seeks Tk 2.0b from govt to buy essentials to keep market stable

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has sought Tk 2.0 billion from the government to procure essential commodities for uninterrupted supply aiming to keep the market stable and tolerable.   An official said the top priority of the present government is...

Pakistan: Growing domestic insecurity

Legally, the rule of law requires 'the government to exercise its authority under the law'. This requirement is sometimes explained with the phrase 'no one is above the law'. The rule of law requires the government to exercise its power...

Averting tragedies in garment factories

"While women find liberty in hard labour in the garment industry, the grim reality is garment factory workers toil for paltry wages. Nevertheless, such jobs have offered Bangladeshi girls a measure of independence in a traditional Muslim society." The above...

Outlook for global trade

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has made one of those announcements that it not so frequently does, a forecast for an uptick in global trade growth. According to news published recently, global commerce is set to grow by 4.7 per...

Stocks inch up for fourth day

Stocks edged marginally higher for the fourth consecutive session on Tuesday amid volatile trading throughout the session with turnover remained sluggish as investors moved cautiously. The market started with a positive note and continued till the market closure. At the...

Positive opening amid volatility

The prices of most of the shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw positive trend in early hours of trading on Tuesday amid modest see-saw. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up by...

War of words, speculations galore in Indian elections

It is more than two weeks the Indians have been voting in one of the hotly-contested and highly-charged national elections, scheduled to be over in next three weeks' time. The results would start emerging from May 16 next. Nearly halfway...

Tariffs and consumer welfare

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) abruptly raised import duties on sugar on April 6, 2014. Currently import duties on sugar are in the form of specific duties and advance trade value added tax (VAT). NBR has now imposed regulatory...

New taxi cabs hit city streets today

New taxi cabs hit the city streets today (Tuesday) with the fares revised by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) amid criticism from different quarters. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will launch the Bangladesh Army Welfare Trust-led taxi cab service from...

Biman seeks new boss after Kevin\\\'s departure

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has been searching for a new managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) from either Bangladeshi or foreign nationals, officials said. The national flag carrier is looking for a new chief as Kevin John Steele --...

Australian oil refining industry needs debate, not neglect

That Australia's oil refining industry is uncompetitive in the face of the new, complex plants in Asia is obvious. What isn't so obvious is what should be done about this. So far two solutions have presented themselves. The more common...

New Indo-Bangla JV co eyes to grab major market share in two-wheeler industry

Newly initiated joint venture (JV) of Nitol Niloy Group of Bangladesh and Hero MotoCorp of India looks to be the market leader in the country's two-wheeler industry capturing significant share of the local market, a top official said. The US$...

Income distribution and market mechanism: A study of watermelon price

The conventional perception is that economic theories don't apply in the economy of Bangladesh or fail to account for the real picture of the economy. This statement is both correct and incorrect. It is correct from the perspective that the...

On the road to Digital Bangladesh

The global information and communication networks are called information super highway. These cover  internet and switching systems such as telephone, cable television, satellite communication networks etc. and all types of digital information at high speed  Like many developed and developing...

Stocks up for third day

Stocks ended higher on Monday for the third running session with improving turnover value as investors took position on mid-cap and small-cap stocks amid optimism.The market started with a positive trend it continued till the market closure amid modest see-saw,...

Stocks see upward trend at opening

Share prices on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed upward trend in early hours of trading on Monday, maintaining the previous day’s uptrend. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up by 49.29 points or...

Trade deficit widens substantially in Feb

The country's overall trade deficit widened by nearly 28 per cent in the month of February last due mainly to higher import payments and relatively lower export revenue growth, officials said Sunday. The overall trade deficit rose to US$3.56 billion...

BD to place report next week at EC meet

Bangladesh will highlight the outcome of Compact initiatives to improve working conditions at its ready-made garment (RMG) factories at a meeting next week in Brussels, sources said. Bangladesh ambassador in Belgium Ismat Jahan will place a report at the meeting...

Women edge into Gulf boardrooms as economies, societies shift

Amina al-Rustamani, a member of a prominent UAE family, raised eyebrows among friends and relatives when she started her career in Dubai 13 years ago as an electrical engineer, becoming one of few females in the Middle East to enter...

Confectioners sweet on ADM\\\'s decision to keep cocoa business

Easter came early for the global chocolate makers this year. Just days before one of the busiest holidays for chocolate sales, Archer Daniels Midland Co last week ditched long-running efforts to sell its niche cocoa business, easing concerns that have...

VoIP service providers renting out licences to IGW operators for survival

Many local VoIP service providers are now renting out their operating licences to the International Gateway (IGW) operators for survival in the absence of required overseas calls from IGW companies, industry insiders said. They said as per rules, the IGW...

Novo Nordisk vows to bring innovation in BD market

Novo Nordisk, one of the global leading companies in diabetic care, has expressed its strong commitment to continue bringing its latest innovative insulin products in Bangladesh to serve the diabetic patients with different ranges of healthcare demand. "Our commitment is...

FPP yet to start fully due to dealers\\\' apathy

The government's initiative to sell rice and atta under Fair Price Programme (FPP) is yet to make any major headway due to poor response from the dealers, officials said. The programme for selling these foodstuffs to limited income group of...