The politico-economic doldrums

Which came first, the hen or the egg? It's an everlasting question. So, is the query, which is more vital - economics or politics? Marxian theory is clear and explicit about the fundamental significance of the economy - economic foundation...

Paira port\\\'s partial operation by Dec

The Paira Port Authority (PPA) has taken initiative for building necessary infrastructure to start its partial operation by the end of the year, officials said. The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) will provide technical, financial and logistic supports to the PPA...

Stocks dip for 5th day amid low turnover

Stocks witnessed another sharp fall on Thursday with turnover remained sluggish as investors went for selling spree fearing further fall. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) went down by 40.53 points or 0.90 per cent to...

DSE, CSE shares down

The prices of shares at Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) slid in early hours of trading on Thursday, maintaining the previous session’s negative trend. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down 15.48 points or...

Manipulators remain out of net as BSEC keeps passing buck

The parties responsible for alleged manipulation in the financial disclosures of some companies willing to go public still remain out of the regulator's net, as the stock market watchdog is trying to shift its responsibility to others for such acts,...

BD for spl allocations from Dutch fund for infrastructure dev

Bangladesh will soon seek dedicated allocations from the ORIO fund of the Netherlands, a grant programme which helps in public infrastructure development in developing countries, sources said. The Economic Relations Division (ERD) will write to the Embassy of the Netherlands...

Pakistan: Walking the tight rope?

Charles M. Schulz was a great cartoonist. His world-acclaimed cartoon series of Peanuts still remains popular being reprinted again and again. "How can I play baseball when I'm worried about foreign policy?" he asks (The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 6: 1961-1962)....

Putting banking sector on a strong footing

Performance of state-owned commercial banks (SoCBs) of the country has long been a topic of discussion in the country. The involvement of the SoCBs in general and Sonali Bank in particular, in facilitation of squandering of public deposits, in collusion...

Higher education and structural unemployment

Undoubtedly, with the process of globalisation and development of capitalism, a new horizon has been initiated in mounting trade and commerce throughout the world. Under capitalism, people are free to work at jobs of their own choice, to try to...

Improving the trade competence

Of the top 10 low-income countries, Bangladesh has been placed at the last position when it comes to trading in goods, according to the report "Connecting to Compete, 2014: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy." Bangladesh has been ranked 108th...

Revision on income tax law for CSR under NBR\\\'s consideration

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is actively considering a revision on income tax law for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by increasing ceiling for CSR expenditures and widening prescribed areas of intervention. The ceiling of CSR expenditure may be raised...

Stocks close lower amid sluggish participation

Stocks witnessed steep decline on Wednesday for the fourth running session with participation remained sluggish as investors sold shares fearing further fall. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE ended at 4,457.49 points, shedding 39.62 points or 0.88 per cent...

Stocks see mix trend at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) saw positive trend while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed downward trend in early hours of trading on Wednesday, the third trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up...

Metro rail project hits snags over getting RAJUK land for depot

The metro rail project is facing a fresh hurdle due to complexity over getting land from Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) for the depot of the high-priority project, project insiders said. Although there are directives from the Prime Minister's Office, the...

Default loans : Back to square one?

The outcome was foreknown. Even the central bank, possibly, was aware of the end-result at the time of issuing its directive relaxing the default-loan rescheduling policy on December 23, 2013. It did not take too long a time to prove...

Pvt sector credit trickles despite rise in imports

The private sector credit recorded a slight growth in the month of March last following a substantial rise in import payments during the month, bankers said. "Trade financing increased during the month of March primarily to foot the bills against...

Govt takes novel initiative to increase use of solar power

The government has decided to introduce feed-in-tariff system for popularising the use of renewable energy in the urban area, officials said. Under the system, individuals can set up solar power generating devices of any capacity on their premises, and use...

Increased facilities fail to end plight of Indian visa-seekers

The woes of Indian visa-seekers have not been reduced even after increased facilities and slots for visa due to growing number of aspirants for visits to the neighbouring country for business, medical, tourists and many other reasons. The crowd in...

Need for creating awareness against use of asbestos

Asbestos is a name given to a group of naturally occurring minerals contained within rocks. Though it is largely produced in Russia, it is found in many countries. Since asbestos does not burn, it is used as a protection against...

Abduction without limit

People are now worried about frequent abductions and murders. Recovery of dead bodies after abduction continues. Abduction is spreading because the previous cases were not properly investigated and tried. The concerned families have alleged that law-enforcement agencies are involved in...

Coordinated regulatory regime a sine qua non

The first priority of the chairman of the demutualised stock exchange is to help bring transparency in capital market, help creating an enabling environment to restore and strengthen the confidence of investors at large and small and medium investors in...

Govt to introduce air cargo service

The government is finally set to launch an air cargo service with a view to facilitating export and import trade of the country, the official source have said. "The government is contemplating introduction of a low-cost air cargo service for...

Superstores folding operations on losses

Burdened by losses and uneven competition, as many as 20 superstores have folded their operations in recent years and many others may follow suit people familiar with the situation say. While demand from urbanites and upper and middle-class shoppers has...

Banks’ classified loans on way back to old state

The amount of classified loans in the country's banking system increased significantly in the first quarter (Q1) of 2014 due mainly to the lack of proper monitoring and supervision of rescheduled loans. The volume of default loans increased by 18.70...

Curbing illegal money transfers

Money laundering refers to illegal transfer of money from one place to another. It also indicates hiding of the source of money. Money laundering is a transnational organised crime. On the other hand, terrorist financing is an issue of high...

Thai crisis worsens as Ingluck\\\'s supporters counter opposition

The crisis in Thailand triggered by the dismissal of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and nine other ministers by a court seems to be deepening further as the supporters of the axed prime minister have come out with programmes to counter ...

EC set to meet in Dhaka to review progress in Compact programme

The European Commission (EC) will soon take stock of the progress in the Sustainability Compact programme it is running in Bangladesh to see what the country could achieve in last one year regarding improvement of working conditions in the apparel...

Stocks close flat amid volatile trading

Stocks closed flat into the red on Monday with volatile trading throughout the session as investors followed ‘wait-and-see’ approach amid cautious trading. After previous session’s sharp decline, the market remained in positive and negative territory several times during the day’s...

DSE, CSE open red amid volatility

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed downward trend amid modest see-saw in early hours of trading on Monday, the second trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down...

Environment as important as genes in autism, study finds

Environmental factors are more important than previously thought in leading to autism, as big a factor as genes, according to the largest analysis to date to look at how the brain disorder runs in families. Sven Sandin, who worked on...