US jobless figure now worst in 25 years

NEW YORK, March 7: The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world. The entire global economy swirls around it. It is an incontrovertible fact. It is now under a recession that has been described as broad and deep....

City IT Computer Fair most successful

The 'City IT 2009 Computer Fair' at Agargaon was able to attract a huge number of visitors after overcoming an out-of-the-blue blow borne out of the BDR mutiny in the capital, organisers said on the closing day of the annual...

Commerce is king in the empire's old home

FT Syndication ServiceSHIMLA: Shimla, the Indian hill station from which Britain ruled nearly a fifth of humanity less than a century ago, is a place redolent with imperial folklore and the architectural tastes of rural England.The town was the summer...

Hunt for the mastermind behind the BDR mutiny

THE first lesson a probationary crime detective learns from his mentor: "Sharpen your eyes, prick your ears up, accentuate your senses and whet your appetite for finding the actual motive of a criminal. Once you are certain about the motive...

A defining moment for Bangladesh

BANGLADESH is going through a situation that beggars description. No one was prepared for the recent Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny in Bangladesh and the carnage that went with it. A good number of army officers were killed, while a number...

Threats to life from beyond earth

The world we live in was never hundred per cent safe. And the hazards that stare life in the face are numberless. So, it is a very hostile world in which life survives. But for a human, the most intelligent...

Plans imperative to attain and maintain food security

Food is considered as a strategic resource. If it were not so, then the European Union (EU) countries would not be producing so much food but get the same imported at a relatively cheaper price for consumption. EU countries produce...

Swiss bracing for change in bank secrecy

Switzerland is bracing for a monumental change in a tradition of banking secrecy that survived pressure from Nazi Germany, World War II and numerous other crises over the last 75 years.It will have a hard time withstanding an American legal...

Poultry sector in distress as banks find funding risky

Poultry farm owners have said they are facing difficulties in getting credit from banks, which fear the industry still remains vulnerable to bird flue and risky for investment.World's Poultry Science Association- Bangladesh Branch (WPSA-BB) President Moshiur Rahman told FE the...

Scientists can build a better future

SCIENCE alone can solve the problems of hunger and poverty. Bangladesh needs to use science and scientific methods to improve the quality of life of its people and solve the problems facing the country. Bangladesh has to proceed carefully to...

Twenty-first century women: Striving to climb professional ladder

SHE has an excellent academic career; she is smart, competent and holds all the qualities to provide evidence just right to be at the top of her professional ladder. However, she is a mother, a wife, a daughter-in-law and in...

Gandhi's belongings on auction in New York

NEW YORK, March 6: The personal belongings of the beacon of India's freedom movement from the British yoke Mohondas Karamchand Gandhi was put on auction by James Otis, a filmmaker and peace activist. Gandhi introduced

corporatewatch

subscription deal with GEM GlobalThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given consent to Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited, under the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Commission (Issue of Capital) Rules, 2001, for raising the paid-up capital from Tk 125,95,77,470 up...

Economic meltdown -- this crisis has a woman's face

THE current economic crisis is unravelling before us faster than even the most pessimistic of experts predicted just a few months ago.The effects are already trickling down to ordinary working people. In Asia Pacific, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has...

Securing water for tomorrow

AIR and water, two plentiful gifts of nature, are essential for the survival of all living beings. Their renewable sources will probably never end. But, irrational use and human interference are depleting and polluting air and surface water. Emission-induced draughts...

Business's confidence in the economy

It will take some time before the nation may recover fully from the trauma that it has been through since the rebellion broke out at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in the capital city. But in spite of the shock,...

Outsourcing of agriculture starts to bear fruit

NEW YORK, March 5: The outsourcing of agriculture has started to bear fruit. Saudi Arabia received its first consignment of food harvested in famine-hit Ethiopia opening the way for others to emulate. Many Arab nations which were hit by food...

Spread between lending, deposit rates narrows

The weighted average spread between lending and deposit rates narrowed to 5.0 at the end of December 2008 from 5.18 in September last year, officials said.The weighted average lending rate stood at 12.31 per cent in December down from 12.35...

BDR revolt: Challenges ahead

THE surprise revolt by the soldiers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has ended but not before it rattled a new government, which came to power only last month with a thumping majority, raising expectations of lasting stability. Although the expressed reason...

Security threats facing country

The scenes of apparent calm in front of BDR's Peelkhana headquarters is deceptive. An ordinary passerby may find the prevailing normal traffic movement on the road in front of the headquarters as a sign of normalcy. But more informed people...

ASEAN leaders meeting in Thailand

THE ten-member regional grouping has come a long way since the first ASEAN summit was held in Bangkok in 1995 and chaired by Banharn Sipa-archa. Its relevance now depends on how quickly it reacts to the challenges of the day....

Commemorating the language martyrs

EACH year Bangalis throughout the world observe the Language Martyrs Day on February 21, to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952. The supreme sacrifice of the valiant heroes glorified Bangla language and culture and established Bangla as...

Lenders pull back from financing global merchandise trade

NEW YORK, March 4: The global merchandise trade is worth $13.6 billion dollar. And at the best of times banks used to finance upto 90 per cent of the trade. Lenders pulled back sharply when the credit crunch hit the...

Paradox and uncertainties of US economy

OF late, the US market is acting weirdly. It is really a paradox. Though different macroeconomic indexes, e.g., rate of unemployment, consumption, manufacturing, consumer confidence index, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) confidence index etc., are showing some red flags about the...

After the BDR mutiny and carnage

The nation is in a shock. The magnitude and scale of the carnage that took place at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Headquarters cannot be compared to any such killing in the past. It was not simply a case of slaughtering...

Some burning questions

The shocking murders at the BDR Headquarters on February 25, 2009, reminded us of the dark night of March 25, 1971 which had stirred us morally and made us leave home for the training camp, to join the war and...

Revamping the national zoo

THE concept of zoos has undergone a sea change in the past couple of decades. Zoos are no longer meant to serve as showpieces, exhibiting wildlife in confinement. Rather, these are supposed to serve long-term needs of conservation by facilitating...

sports digest

The logo for the Citycell Super Cup was unveiled at the Bangladesh Football Federation in Dhaka Tuesday, bdnews24.com reports. Tournament Committee Chairman Harunur Rashid and Sponsor Citycell Deputy General Manager (Marketing) M Tanjin Huq jointly unveiled the logo that resembles...

corporatewatch

20pc stock dividendThe board of directors of Mercantile Bank Limited has recommended 20 per cent stock dividend (one bonus share for every five shares) for the year that ended on December 31, '08. The annual general meeting (AGM) of the...

Call to embrace Islamic financial practices to overcome meltdown

NEW YORK, March 3: Leaders from the Muslim world who gathered at Jakarta, capital city of Indonesia for the fifth World Islamic Economic Forum urged the industrialised nations to embrace Islamic financial practices to overcome the global economic meltdown.Muslim presidents,...