news digest

Iraq car accidentBAGHDAD, Aug 4: The US military said one American soldier was killed and two were injured when the vehicle they were travelling in rolled over at a base near the Iraqi capital. The latest death, which occurred on...

Factors frustrating industrialisation

INDUSTRIES, in both public and private sectors, are in the habit of blaming the government for all their troubles. Or, at least, they blame 'a poor business environment' for their failures. But a careful scrutiny would indicate that, in many...

Micro-insurance in socio-economic development

THE role of insurance in combating socio-economic problems has aptly been described in the following words by an Islamic Scholar Dr. Nejatullah Siddique :"Insurance is a basic human need, as accidents and their financial consequences requiring insurance cover are universal....

Govt decides to simplify baggage rule further

The government has decided to further simplify the baggage rule against the backdrop of widespread allegation by Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) about harassment and unusual delay on arrival at the airports.Existing customs rules on checking of baggage are still complex despite...

Community management in rural Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, community management is now increasingly used to refer to the need to increase sustainability and coverage by creating institutional supports for community-managed services, using a learning approach that includes all relevant stakeholders and allows for local context. However,...

Expansionary monetary policy: A bold step by the BB

DEFYING the prescription of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for adopting a contractionary monetary policy, Bangladesh Bank Governor, Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed declared half-yearly Monetary Policy pursuing existing Expansionary Monetary Policy on July 17 last. The declared Monetary Policy, among others,...

Adopting and implementing a policy of competition

IT is not enough to claim that a market economy is functioning and to remain content, thinking that the competition to ensue in such a market economy among different producers of goods and providers of services would automatically translate into...

Amended rules create trouble for banks over bond calculation

Banks are facing difficulties in calculation over government-approved securities as the central bank has amended rules allowing the on-cash-basis accounting method instead of the accrual basis method.On May 26 last, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) amended its rules relating to the...

To escape from pains

AT times, after taking a long hard look at options available when I surmise that what I am longing for is not going to see the light of day, or when I myself don't know why my heart sinks in...

How fair is deportation of Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait?

A bearded man in his late fifties clad in a lungi and a shirt was among nearly 500 Bangladeshi workers deported until last Saturday by the Kuwaiti authorities following the recent violent demonstrations by Asian workers to protest low wages...

Who killed the trade talks?

IF talks on international forums fail, it sends out a very appalling indication to the world populace. It is a bad omen for the global economy, be it the tycoons of the First World or the farmers of the Fourth....

Positive thinking leads to academic success

"WHAT is the use of studying so seriously at the beginning of the year or semester?"- this is a very common criticism students have to hear from their fellow classmates. In Bangladesh, especially in university level, whoever becomes serious at...

Diplomatic drive to end Kuwaiti labour disputes faces setback

Dhaka's diplomatic drive to end impasse over Bangladeshi workers' unrest in Kuwait has faced a setback as the oil rich Muslim kingdom is still not keen to host a visit by the country's foreign advisor, a senior official said Saturday.Foreign...

Economic outlook is not promising

AT least a 6.0 per cent economic growth has been projected for the current fiscal year. Some donors, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), also expect a similar growth prospect.The hard-headed observers of the economy do not, however, share such...

Govt doubles import limit from Myanmar

The government has decided to ease border trade with Myanmar ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, allowing traders to import basic food items worth upto US$20,000 in a single consignment, officials said Saturday.Traders were previously allowed to import...

BRTA's revenue collection almost doubles in 5 years

Revenue collection by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) almost doubled over the last five years as the overall collection jumped by 99.96 per cent to Tk 4.89 billion in fiscal 2007-08 from Tk 2.44 billion in 2003-04.According to the BRTA,...

Whitherwards Indian politics ?

INDIAN polity could be surmised as a game of money and muscle with big business and media lords aided by the establishment playing the central role.The common people have no voice of their own. People just vote standing in long...

Northern University reaches a new height

DESPITE limitation of campus facilities, Northern University Bangladesh (NUB), one of the leading private universities of the country, has successfully completed its second convocation ceremony earlier this month.. It is attracting a good number of new students every year.A total...

After the 'trust vote' for Indian Congress

AFTER an acrimonious debate by opposition with charges of intimidation and vote buying, India's parliament reaffirmed its confidence in the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on July 23.Two hundred and seventy-five members of the Lok Sabha voted in...

Six NBFIs seek govt nod to access foreign credit

At least six non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) have sought government approval to access loan from international long-term development lenders to diversify their credit source and lower their interest rates, officials said Friday.The NBFIs-- better known as leasing companies-- usually source...

Artificial crisis of fertiliser in Ctg

CHITTAGONG, Aug 01: An artificial crisis of fertiliser persists in different upazilas of greater Chittagong including Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Khagrachari. The farmers are warried of their future due to such a crisis of essential requisite for cultivation during the...

Alzheimer's experts see progress on new drugs

Despite some recent dramatic failures, Alzheimer's disease researchers say they have never been more encouraged by the wealth of promising new treatments being studied for the brain-wasting disease."Twenty years ago we were at zero," said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the...

Talk shop over solving traffic problem will not do

The Chief Adviser (CA) Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed presided over a meeting last Tuesday that was devoted to addressing the agonizing traffic conditions in Dhaka city. The holy month of Ramadan is near and, as always, government seeks to provide some...

Titas in trouble with huge unsold shares

Titas, the state-owned gas distribution company, is facing an uphill task in offloading the rest of its shares in nine remaining trading days as required under direct listing regulations.A company seeking to go for direct listing has to offload 10...

Killer of Srebrenica and Sarajevo faces trial

Radovan Karadzic the Serb nationalist-racist leader, who presided over the extermination of hundreds and thousands of Muslims and Croats in his 1992-95 drive to cleanse his greater Serbia of dream of non-Serbs has at last been arrested and subjected to...

Institutional reforms for democracy

"DEMOCRACY", as a definition goes, "is a system of government by which political sovereignty is retained by the people and exercised directly by citizens." In a democratic state, people have a mechanism by which they voice their representation, exert parliamentary...

World's biggest refinery to test oil bulls

On India's West coast, the world's biggest refining complex is nearly ready to begin pumping a wave of diesel fuel into the world oil market, removing one of the last near-term fundamentals supporting $100-plus crude.But unfortunately for oil consumers and...

NBR to observe 'Income Tax Day' Sept 01

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has drawn up a work plan for expansion of tax net in the current fiscal through motivation of community leaders and encouraging taxpayers, officials said.The board has decided to involve district and Upazila administration,...

US intelligence agencies brought under single umbrella

NEW YORK, Aug 1: All the US intelligence agencies have been brought under the one single agency known as National Intelligence. The idea mooted at the beginning of President Bush's second term in 2004 has at last been fructified.There are...

Does Geneva marks the end of Doha round of WTO talks?

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Geneva have finally collapsed. The Doha round of WTO talks that started in the Qatari capital of Doha with a view to liberalising global trade for an easier and cheaper flow of goods...