Priority-setting, firm resolve important for executing important projects

DEVELOPMENT of a country always depends on the correct and prompt decision and willingness to execute the necessary tasks of the decision makers. In spite of having all sorts of possibility Bangladesh is struggling in all the sectors due to...

Prospects of agro-processing in the northern region

THE northern region of the country producing fruits and vegetables, offers enormous potential for agro-processing enterprises.The food-surplus region produces plenty of rice, maize, wheat and soybean, mangoes, bananas, papayas and tomatoes and vegetables due to its fertile soil and favourable...

Giving upazila parishad chance to deliver

THE immediate past caretaker government brought some significant reforms in the local government laws, but the upazila election could not be completed during their tenure. This election was held under the elected government amidst irregularities and violence. The caretaker government...

Digital management needed for 'digital' Bangladesh

BANGLADESH is a member country of the Commonwealth of Nations as such we pay annual fees to the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC). The main objective of the CSC is to improve the financial and social conditions of Commonwealth member-countries through...

'Transit' involves multi-dimensional issues

THE people at large are yet to see how transit for India is going to create additional trade for Bangladesh, other than a fixed 'royalty' annually. Instead, Bangladesh, according to some circles, will furthermore lose its own opportunity of creating...

BAIRA fear signals bad omen for BoP

In spite of the country's economy demonstrating resilience amidst one of the worst economic crises that the modern world has seen so far, some projections signal bad omens for it.The resilience has been mainly due to deft macro-economic management and...

Rapists at large as US criminal procedure goes slow

When Debbie Smith was raped in 1989 in Virginia, her attacker's DNA went untested for six years. She fought for justice and quickly became a symbol and an advocate for eliminating backlogs of untested rape kits, which provide physical evidence...

Creating safeguards to protect consumers' rights

The much talked about consumers' rights protection law is going to be enacted in the ongoing session of the ninth Jatiya Sangsad (JS) or national parliament. It is expected that the draft law in existence will be passed in parliament...

Private sector credit flow ebbing

Credit flow to the private sector continues to plummet as commodity prices cool off in the international market which, officials said, is a sign of easing inflation.The growth in private sector credit came down to 21.77 per cent in December...

Deepening crisis drags down business across every sector

NEW YORK, Feb 24: The governments, investors and business executives in US , Europe and Asia are panic stricken "as deepening global downturn is dragging down business across every sector of the economy". Losses are piling up everywhere. It is...

Congratulations! British authorities

BBC headlines reports "Banned Dutch MP held at Heathrow -- A Dutch MP who called the Koran a 'fascist book' is to be sent back to the Netherlands after attempting to defy a ban on entering the UK". We wish...

corporatewatch

The board of directors of United Leasing Company (ULC) has recommended 20 per cent cash dividend and 1B:7 stock (one bonus share for every seven shares) dividends for the year that ended on December 31, '08. The annual general meeting...

Regulator moves to bring more merchant banks into stock mkt

The securities regulator has taken strong initiative to bring more merchant banks into the stock market to attract investment in the stock market.The move came against the backdrop of fund shortage in the market because of cash withdrawal by some...

Top 20 US banks will be put to 'stress test'

NEW YORK, Feb 23: Beginning this week the top 20 American banks will be put to "stress test" to judge whether they could hold up even if the downturn worsens further than policy makers expect.Banks shares dipped fuelled by the...

Securing Bangladesh's water future

AIR and water are two very essential elements without which no living being can survive beyond a certain time. Nature has given us both and there are renewable sources which will probably never end. But we, human beings, through irrational...

Making pithas for a living

MANY women make traditional Bangladeshi pithas, a kind of indigenous cake, in the Dhaka city for a living. Women making pithas is a common sight in the city these days. Bhapa, chitai, pati shapta, etc. -- all tasty pithas --...

Bangladesh needs to diversify trade and investment

IN an increasingly interdependent world, trade and investment are crucial for every country. Like other countries, Bangladesh, too, in this contest, needs to diversify its trade and investment. Bangladesh's exports are limited to a few products or commodities, with fluctuating...

Current account balance records surplus in Dec

The country's current account balance that maintained a negative trend in July-November period recorded a surplus in December due mainly to increased flow of remittances.Besides, the overall balance of payments also registered a surplus in the same period because of...

The many pluses of concentration

When I was a school student, I read something interesting in one book of Bangladesh

Quotes

Imagination is more important than knowledge.Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

Impact of foreign aid on development

THE concept of foreign aid was floated in the 1950s as part of post World War II economic development theory, to fill 'domestic saving gaps'. It involved a massive transfer of capital and technical assistance from the developed to the...

Ananda Shipyard to go public by year-end to finance its expansion

Bangladesh's pioneer shipbuilder Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Limited (ASSL) would go public by year-end to raise fund from the country's stock markets to finance its massive expansion drive, its chief executive said Saturday.The move is a boost for the country's...

NYT backs idea of killing 70 m Iranians

Not too many people get to read the New York Times (NYT), especially the strapped people of the Third World. Either they cannot afford to subscribe to the broadsheet or do not have the privilege of access to online publication....

Mozilla offers do-it-yourself mashups for all

Mozilla released an experimental browser plug-in last week that aims to connect the Web with language to help users perform common Web tasks more quickly and easily.Ubiquity, created by Aza Raskin--son of Apple Mac pioneer Jef Raskin--is a command-line interface...

Saif Powertec, joint forces help Ctg port attain international status

CHITTAGONG, Aug 30: The staying period of vessels in the port has been reduced to only 30 to 39 hours from 11 to 15 days earlier with the handing over the operational activities of the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) of...

Fellowship and scholarship news

To promote international scientific cooperation, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science encourages highly qualified researchers from the worldover to come to and conduct joint research activities with colleagues at Japanese universities and research institutes.JSPS offers six fellowship programmes,...

news digest

at German checkpointKABUL, Aug 30: Afghan and German troops killed two children and a woman by opening fire on cars that failed to stop at a checkpoint, German and NATO forces said Friday, in the latest of a string of...

Google tests: what a difference a few pixels make

In the old days, designers often had little more than gut checks and rules of thumb to determine the efficacy of creations such as advertisements or newspaper layouts. Later came expensive eye-tracking tests that showed how people scanned pages or...

Ballseye

Sri Lanka finally got a win after losing three games in a row to India. The victory was by a big margin actually, by 112 runs, in a rain affected game. After scoring a modest 227 the Lankan bowlers then...

The incredible shrinking desktop

The desktop computer is getting smaller. Sure, you can still find the bulky towers most often associated with the category. Those are fine for people concerned about customization. However, some people want a small, low-cost, energy-sipping PC that isn't a...