No major floods likely this year

The probability of widespread floods occurring this year in the country, apart from some isolated areas, is lower as the risk factors are indicating to a normal situation, said government officials and experts on Sunday.The government's Department for Disaster Management...

One small step, one giant leap

EXACTLY 39 years back on July 21 in 1969 at 8:56 in the morning, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) Time (02:56 UTC), Neil Alden Armstrong alighted on the moon's surface his footstep, first as a human being, and spoke his famous...

The fallacy of the 'choice agenda'

Whenever a particular idea appears to have captured the centre ground of politics it is time to look at it with a beady eye. This applies now to what is sometimes called the "choice agenda". The idea is that core...

A business-like approach to the political product

WHAT can business teach politicians about ethics? Absolutely nothing, was the answer at a recent discussion on the subject. What about the other way around: can politicians teach business anything about ethics? Do not be ridiculous, came the reply.The curious...

science briefing

Cellular chemical functions probedThe role of the hereditary chemical DNA in providing a blueprint for the proteins that a cell needs to regulate its activities is well understood. But scientists are discovering new functions for another important cellular chemical, RNA,...

Is tight monetary policy the solution?

Thomas R Rumbaugh, adviser to the Asia and Pacific Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), had some positives about the Bangladesh economy. While wrapping up his team's visit to Dhaka last week, he spoke at length with the press....

Developing capacities for academic creativity

Plagiarism, as is refered in wikipedia, is "the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work".Plagiarism is considered as one of the most severe crimes...

IPO Diary

Nature of BusinessBankingSubscription OpenJuly 20, 2008Subscription CloseJuly 24, 2008For Non Resident Bangladeshi(s)July 20, 2008 to August 02, 2008Offer Price (Tk.)100.00Face Value (Tk.)100.00Market lot (Share)50Sponsors Portion (Share)11,500,000Public Offer (Share)11,500,000Total Issued Shares23,000,000Total Paid up Capital (after IPO)2,300,000,000Reason for IPO:To strengthen the capital...

Businesses worried over move to close shops on Thursday, Friday

Shop-owners in the city are worried about the government's recent move to enforce a labour law that makes mandatory for them to keep their shops closed half-day on every Thursday and full-day on every Friday.The Department of Mills, Factories and...

Why not Asian Union

In today's globalised world no country - be it developed, developing, least or underdeveloped, big or small, can afford to live in isolation if it wants prosperity and good for its people. It is neither prudent nor desirable. Countries of...

Global links help talent pool flourish

LINDA Kreitzman, executive director for the masters' in financial engineering (MFE) at the University of California at Berkeley, says a few years ago she was contacted by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the city-state's de facto central bank, to...

Why dollar is right out in front of 'ugly parade'

Sarah O'ConnorFT Syndication ServiceThe fallout from the US rescue plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has sent dollar bulls scuttling for cover while raising the question: how much more pain can the battered US currency take?Relief over the Treasury's...

A test of India's confidence

FT Syndication ServiceNEW DELHI: When Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, decided early this month to push through a nuclear deal with the US, the response from his erstwhile communist parliamentary allies was immediate and to the point. "That time has...

For a manageable population

A great deal of publicity was given some years ago to the decreasing population growth rate in Bangladesh, with the world's highest population density. Population growth rate, that was well above 3.0 per cent annually in the seventies, was declining...

Tailored to create a common culture

IT was just five years ago that Grant Thornton, the globally recognised accountancy firm, dipped its toes in the water of customised management education. But today David McDonnell, chief executive of Grant Thornton International, is planning a range of programmes...

Tailored to create a common culture

IT was just five years ago that Grant Thornton, the globally recognised accountancy firm, dipped its toes in the water of customised management education. But today David McDonnell, chief executive of Grant Thornton International, is planning a range of programmes...

Pillay tipped to become Human Rights HC

NEW YORK, July 19: Navanethem Pillay, a high court judge from South Africa with links to Tamil Nadu in India, is being widely tipped to be nominated to the high profile office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights by...

Don't delay for tomorrow what can be done today

Procrastination is delaying any task which can be done now or today, another meaning is taking longer time to complete a task than is required. As is described in Wikipedia-procrastination is'deferment of actions or tasks to a later time'.It is...

Private sector needs some public spirit

I was delighted to see the unspeakable Ken Livingstone defeated in the London mayoral elections. He debased the office he occupied, and sent a toxic message to wealth creators. But his replacement, my namesake Boris Johnson, will have a hard...

NBR plans to be flexible in income assessment

Back from SavarThe government's revenue board that expects to collect a record Tk 545 billion in 2008-9 fiscal year from internal sources will show optimum flexibility in assessment of income statements of self-motivated tax payers, said the chief of the...

Why companies and campaigners collaborate

IN October 1997 John Browne, then chief executive of BP, told a conference of Greenpeace activists what a pleasure it was to be occupying one of their platforms instead of the usual practice of their occupying his."We have a close...

Bangladesh's microcredit good example to world

Microcredit operation that helped to bring changes in the socio-economic life of the people in Bangladesh can be a good example to the rest of the world in setting mechanisms to fight poverty, said chief of Norwegian Nobel Committee Friday.Professor...

Spiralling prices of essentials

Prices of most daily essentials including rice, lentils, edible oil, eggs, baby food, wheat flour, onions, sugar, beef and vegetables increased further during the past one week due to shortage of supply, mainly caused by heavy monsoon and impact of...

China's finance houses vie to lure workers

This year, Peter Ma., the chairman of China's second largest life insurer, Ping An Insurance, became the target of thousands of angry Chinese, after the company revealed he earned Rmb66.16m ($9.0m) in 2007, nearly three times his pay in 2006.Although...

Ailing global economy pins hopes on Dubai and the region

NEW YORK, July 18: With the Arab nations', excluding Iran, earnings from oil exports grossing well over $400 billion in 2007 it was no surprise that they played and would be playing a very crucial role in revamping a sluggish...

Talks signal Mideast shift

After years of escalating tensions and bloodshed, the talk in the Middle East is suddenly about talking. The shift is still relatively subtle, but hints of a new approach in the waning months of the Bush administration are fueling hopes...

Pvt land phone cos fear financial losses due to massive tariff cut by BTCL

The country's private land phone companies fear financial losses and job cut due to a massive 40 per cent tariff reduction by their public sector rival and other reasons.PSTN (Public switched telephone network) operators said they have invested Tk27.0 billion."Our...

The curse called drug addiction

Inside the room, lit only by a kerosene lamp, five men crouched around a small stool. The lamp flickers on the stool while the men use a foil to heat up something they call heroin, a popular drug for the...

Water scarcity triggers global food crisis

AFTER decades in the doldrums, food prices have been soaring this year, causing more misery for the world's poor than any credit crunch.The geopolitical shockwaves have spread round the world, with food riots in Haiti, strikes over rice shortages in...

Taking a hard line on soft soap

IN 2003, Patrick Cescau sat down with fellow Unilever directors to hear a presentation from the Dove soap and cleansing products team. The Dove people had an idea for an advertising campaign that would feature women of all shapes and...