Human civilisation facing grave crises

There were times when events and phenomena of seismic proportions laid waste of the planet in the past. From the demise of the giant dinosaurs to the obliteration of civilisations such as the Sumerian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Inca and Harappa-Mohenjo-Daro,...

Universities...the long, tiresome admission process

Education in the country calls for prioritization. There is little question that of all the sectors which are in a less than healthy state, education fares the worst. Be it in school, college or university, the young in Bangladesh are...

Over 3.0m mobile, net subscribers drop out

Domestic digital divide is widening as all three private mobile network operators (MNOs) lost around two million mobile subscribers and over one million internet users in September, according to latest official data. As per the statistics issued by Bangladesh Telecom...

Cross-border transactions go unchecked as TPC toddles

Bangladesh's maiden bid to check tax evasion through cross-border transactions remains stalled for lack of funding to equip a watchdog agency with logistics, while capital flight remains a concern. Officials say the much-desired transfer pricing cell (TPC) has yet to...

Energy crisis: Economic and social implications for Bangladesh

Bangladesh is currently experiencing a major energy crisis, which has led to increased load shedding, a shortage of gas, and other primary energies for industry and business. Load shedding has become more severe and frequent, lasting several hours each time....

Fertiliser factory in KSA likely soon

Bangladesh now plans to set up a fertiliser factory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through single or joint-venture investment amid dwindling gas supply to local factories.The fertiliser to be produced in the factory will be imported to Bangladesh...

MRT-1 work set to start in Dec

Dhaka metro-rail company is set to start work of the city's first underground metro-rail from Airport to Kamlapur next month, as the first contract package (CP) for the land development of its depot will be signed on November 23.Sources said...

E-gates introduced at Ctg airport

CHATTOGRAM, Nov 15: Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram has introduced six electronic gates (e-gates) in order to expedite immigration process at the airport. State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mohammad Mahbub Ali inaugurated the gates on Tuesday evening.Passengers...

Summit Power's profit plummets on fuel price hike, foreign exchange loss

Summit Power, the country's largest private sector power producer, has reported a 21 per cent fall year-on-year in earnings per share in the first quarter of the current fiscal year mainly due to foreign exchange loss.Its consolidated EPS was down...

Cane furniture back in trend for refined modern interior

How do you feel when you enter a room outfitted with cane furniture? Does it remind you of resorts and holidays? Does it feel summery and comfortable? Perhaps both. The good news is that cane furniture is back in full...

Different shades of Cox's Bazar

The most visited tourist hub in Bangladesh, the 150 kilometres of the longest uninterrupted natural sea beach in the world, Cox's Bazar needs a no bigger introduction. The natural beauty of Cox's Bazar is endless; no one will ever be...

Move on to formulate guideline on setting max speed limits for roads

A move has been taken to formulate a guideline on setting maximum speed limits for different types of road infrastructure in the country.At present, the country has nearly 400,000 kilometre road infrastructure in the form of national and regional highways,...

Overpriced Orion Infusion plunges as disclosure jolts investors to reality

Orion Infusion's stock plunged 12.58 per cent on Monday, becoming the day's worst loser, after soaring 'abnormally' by 12 times in the past five months.The stock skyrocketed from just Tk 79.70 on June 14 to Tk 959.20 on November 13...

CCH starts destroying perished goods piled up at Ctg port

CHATTOGRAM, Nov 14: The Chittagong Customs House (CCH) on Monday started destroying damaged and rotten goods in abandoned containers on the jetties of Chittagong Port as the importers for a long time did not take delivery of the shipments by...

Can Imran Khan make a difference in Pakistan politics?

While the investigation by the Punjab police into the November 3 incident of firing on Imran Khan during a protest rally of his party in Wazirabad about a hundred kilometres north of Lahore, the former prime minister of Pakistan, the...

Is Bangladesh facing economic headwinds?

The question conveyed by the above caption does not beg for an answer, because it is obvious. Given the unfolding global economic scenario, it is not a question if challenges and uncertainties face the policy makers in Bangladesh at present...

Most import-export stakeholders to become 'trusted traders'

Stakeholders in the import-export channels in Bangladesh are coming under blanket coverage of Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) status as 'trusted trader' for facilitating smooth foreign trade transactions.Sources say the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is set to revise the existing...

MRT-6 launch in last week of Dec, yet on trial basis

Country's first metro rail is expected to be inaugurated in the last week of next month (December), yet on a trial basis as the support services could not be put in place timely, sources said.Officials said the exact date of...

Titas registers quarterly operating loss for the first time since 2008 listing

Titas Gas Transmission & Distribution Company has reported operating losses for the July-September quarter of FY23 for the first time since it was listed with the stock market in 2008, mainly for a sharp cut in the distribution charge. Bangladesh...

BB preparing modalities for alternative payment system

The central bank is making modalities for an alternative payment mechanism with Russia for trade amid multiple sanctions, including SWIFT ban, imposed on the country following its war with Ukraine.It is expected to send the modalities to the Economic Relations...

When questions are questionable

Questions of this year's Bangla papers have left academic and educationists utterly disconsolate. The Bangla first paper question set of Dhaka education board has one particular question in what is called structured or 'creative' segment with an overdose of communal...

IMF loan for Bangladesh

Even a year back, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its World Economic Outlook said that by the fiscal year 2024-25, Bangladesh's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be US$516.24 billion. According to that forecast, Bangladesh would by that timeline overtake...

Market controlling mechanism: Is it a boon or a bane?

Regulatory measures have become frequent phenomena for the capital market since March 2020 either to prevent it from cascading down or to keep it upbeat, but experts say such interventions do not have positive outcomes in the long run.Bangladesh Securities...

Country's performance on the economic front

It was in September 2015 when world leaders gathered under the umbrella of the United Nations (UN) agreed to work together to make the world a better place for the next generation to live in. A total of 193 countries...

Bangabandhu Tunnel opens to traffic next month: Officials

CHATTOGRAM, Nov 11: The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under Karnaphuli River may be opened for vehicular movement next month as almost all works of the $1.1 billion project were completed as of November 1, 2022, officials said. "Bangabandhu Tunnel,...

BTRC sets clauses to limit short code use

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has set a number of conditions to limit the use of public service short code numbers.The telecom regulator has recently taken the decision to restrict the allocation of short code, as so many organisations...

BIDA OSS futile as agencies give same services

The efforts to provide one-point services from the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) went in vain, as the agencies, which added their services to the BIDA One Stop Service (OSS) portal, are also individually accepting applications for these.The BIDA now...

Beximco Pharma's profit drops in Q1 even as revenue up

Beximco Pharmaceuticals witnessed a 4.7 per cent drop in net profit in the first quarter (Q1) of the current financial year on the back of higher raw materials costs and sharp depreciation of local currency, despite having registered higher revenue.The...

Primates and other species also need space for survival

Imagine you are alone at home. The door is locked and you are writing a piece for the next day's issue of your newspaper. Midway, you go to the dining room for a glass of water. Just then you come...

Understanding the economic burden of diseases on households in Bangladesh

Economic burden estimates of diseases are increasingly reported and used to inform policy, programme, or intervention choices and funding decisions both by the private and public sectors in developed countries. Research on the cost of diseases is important to conduct...