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137701. Ten faces of the South Asia\'s rural consumerPublished: April 16, 2016 18:43:16

The rural consumption opportunity (including the non-metro towns) has been a common topic of discussion in several investor conferences recently. Why the rural people buy as they do, and how...


137702. Mustafizur shines in his IPL debutPublished: April 15, 2016 20:00:12

Mustafizur Rahman shone brightly in his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut match. He was playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad and it was a day for the batsmen of the opponents Royal...


137703. The sorry state of old pensionersPublished: April 15, 2016 19:58:18

The government announced 2015 pay scale for the employees of govt. semi-govt., autonomous bodies, NCB and state owned financial institutions. It is said that provision is there to raise pension...


137704. Market-based pricing policy is preferablePublished: April 14, 2016 00:54:26

The owners of compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations have, of late, raised their voice in chime with others, for reducing the gas price proportionately to the planned cut in...


137705. The in-between factorPublished: April 14, 2016 00:50:56

As it attempts to balance the budget, it would appear the government is veering further away from encouraging wealth accrual than ever before. The response towards tackling the three-pronged devils...


137706. Youth unemployment: Emphasising skill developmentPublished: April 13, 2016 19:24:31

Bangladesh has been experiencing steady growth rate of around 6.0 per cent for a decade. The country has also been experiencing demographic dividend for a few years. With a projection...


137707. Mainstreaming American MuslimsPublished: April 13, 2016 19:11:57

In the mayhem that took place in Lahore, Ivory Coast, Brussels, Paris and San Bernardino, California in recent past, the assassins were disgruntled Muslim youths and the victims of assassinations...


137708. Tax havens exposed: Implications for SDGsPublished: April 13, 2016 19:01:37

Several international organisations are working to unveil the secrecy of so-called tax havens or offshore jurisdictions across the world. Their efforts enhanced significantly in the last few years with some...


137709. The distant prerequisitesPublished: April 13, 2016 00:40:30

The Financial Express in the first week of the current month ran a three-part  series on stock market revival. There was no attempt on the part of the reporter concerned...


137710. Cricket unpluggedPublished: April 13, 2016 00:33:14

For all the magnificence of music, unplugged versions never ever go out of fashion. Perhaps it has something to do with the strings of the Sitar or Guitar, strumming tunes...


137711. Early marriage: A social cursePublished: April 12, 2016 20:43:12

BANGLADESH has one of the highest rates of child marriage. Around 60 per cent of our girls get married before marriageable age, that is, 18. However, with continuous effort of...


137712. Lack of greenery and summer heatPublished: April 12, 2016 20:28:40

WE are experiencing a blistering summer as the mercury rises and there is no sign of rain. Water shortage and load-shedding have already made life difficult for the city dwellers....


137713. A deep tube-well for BashaboPublished: April 12, 2016 20:25:43

INHABITANTS of Bashabo in Dhaka city have been suffering a lot due to inadequate supply of water by Dhaka WASA. Moreover, the water that is supplied by it is also...


137714. War of words between Hillary Clinton and Bernie SandersPublished: April 12, 2016 18:32:00

Since the April 05 Wisconsin primary election, the war of words between Hillary Clinton, Democratic front-runner for nomination in the US presidential election, and Senator Bernie Sanders, Hillary's main contender,...


137715. GDP growth alone does not ensure economic equalityPublished: April 12, 2016 18:18:00

The economy of the country is projected to grow at a rate exceeding 7.0 per cent in the current fiscal year, according to provisional data of the Bangladesh Bureau of...


137716. Legalising black money- theory and practicePublished: April 12, 2016 17:31:20

When anybody hides his/her income from the government and does not report the actual income to evade taxes, the hidden income then becomes "black money". There are many other softer...


137717. Child living in a police stationPublished: April 11, 2016 20:09:44

A report with an enclosed photograph from Dinajpur, was published in a local English daily on 10th April that narrated the story of a child living in a Police station....


137718. A septuagenarian rickshaw pullerPublished: April 11, 2016 20:03:41

A few days ago, I went to faculty of Business studies, University of Dhaka for some personal business. After completing my job, I was looking for a rickshaw to in...


137719. Railway services for BarisalPublished: April 11, 2016 19:56:23

The Prime Minister has recently directed the Railway Minister to resume operation of railway services in Barisal district since Barisal has been the lone district with no railway communications since...


137720. The changing political landscape in MyanmarPublished: April 10, 2016 17:37:55

The world has carefully been watching the gradual evolution of democracy (or quasi-democracy as some have termed it) in Myanmar. They have, however, been taken aback by a comment of...


137721. The proposed new education policy - a critiquePublished: April 10, 2016 17:29:07

A report in the Dhaka dailies on the proposed New Education Policy (NEP) has attracted the attention of many including this writer. It said the government is in the process...


137722. Legitimate competition in telecommunication sectorPublished: April 10, 2016 17:22:14

Telecommunication (Telco) services are no longer a luxury; they have now become a necessity. According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), 83 per cent of the total population of...


137723. Water and power crisis during summerPublished: April 09, 2016 20:01:27

The summer is on and we have already started facing load shedding at the middle of the night. Frequent power outage leads to shortage of water supply. The combined effect...


137724. Stopping private tuitionPublished: April 09, 2016 19:58:57

The initiative of the government to stop private tuition or coaching is appreciable. This initiative will help bring equity in education system in the country. Before implementing the new law,...


137725. Shocking death of a studentPublished: April 09, 2016 19:55:59

The latest in a series of mysterious killings was Nazimuddin, a student of Law in Jagannath Univesity. Nazim died at the hands of miscreants in old Dhaka, which is otherwise...


137726. Integration with East and Southeast Asia will boost the economyPublished: April 09, 2016 17:03:20

The Bangladesh economy over the past two and half decades has been experiencing a steady rise in economic growth rate which has been accompanied by the country's increasing trade-GDP (gross...


137727. Can the growth rate be sustained?Published: April 09, 2016 16:57:22

After posting a year-on-year growth rate around 6.5 per cent for the past several years Bangladesh economy earned the reputation of being stable, weathering adverse situations. When even the economic...


137728. Close industry-academia links key to R&DPublished: April 08, 2016 17:17:04

Successful developing countries, at the very beginning of their journey, recognised industry-academia collaboration in research and development as one of the main vehicles to transform their economies.  Science and  engineering...


137729. Streamlining ADP implementationPublished: April 08, 2016 17:15:25

The performance of the annual development programme (ADP) in the current fiscal (2015-16) is the worst in the last five years. During July-February period, hardly 34 per cent of the...


137730. Land quality and access to technologiesPublished: April 08, 2016 17:14:00

Not all land is of the same quality. Land at higher elevation may suffer from infertility and be exposed to droughts and hence may not be as productive as a...


137731. Bangladeshi movie songsPublished: April 07, 2016 20:45:41

I remember during 80s and 90s the Bangladeshi movie songs were hugely popular among the mass people but nowadays we don't see Bangladeshi movie songs being popular and it seems...


137732. Pahela BaishakhPublished: April 07, 2016 20:40:13

Pahela Baishak is the first day of Bangla New Year and it is celebrated by people of all walks of life regardless of cast, creed or religion. The occasion is...


137733. Dilu Road needs urgent repairPublished: April 07, 2016 20:33:12

The inhabitants of Dilu Road at Eskaton are having a tough time as the road is totally broken and no steps are being taken in this regard. The road was...


137734. Giving every child a fair chance in lifePublished: April 07, 2016 17:53:43

All children have the rights to survival, developing and reaching their full potential without discrimination, bias or favouritism. The Convention on the Rights of the Child also draws our attention...


137735. Dhaka\'s theatre movementPublished: April 07, 2016 17:38:55

In a country just tasting independence after a Liberation War, the people invariably feel the urge to embark on a large-scale resurgence. It becomes incumbent on every sector in the...


137736. What surveys won\'t tell youPublished: April 05, 2016 19:54:12

It may have taken a while to comprehend Mark Twain’s beef with statistics. True to his nature he was short and dismissive in his oft quoted comment, ‘There are lies,...


137737. Smart ways to fight poverty and provide economic opportunityPublished: April 05, 2016 18:01:15

Bangladesh has made spectacular progress over the recent years. The country has halved poverty and the economy has grown by about 6.0 per cent a year. But many challenges continue...


137738. Telecommunication: The role of tower cosPublished: April 05, 2016 17:55:46

Across the globe, telecommunications are recognised as a necessity to improve the quality of life. Increasingly, mobile telephony and data have been central in making access to information and services...


137739. Economics and Saudi oil output curbsPublished: April 05, 2016 17:48:45

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and de facto leader of the OPEC oil cartel, was determined so far to protect its global oil market share by continuing the...


137740. Blackstone bets Indian IT can weather US electionPublished: April 05, 2016 15:28:09

Blackstone is betting that political shouting over American visas for foreign workers will come to nothing. The buyout group is offering up to $1.1 billion in cash for Mphasis, an...


137741. What Bernie Sanders can learn from Britain’s Bernie SandersPublished: April 05, 2016 15:17:24

Last fall, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won an endorsement of sorts from across the Atlantic. Jeremy Corbyn, on the eve of his election as leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party,...


137742. Latin liaisons: Here today, gone tomorrow?Published: April 04, 2016 18:20:28

If handled pragmatically, three converging developments open enormous Latin windows for Bangladesh.   The first is the elevation of some of the original post-World War II low-wage countries into G-20 or...


137743. Policy challenges to branding Bangladesh as an IT hubPublished: April 04, 2016 18:17:37

Despite the presence of significant growth potential and growing investment in developing human resources, through both public and private initiatives, our success in software and IT services in increasing export...


137744. US presidential election- 2016: The Donald factorPublished: April 03, 2016 18:25:44

This leap year, 2016, like other leap years, is unravelling once again the complex and tortuous path that characterises any US presidential election. It has continued to bring forth different...


137745. Budget fatiguePublished: April 03, 2016 00:33:09

If and when Mr. A M A Muhith presents the next budget, he would be doing so for the eighth consecutive year, an unmatched record in the history of this...


137746. Policy economists find justification for uniform tariffPublished: April 01, 2016 17:48:28

The academic case against a uniform tariff seems impeccable. How can then uniform tariffs be justified? There are three answers.  First, policy economists generally think in terms of the protection...


137747. Sharp take-under oddly denotes Japanese successPublished: April 01, 2016 14:36:48

There’s nothing pretty about the details of Foxconn’s deal to take control of Sharp. And fixing the loss-making Japanese electronics manufacturer will be a tough slog for the Taiwanese giant...


137748. Assad: Look at me! I saved Christian relics and ancient Palmyra, too!Published: April 01, 2016 11:41:37

When I went into Old Homs just days after Bashar al-Assad’s regime regained it from the rebels in June of 2014, there was not a stray cat in the streets....


137749. Writing under siege: Universal experiencePublished: March 31, 2016 17:25:33

Creative persons find themselves under one or another state of siege at some point of their careers. For some, its duration is agonisingly long. Think of a writer in a...


137750. Banks on Brexit: deeds count more than wordsPublished: March 31, 2016 15:57:33

Global banks are tying themselves in knots over Britain’s June 23 referendum on European Union membership. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has gone as far as to tell managers to...