Twenty years ago President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair sent in their forces, along with those of their allies, into Iraq. It was an invasion based on the false premise that Iraq, led by President Saddam Hussein, was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that could end
A number of mega projects ---some of them completed, a few about to be completed and others slated for starting work soon ---are feathers in Dhaka City's cap. It has got its flyovers ready, overhead metro rail up and running half the route, elevated expressway becoming more and more visible, and ev
It seems -- and in all probability so -- that mandatory jute packaging has lost the urgency that just a few years ago came as a major initiative to curb pollution and water-logging, while also aiming at a breakthrough in the increased domestic consumption of jute materials. What is surprising is th
Despite being the producer of one of the finest varieties of jute, Bangladesh has yet to enjoy a handsome share of jute exports. Similar is the case with jute products. To speak forthrightly, the export of Bangladesh jute and the goods made of the fibre experienced a decline in 2022. Export of jute
A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials is visiting Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refuges as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state o
It goes without saying that the benefit of foreign direct investment (FDI) for a developing country is immense. Economists have outlined a number of benefits with a great deal of empirical evidence to show the necessity of FDI. Though the patterns of FDI have changed over the decades, the ultimate
The online system of the Electronic Taxpayer Identification Number (e-TIN) went offline last Tuesday, March 14. According to a report published in this newspaper, the national board of revenue (NBR) confirmed that there have been some hardware-related problems which caused the system to crash. This
Educationists, scholars and experts in teaching are unanimous that the new education curriculum is quite appropriate for acquiring knowledge ---both theoretical and practical---and skills by young learners. But at the very outset, the controversy over two books' contents involving the progressive t
China is going places. It is everywhere. It is reshaping geopolitics. In these past few weeks and months, Beijing's reach has extended to regions in a manner that has left many beyond China impressed. Conversely, China's growing influence has had governments, especially in the West, worried. An ins
The Bangladesh Business Summit-2023, emerging as a vibrant platform for new and proactive thoughts, has apparently dealt with issues that are already on the country's business agenda. From reports carried in newspapers, one may tend to think that the Summit organised by the Federation of Bangladesh
Despite the metro rail job being a specialised one, the apathy of women, including the educated ones, towards it turns out to be a quandary. The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) authorities say the company has offered women the full scope of working either at the front desk or in th
The government in its revised budget for the current fiscal year is going to increase the allocation for operational expenditures which involve costs of running the administration, maintenance work, repairs, etc. Oddly though, this is being done at the expense of the development budget which is bei
The holy month of Ramadan is approaching and the prices of necessaries are also rising persistently. It turns out to be a perennial phenomenon in Bangladesh, in particular. No doubt that demand for various food items usually increases before Ramadan, which is one of the reasons behind
