The World Trade Organization (WTO) as a multilateral institution has been saved, for the time being, but at the cost of doing, and agreeing to do, almost nothing. 'WTO Reforms' was the catchword of 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14). Everyone agreed about the need for Reforms, but there was wide di
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced that Bangladesh will soon open the country's first investment office in China to attract investment from the world's second largest economy. It is a welcome initiative as China is the third largest source of foreign investment globally and holds the poten
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a sizeable investment made by an enterprise of one country into a firm in another country. Further, it enables the "giving" countries to access new markets and gain resources in the recipient countries. FDI accelerates economic growth in several ways. First, by i
On 20 (Saturday), a fisherman caught a large hilsa (fish) weighing 2.40 kg in his net from the River Meghna. When the fisherman, Kamal Majhi, brought the fish to the Ramnewaz fish landing centre (Matsya Ghat) in Manpura upazila of Bhola district, it was big news in the Ghat area among the fishermen
Bangladesh's budget for 2026-27, a historic Tk 9.38 trillion, arrived with fanfare and a striking new promise: anyone, citizen or expatriate, who successfully brings foreign direct investment into the country will receive a 1.5 per cent consultancy fee or commission as an incentive. The cabinet had
The rice syndicate has, once again, become hyperactive. Earlier, the millers and their cohorts took the opportunity of the lean season to raise prices of rice. But they targeted the peak harvesting period to manipulate market last year. This year sees a repeat of their intrigue. During the harvest
World Refugee Day was observed on June 20 under the United Nations theme, "Until Everyone Is Safe" - a call to stand in solidarity with refugees until every displaced person can live in safety, dignity, and hope. For Bangladesh, the theme carries a particularly poignant significance. As the world m
Bangladesh’s journey towards a cashless economy has received a significant boost through the introduction of Bangla QR, a universal quick-response payment framework initiated by Bangladesh Bank. The system aims to allow customers to pay merchants using any participating bank application, Mobi
People of Bangladesh witnessed the presentation of another national budget on June 11. Since then, analysing the positive and negative sides of the budget has been ongoing, and it will continue for a few weeks, though many parts of the budget remain ambiguous. The way the budget has been designed a
When six neonates died at Ad-din Hospital at Dhaka's Moghbazar in a span of only three hours on May 27, the entire nation was shaken. The tragedy triggers grief and outrage. In a country where medical negligence surfaces so frequently, people expected a thorough investigation into the incident and
Once the second most important cereal crop in Bangladesh after rice, wheat is now steadily losing ground. Over the past decade, both acreage and production have declined significantly, even as domestic demand continues to rise. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), wheat cultivation a
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was created in 1991, before the Rio 'Earth' Summit in 1992, which aimed to develop a global blueprint for balancing economic development with environmental protection. However, its importance grew after the summit. The Rio Summit produced three major environme
Of late, the violent crimes has not only increased in number, but their nature has also changed. Consider the sharp rise in crimes involving rape and murder of the vilest kind in the victims' supposedly secure homes, incidents of shooting to death in broad daylight, vigilantes beating suspect
