Strongest 鈥榟ints鈥� yet of life detected on distant planet
Astronomers announced Thursday that they had detected the most promising 鈥榟ints鈥� of potential life on a planet beyond our solar system, though other scientists expressed scepticism.
Tags : STEM
Bangladesh鈥檚 economy and global impact
IN RECENT years, the global economy has been shaped by the principles of free-market systems and trade openness. However, the United States has introduced a surprising policy that contradicts these principles, particularly under the Trump administration. Known as the 鈥榬eciprocal tariff,鈥� this policy is based on a trading philosophy that could potentially lead to...
Need for nutrition-sensitive, adolescent-friendly food
IN BANGLADESH, where 40 per cent of adolescent girls suffer from anaemia and 35 per cent of children under five experience stunting, the need for nutrition-sensitive food systems has never been more urgent. These statistics represent not just numbers but millions of young lives being compromised at the most critical stages of their development. While the country...
Stem cell treatment can improve spinal cord injuries: Japan scientists
A stem cell treatment helped improve the motor function of two out of four patients with a spinal cord injury in the first clinical study of its kind, Japanese scientists said.
Experts for clear labeling to ensure food safety
Speakers at a discussion have underscored the importance of clear labeling system on product packaging, allowing the consumers to easily identify the levels of sugar, salt, trans fat, saturated fat, and other ingredients to determine potential health risks...
Many taxpayers abuse scope of tax exemptions: NBR chair
National Board of Revenue chairman Abdur Rahman Khan said that many taxpayers abuse the exemption as the tax exemption practice always misuse loopholes in the taxation system...
IMPORTANCE OF MERITOCRACY: Building just, progressive society
MERITOCRACY may be defined as a system of governance or administrative structure where individuals are rewarded and promoted or given a chance to grow and develop based on their merit, abilities and skills rather than their social status, power or connections. It is often heralded as an efficient and justified way to assign responsibilities, provide opportunities...
Tackling police corruption
CORRUPTION is deeply rooted, affecting nearly every sector, including law enforcement. Police corruption, marked by bribery, the abuse of power, political interference and extortion, has eroded public trust, weakened the justice system and fostered a culture of impunity. This not only hampers law enforcement but also obstructs justice, fuels social injustice...
Grid collapse shows system weakness
A technical malfunction in a transformer triggered the March 11 national grid collapse that deprived parts of Dhaka of electricity supply for at least two hours...
NBR begins spot assessment
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has launched a new Spot Assessment programme to simplify the tax payment system to expand the tax net...
E-returns to be joined with banking system
National Board of Revenue chairman Abdur Rahman Khan on Tuesday said that the NBR was exploring ways to integrate online tax returns with banking system...
Uneven tax burden on low-income professionals
IN BANGLADESH, the tax deducted at source (TDS) system is designed to ensure timely tax collection and prevent evasion. However, for many low-income professionals 鈥� especially freelancers, consultants, and small business owners 鈥� this system has become an unnecessary financial burden. Despite earning less than the taxable income threshold, they often find...
Moody鈥檚 downgrades Bangladesh banking outlook to negative
Moody鈥檚 Ratings has downgraded the outlook for Bangladesh鈥檚 banking system from stable to negative, citing rising asset risks, weakening economic growth, and high inflationary pressures...
Mob justice is no justice
THE term 鈥榤ob justice鈥� has recently been widely discussed. It refers to a situation when a chaotic mob ignores the law or the judicial system, uses force and takes the law into its own hands to try the accused. It refers to the punishment of a person by an angry or chaotic mob without the intervention of the legal system or the law enforcement agencies. The recent...
PROPOSAL FOR FEDERALISM: What are the far-reaching consequences?
THE interim government of Bangladesh formed an 11-member Administrative Reform Commission in October 2024, led by Abdul Muid Chowdhury, to recommend ways to make public administration more people-centric, accountable, efficient, and impartial. On February 15, the Commission submitted its recommendations, key among which is transitioning Bangladesh...
Jamaat to introduce Islamic education system if comes to power
The amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, at a programme in Dhaka on Sunday said that Jamaat would introduce Islamic education system in the country if they came to power...
UK pre-travel entry scheme opens to Europeans
European nationals can apply for a digital travel permit to enter the UK starting from Wednesday, in the latest step taken by Britain to digitise its borders...
Rethinking Bangladesh-India relations
BANGLADESH is a dynamic and strategically significant nation, known for its struggles for language, democracy, and independence. Despite its potential to inspire globally, 53 years after independence, it has failed to establish a strong democratic framework or implement an independent foreign policy. While global democracy has expanded, Bangladesh has regressed...
Overhaul needed to break procurement monopoly
THE findings of a Transparency International Bangladesh study are worrying in that the top 5 per cent of the contractors working with the top 10 ministries could secure 61.31 per cent of the total contract value given out on electronic procurement system in 12 years since 2012. The bottom 10 per cent of the contractors could, however, secure less than 1 per cent of the...
Uneven competition with banks hinders NBFIs鈥� growth
The country as a whole is going through one of the most difficult periods, created by the previous authoritarian regime through corruption and money laundering and it has left a deep scar on Bangladesh鈥檚 overall economy and financial system...
Govt should put road regime effectively in order
RESIDENTS of Dhaka appear to be headed for a transport system completely in lawlessness as the road regime worsens riding on the indolence, deliberate or unintentional, of the authorities. Chaos on the road, which had often made the headlines for years, appears to have intensified largely after the August 2024 political changeover, when law enforcement...
IDCOL to help install industrial rooftop solar system
The Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), in partnership with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, organised a workshop on 鈥業nstallation of industrial rooftop solar system 鈥� prospects and...
Single window system streamlines export, import activities
The Bangladesh Single Window system (BSW), launched on January 2, has significantly facilitated the country鈥檚 export-import activities by reducing time and costs, according to a statement from the National Board of Revenue issued on Wednesday...
Gazette issued on lifting police verification for passport
The government has lifted the police verification system prior to issuing passport for simplifying services and easing the sufferings of the people...
India largely responsible for electoral system ruin: Odhikar
Rights group Odhikar in its yearly report has claimed that the Indian ruling party was largely responsible for destroying the electoral system in Bangladesh...
Dhaka Chamber demands a simplified Tax, VAT system
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Taskeen Ahmed stressed the need for simplifying the tax and VAT system, also simplifying the system according to the size, nature, and capacity of the businesses by removing complexity and bottlenecks in the import-export procedures and fixing a realistic VAT rate...
US embassy in Bangladesh to launch new visa system Feb 8
The United States embassy in Dhaka will launch a new visa service system starting February 8, temporarily suspending access to its current online platform...
Too many universities, too little learning
Imagine graduating from university only to realise your degree has left you unprepared for the job market. You spent years studying outdated courses, using inadequate facilities, and being taught by underqualified faculty. Now, you are one of the 800,000 unemployed university graduates in Bangladesh, struggling to find work. This is not a rare story 鈥� it is the reality for far too many young Bangladeshis...
Social health insurance scheme
ADVOCACY for initiating a general practitioner-based primary health care system, practised in the United Kingdom and in many former British colonies, looks quite rife in Bangladesh whereas the financing avenue urged for the same is the social health insurance-based model, known also as the Bismarck model, initiated in Germany in 1883. The...
PUBLIC SPENDING: Luxury the nation can鈥檛 afford
THE bureaucratic system is plagued with excessive red tape, which manifests through ineffective procedures and corruption, resulting in overspending on civil service that ultimately limits economic performance. Overlapping regulations and insufficient coordination between government bodies make the process to complete business registrations...