We no longer have to wait with baited breath or scrounge every nook and corner for any artificial intelligence (AI) scent: it is already in the works, though in fits and starts. For some it is in the smartphone, for others in a variety of everyday Internet programs. This should not be surprising as the [...]

Having written two articles in this column on growth back to back last month in the context of inequality it behoves me to trace its origin with a view to finding out if the issue of inequality surfaced, even as green shoots, at the early stage.
As economists know, in the seventeenth century pre-classical economics was [...]

I gave up smoking about nine years ago and I can at least tell you that I feel quite happy about it. I am happy that I have, after prolonged efforts, been able to get rid of the harmful habit. Initially, my friends and well wishers expressed their doubts about my giving up smoking as [...]

CHILDREN in our country are subjected to torture both inside and outside their homes. Those who work as domestic helps are often subjected to inhuman torture as we come across in media. These children usually come from poor families and are deprived of proper education. They are compelled to migrate to cities for work and [...]

"This river is not the Padma but the Dhanmondi River, a temporary river of Bangladesh. It is as a seasonal river. It emerges during monsoon and vanishes at the onset of dry season", said a Bangla daily quoting a write-up posted by a student of Dhanmondi Government Boys School last Wednesday. 
In fact, even a moderate [...]

While observing the World Population Day 2017 on Tuesday, July 11 last, Bangladesh chose a rather disjointed theme "Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations". If it is family planning, it means in the Bangladesh context keeping the family size small. Perhaps the sponsors wanted to mean planning with population. Indeed when the purpose is to [...]

The country's trade deficit crossed $9 billion level in July-May period of the last fiscal year (FY17), according to the latest statistics of Bangladesh Bank (BB).
A leading economist of the country considered the level of deficit to be alarming and stressed the need for arresting the erosion in the overall balance of payments (BoP).
The trade [...]

Finance Minister AMA Muhith told Parliament on Monday that the daily average transaction of money through mobile financial services (MFS) is around Tk 8.44 billion (844 crore). "As per the statistics as of May 2017, the daily average transaction of money through MFS is Tk 8.44 billion. The average number of daily transactions is 4.91 [...]

The Jatiya Sangsad passed Monday the "Bangladesh Jute Research Institute Bill 2017" with provisions for establishing an institute for conducting research on innovating improved variety of jute, simplifying production and devising technologies for diversified use of the fibre.  The bill has proposed retaining the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) established under this law as if [...]

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) predicted government's revenue shortfall between Tk 430 billion and Tk 550 billion in the current fiscal following the postponement of the new VAT law, and suggested some remedies.
It said this inability to execute the law will have serious consequences for revenue mobilisation. However, the private think-tank noted that any [...]