National Budget FY2023-24 / To end inequality, stop pandering to plunderers

Addressing many of our economic problems is proving to be difficult not mainly for economic reasons, but because of political ones.

On the verge of an explosion

Panic spread among residents of Dhaka on Monday night as people from different parts of the city complained of gas leaks.

On-field glory, off-field controversies: The World Cup so far

From a neutral point of view, this world cup has also given us great moments that resemble David overcoming Goliath.

Make the national budget relevant again

The number of risks that our economy currently faces because of all the global instabilities is perhaps unmatched since the early days of Bangladesh’s independence. Amid this reality, the government is set to present the new budget early next month.

The Ukraine conflict is much more serious than you think

The war in Ukraine is, in reality, a proxy war being fought between the West and Russia. Unlike its portrayal in the Western media, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was neither unprovoked nor unpredictable.

Development for whose benefit?

When we ask the question, “Who should development benefit?”, the answer should be quite straightforward: “the people.” But in reality, that is not often the case.

What modern states can learn from Ancient Rome

Many economists today believe we are committing one of the biggest economic blunders, which has brought ruin to countless past societies.

Global economy showing warning signs

“It’s going to get ugly, the recession,” and there will be “a financial crisis,” Roubini said.

How can Bangladesh circumvent the global oil war?

Bangladesh should immediately get into negotiations with energy-exporting countries to come up with favourable arrangements.

Load-shedding in Bangladesh: Are we living in 2022 or 1984?

The lack of transparency in the energy sector is costing the nation dearly.

Only the guilty need indemnity laws

The national energy crisis is a direct result of the corruption and nepotism encouraged by the indemnity law.

Be careful with ‘over-optimism’ for megaprojects

One important but oft-ignored thing is that design and implementation mistakes delay the revenue-generation phase of megaprojects.

From the graveyard of empires, the US retreats

Twenty-years after 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan by US and NATO forces, the US is on the cusp of withdrawing its forces from the proverbial “graveyard of empires”, with the US military claiming its withdrawal is more than 90 percent complete.

Iran nuclear agreement and the future of US-Iran relations

As of now, the US and Iran are yet to conclude their talks in Vienna “on the terms of Washington return(ing) to the [Iran nuclear] agreement,” according to The Guardian.

Have we done enough to address the problem of drug abuse?

On May 27, The Daily Star reported that detectives had claimed to have seized LSD, an extremely potent hallucinogenic drug, for the first time in the country during a raid in Dhaka.

What does and doesn’t happen when money changes colour

On May 19, the finance minister said, “The scope [to whiten black money] will be there as long as undisclosed incomes will be there.” (The Daily Star) Before commenting on this statement, let’s take a step back and think how we got to this point.