Syed Mansur Hashim

Four-year-old Sohel (not his real name) used to live in a small village in Sherpur. A bundle of energy, he was the apple of everyone's eyes in his family.

Environm-entalists will disagree, but dependence on coal for energy is increasing, not decreasing in Asia. Back in the late '40s, climate change hadn't set in and economic realities dictated establishment of an industrial base at the cost of the environment in countries like China and India—major consumers of coal for energy.

Seventy-five million Bangladeshis are at risk of contracting the most serious diseases because they are drinking unsafe water, where 13 percent of the populace is exposed to arsenic-poisoning.

A study recently presented at a dialogue was titled “Environmental compliance opportunities in the Bangladeshi readymade garments industry: Lessons from the green high-achievers,”

A recent survey titled “IT security of banks in Bangladesh: threats and preparedness” carried out by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) paints a rather dismal picture of certain banks and their ability to combat cyber threats.

The latest edition of Energy & Power magazine has covered a very important aspect of the country's power and energy sector.

The informa-tion disclosed by the finance minister in parliament this month, as a response to a question by a member of parliament, is quite an eye opener.

Last year, the international media was awash with reports that a significant number of illegal migrants headed to Europe were Bangladeshis.

The Barapukuria coal mine debacle continues to generate considerable interest in media and not without reason.

One of the major communications projects, the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), an excellent idea that was supposed to facilitate the movement of large numbers of people with ease in and around the capital city has been in limbo for the last six years.

The idea of using discarded plastic to build roads was brought to fruition by a company called VolkerWessels in 2015. But the country where roads are now being built with this new technology is India. Indeed, the man who made it possible was Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan...

Last year the Bangladesh Terry Towel & Linen Manufacturers & Exporters' Association (BTTLMEA) wanted the government to stop the export of cotton waste so that raw materials become available for production.

Bangladesh lags behind its peers in the region when it comes to foreign direct investment (FDI). That hardly comes as a surprise given the amount of bureaucratic red-tape hurdles a prospective investor has to surmount before launching a business operation. As pointed out in a front-page report of this paper on June 3, “an investor needs up to a year and a half to get approvals from 42 desks of different government offices for starting a business, which according to the businesses is depriving Bangladesh of the much-needed foreign direct and domestic investments.”

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) had formed an eight-member committee on May 2, 2017 to submit recommendations for bringing city buses providing the so-called “seating service” under a legal framework.

Non-profit organisations (NGOs) in Bangladesh are facing a general downturn in funding according to government data.

With the death toll mounting to 58 last Monday thanks largely to a trigger-happy Israeli military and smiles all around Tel Aviv and Washington the two-state solution is all but dead and buried. When President Trump decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, all pretence of a negotiated settlement was effectively thrown out the window and what is happening in Gaza today points to a mindset that

Despite interest shown by foreign investors in country-specific Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) taking steps to acquire and allot land to that effect, it appears preparatory work on most of these zones is lagging far behind schedule.

It is a common enough sight on Dhaka roads to see policemen hailing cars and motorcycles to stop and check their papers. It is within their rights to do so. What is equally common on the roads is that while the dutiful policeman is doing his job, a dilapidated jalopy resembling a monstrosity straight out of a “Mad Max” movie gushing out big, black plumes of smoke chugging along the road pretending to be a bus

Every year we are promised by the relevant ministry that prices of essentials will be kept within reach during the holy month of Ramadan. Since, that promise is hardly ever kept people have stopped expecting anything in this regard. The ministry of commerce had a meeting of traders, law enforcement and officials from the various government agencies and departments along with importers and traders on April 1 to better gauge what stocks should be

According to the latest data, Dhaka's traffic has ground to a snail's pace. 12 years ago, the average speed per hour (on Dhaka roads) for motorised vehicles was 21 kmph (kilometres per hour). Today it is 5 kmph (it has reduced 76 percent).