Digital dilemmas complicate online reg for e-commerce startups

Digital Business Identification (DBID) has yet to pay off by way of disciplining Bangladesh's anomalous e-commerce operations as a year elapsed sans outcome of the government's legal move.The government has made registration mandatory for e-commerce businesses without setting forth any...

SCB introduces 20-week parental leave to promote the idea of sharing responsibility

Standard Chartered Bank has introduced 20-week paid parental leave for its employees to put forward the philosophy that child rearing is a responsibility for both parents to share. The objective is to help parents of the newborns rear a new...

Beximco Pharma faces EU export restrictions on ophthalmic plant's design concerns

Beximco Pharmaceuticals faces a ban on export of eye drops for glaucoma to the European market over concerns tied to the manufacturing plant in Bangladesh. The drug maker listed in Bangladesh's stock market and London Stock Exchange should be barred...

The alienated teens

Shoolgoing boys and girls are committing suicide in greater number than members of other age groups, a recent study says. Done by a non-government youth-focused social organisation, Achol Foundation, the study has analysed the circumstances of the suicides as reported...

Economic growth without jobs

In the football match between Spain and Switzerland during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, even though Spain had the majority of ball possession, fans were stunned by a Swiss goal that led to Spain's 0-1 defeat. The concept of jobless...

Inauguration of MRT-5 northern route construction postponed

The groundbreaking ceremony slated for September 16 to mark the formal beginning of the country's third metro-rail construction along Dhaka's east-west axis has been postponed indefinitely, according to sources.They said the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-5 (northern route) project office...

Reverse flow taking e-commerce startups to overseas business havens

Opening up scope for foreign companies to make investment on their own in e-commerce business in Bangladesh failed to make headway and left the country lamenting missed chances of hitting a jackpot of billions of dollars in global sales.Three years...

Renata to launch Parkinson's drug in Germany in widening footprint in EU

Renata Ltd has received approval for one of its brands to export medicines to Germany. The permission enables its subsidiary company in Europe, Renata Pharmaceuticals Ireland to launch its first brand in Germany - Cabergoletten (Cabergoline 1mg and Cabergoline 2mg),...

In the name of development

'Tela mathai tel dewa' could not be more apt for what goes in the name of development in many areas of the capital city. The Bangla idiom loses much of its charm and force in its English version, 'To carry...

Delhi G20 summit not another talking shop?

The leaderships of the major economies have been keenly watching how India --- the current head of the informal gathering of the largest global economies G20 --- more specifically its prime minister Narendra Modi is going to play the role...

Con trick undercuts roaring rise

Fabulously growing e-commerce business in Bangladesh, which boasted a record growth of 300 per cent during the Covid-19 pandemic, now loses its shine for multiple factors that conspicuously include confidence trick on consumers.Many people, especially new buyers, are getting hesitant...

What clueless female investors reveal in regulatory queries that numbers don't tell

Ismat Aara (not the real name) appeared clueless sitting in front of a panel of the securities regulator for a hearing on stock price manipulation. Her BO (beneficiary owner's) account had been spotted among the investors' that had been involved...

FTAs & PTAs: Bangladesh’s dilemma still on

The excitement over the country's graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) list has subsided for obvious reasons. If everything goes well, Bangladesh will formally come out of the LDC category by the end of 2026. Nepal and Lao PDR...

The sad and sweet story of a monkey

It is a touching story of an injured monkey and quite unique at that. With deep wounds, reportedly from electric shock, an isolated member of the primate family arrives at Sitakunda Health Complex apparently for a redress. Fortunately for the...

NBR moves to cut taxes on land, flat registration

Tax authorities have moved to reduce the land-and-flat registration taxes following a sharp slide of its revenue collection from this major contributing sector. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has found that land and flat owners have refrained themselves from...

Padma Bridge rail link trial run successful

The first trial run of a train between Dhaka's Kamalapur station and Faridpur's Bhanga station across the Padma Bridge was successfully completed on Thursday.The train, which featured eight new coaches and a new engine, completed the journey in two hours...

Ship-breaking industry in dire straits due to ‘red’ category

CHATTOGRAM, Sept 07: Ship-breaking industry in Chattogram which was categorised as 'red' by the Department Environment (DoE) on April 26 this year is yet to be categorised as 'orange'. As a result, the industry is suffering a lot and supply...

An effective AMISDP can revive fortunes of farmers and nation

The need for correct weather and climatic information in order to make right agricultural decisions cannot be overemphasised, particularly when the planet's climate is becoming more capricious throwing the seasonal variations and meteorological trend into turbulence. So, a World Bank-funded...

China in the era of Mao Zedong

In the era of Xi Jinping, with China poised to graduate into a superpower and become the world's most powerful economy, it is only proper that one look back at the political tradition left behind by Mao Zedong for his...

Bhandal Jhuri water supply scheme nears completion

CHATTOGRAM, Sept 06: Work on the 'Bhandal Jhuri Water Supply Project' of the Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) is likely to complete within this year.Sources said more than 90-percent work on the 60-million-litre capacity scheme has already been...

API can earn billions if barriers broken

Production of local medicine raw materials, better known as active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), holds huge forex-earning potential but faces a host of headwinds from within, industry-insiders have said.They say the emerging sector has been facing lack of sufficient investment, including...

New Railway Act draft sent for cabinet nod

The Bangladesh Railway (BR) has drafted a new law to replace the Railway Act 1890 for making its services more technology-oriented and modern as well as increasing services from domestic to regional avenues.The new act keeps provision of punishments, including...

State-run, loss-making sugar mills: What's the way out for retail investors?

Two government sugar manufacturers' liabilities surpassed the value of their assets while the stocks on the Dhaka Stock Exchange have become tools of gamble. One of them, Shyampur Sugar Mills' net asset value per share dipped to Tk 1167.57 in...

Sonagazi 75MW solar plant to come online in Dec

The Sonagazi 75-megawatt solar power plant will start supplying electricity to the national grid in December, with the test run beginning this month, officials have said.They said the power plant in Feni district was initially planned for 50 MW. However,...

Kickstart study in the UK with PTE exams

The UK has been in the spotlight for Bangladeshi students looking to study abroad and immerse in diverse educational and cultural experiences. The country continues to offer incentives, scholarships, and friendlier visa policies to attract prospective students. Over 430,000 international...

Govt seeks three-year potato stock records from cold stores

The surge in potato prices to a four-year high has compelled the government to ask for stock records of private cold-storage facilities across Bangladesh by September 7.The Ministry of Commerce has instructed the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) to provide...

Look at graphs: Himadri sets a blatant example of price manipulation

Himadri was Tk 4,085 a share at the end of the September 3 trading session on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). The very next trade on Tuesday pushed the stock up by 10 per cent, at which the circuit breaker...

Go-ahead awaited for Bangladesh's accession to RCEP bloc

Spadework is done and the go-ahead is awaited from the prime minister's office for Bangladesh's accession to an emerging economic bloc encompassing the Asia-Pacific region that represents a third of world GDP. As soon as the approval comes, formal proceedings...

Halting the decline in inflow of remittance

Though the number of migrant workers flying abroad is surging, the remittance they are sending home is not. The mismatch is worrying for the government and intriguing for organisations studying the changes in the pattern of inward remittance flow vis-à-vis...

Manpower shortage in Islamic banking windows

Bangladesh has three types of banks that provide Islamic banking services. Usually, by Islamic banks we mean full-fledged Islamic banks. The journey of Islamic banking began with the inauguration of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC in 1983 and the number of...