Labour-short Japan expanding foreign trainee programme

Japan is both ageing and shrinking as it tries to emerge from two decades of economic stagnation. The construction workforce is a prime example. It has contracted by a third since its peak in 1997 and is set to continue...

Stocks return to green

Stocks returned to the green on Monday after four session's bearish trend amid increased participation of investors in lucrative stocks. The trading started with a positive note in the morning, which continued throughout the session as investors bet mainly on...

Stocks positive at opening

The prices of most of the shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw upward trend in early hours of trading on Monday, the second trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the...

Dhaka conditionally accepts Chinese proposal on tariff preference change

Bangladesh has decided to conditionally accept a Chinese proposal to replace the tariff preferences that the latter offers under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) with zero tariff facility granted under the multilateral trade deal reached under the auspices of WTO,...

Pvt investments\\\' share in GDP sees downtrend

Private investments in terms of the share of gross domestic product (GDP) slowed down over the last three fiscal years (FY) amid the fear about its impact on employment and money flow. According to the official statistics, the share of...

MasterCard vows to expand business in Bangladesh

Global payment technology giant MasterCard has vowed to shortly expand its business in a big way in Bangladesh to tap its vast potential as the market is poised to take off into a cashless payment revolution. "With setting up of...

For widows to step out of the shadows

The word 'widow' brings to the canvas of our mind an affrighted similitude of a lady with a saddened face, wearing a grayish brown sari, perhaps the only sari she owns. The elongated holes are visible in her earlobes that...

In praise of \\\'gamchha\\\'

A famous folk song,"O iccha kare parandare gamchha dia bandhi" (How I wished I could tie up my soul with gamchha!) has immortalised the indigenous version of towel. While towel is thick and heavier, gamchha/gamuchha/ gamochha is a thin and...

Of fat Swiss bank accounts, graft and political instability

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is deeply frustrated by the current state of investment in the private sector. In fact, an investment-drought has gripped the economy in recent years. In such a situation, anyone holding the portfolio of the ministry of...

Stocks edge lower amid dull trading

The market edged marginally lower on Sunday with turnover dropped further as investors remained reluctant to make fresh investments amid shaky sentiment. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange ended at 4,322.26, shedding 6.14 points or 0.14 per...

DSE, CSE down at opening

The prices of most of the shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw negative trend in early hours of trading on Sunday, the first trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the...

Upcoming visit of new Indian external affairs minister to Dhaka arouses enormous interest

The upcoming visit of India's new external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to Bangladesh will be of a 'goodwill' gesture in nature. But substantial discussions will take place between the two sides on a variety of issues ranging from bilateral matters...

Towards ensuring safe food

The widespread use of formalin and other chemicals in fruits and a large number of food items has caused grave public concern. Green activists after conducting a thorough examination of fruits and food items last week found toxic substances in...

Entrepreneurship expo begins in city today

The first-ever entrepreneurship and innovation exposition will begin in the capital today (Sunday) aiming at creating skilled manpower through providing necessary training to turn Bangladesh into a middle- income country by 2021. The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI),...

Education focusing on gender sensitivity

Now it has crossed the boundary of doubt that investment in education for both boys and girls stands as one of the most important determinants of development having positive implications for all other measures of progress. Sending only boy children...

Quest for quality education

There goes a most familiar maxim that 'Education is the backbone of a nation'. Education makes an individual enlightened, enables to justify right and wrong and finally develops one's spiritual capability. Education brings perfection in life. Educated people can change...

Religion, rites and rituals

Astronomers and physicists first observed that other galaxies are moving away from our own at a great speed as if they had all been propelled by an ancient explosive force. Based on that observation scientists have theorised that the universe...

How are women workers in RMG sector?

The ready-made garment (RMG) sector plays an important role in boosting the country's economy. This sector accounts for 78 per cent of the country's export receipts and contributes 17 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). More than 4.0...

Value conversion to coal

Coal is known to be a dirty fuel from the time of its discovery and utilisation. Frankly speaking, it is dirtier than other fossil fuels like natural gas, petroleum oil and their by-products. But still, this "black gold" is mined...

Budget: Focus on accounting and auditing

The budget phobia that grips the educated section of the people every year before the month of June seems to have subsided with its announcement on June 05. There is a sigh of relief among the general people as the...

Sericulture prospect bright if revived

JHENIDAH, Jun 21: Sericulture sector can open up a new horizon of economic progress in the country if Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board (BSDB) can revitalise it by removing the existing setbacks. In Bangladesh, 400-450 metric tonnes (MT) of silk yarn...

Govt plans to pay entire Tk 72.46b BPC deficit

The government is now weighing the option of paying the full amount of Tk 72.46 billion that has accrued to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) in net deficit over the years. The amount has fallen overdue over the last 14...

Geopolitics, security factors come into play

Diplomatic and geopolitical strategies along with security dynamics are learnt to have been major determining factors behind Bangladesh's last-minute backtracking on signing the planned deal with China on construction of the proposed deep-sea port in the Bay of Bengal. Officials...

Major revision of flat, bldg tax rate proposals likely

The government is set to relax the proposed tax rates on flats, buildings or structures by levying those on per square metre instead of per square feet for the upcoming fiscal year (FY), competent sources said.   The revision is likely...

Biman plans to suspend Dhaka-Frankfurt flights due to continuous losses

Biman Bangladesh Airlines-- the national flag carrier - is planning to suspend its recently opened Dhaka-Frankfurt flights as the route has been incurring losses since its reopening in April last after 10 years of suspension, a Biman source said. Biman...

Stocks see sharp fall

Stocks witnessed sharp fall last week that ended Thursday with sluggish trading activities as nervous traders reacted to an array of anti-capital market decisions in the proposed budget. "The higher capital gain tax imposition and withdrawal of the provision for...

Football frenzy and flags

Flags carry the high-voltage passion of a particular group of people. Be it a religious sect, a political outfit, a sports club or any other organisation. But above everything else the national flag is a representation in colour and shape...

What causes child labour and how to curb it

There are different views among academics regarding factors that cause child labour. Some vigorously advocate that demand factors are responsible for child labour; some argue that supply factors are responsible for child labour; and some say that social and cultural...

Is the current form of anti-formalin drive enough?

The ongoing anti-formalin drive in the capital city can be termed 'not enough'. The drive is limited to checking formalin-tainted fish, fruits and vegetables entering the city, but those contaminated with other chemicals remain untraced. This is because the persons...

Place of auditors and CAs in Finance Bill 2014

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has presented the Finance Bill 2014 along with the budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15 in the Jatiya Sangsad. The budget has been announced amid both applause and critical analysis on the part of the...