Diversification of jute products: Opportunities and challenges

The contribution of labour-intensive jute sector is enormous in the economy of Bangladesh. About half of the raw jute produced in Bangladesh are used by the existing 148 jute mills of the country (Bangladesh Economic Association, 2012). After India, Bangladesh...

Oil falls on Kuwait, Saudi signals, but Chinese data lends support

Global oil futures lost more than a dollar on Monday after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait signalled a willingness to bear with lower prices to defend market share, although better-than-expected trade data from China pared the losses. Contrary to market expectations,...

Modi seeks to revive India\\\'s \\\"zombie factories\\\", not abandon them

At British India Corporation's textile factory in Kanpur, four men sit in a control room watching computerised gauges eight hours a day. When they are done, another group takes over, and then another, for 24 hours a day - much...

More Bangladeshis found in Thailand on human trafficking route

Thai police found scores of sick and exhausted boat people hiding on a remote island on Monday, and all but one of the 79 suspected human-trafficking victims were from Bangladesh, according to local officials. The discovery brings to more than...

Stocks slip for second day amid choppy trading

Stocks slipped for the second session in a row on Tuesday amid choppy trading as late hours profit-taking sale wiped-out early gain. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) went down by 16.63 points or 0.31 per...

DSE, CSE advance

The prices of most of the shares at the country's twin-bourse – the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) – witnessed positive trend in the early hours of trading on Tuesday, the third session of the...

Invest in big projects, Muhith urges WB

Washington, DC, Oct 12: Bangladesh Finance Minister AMA Muhith expressed his hope that the World Bank would invest in prospective big projects in Bangladesh, forgetting about the previous bitterness involving the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.   "We hope that like Japan...

Govt set to extend takeoff time for tax holiday in power sector

The government is set to extend the takeoff time for availing the existing tax-exemption facility for power-sector investors until 2018 to lure huge investment needed to achieve ambitious targets. Under the existing income-tax rules, private investors in the sector can...

Proposal to give cash incentives to 37 more agro products under scrutiny

The government is scrutinising a proposal of the apex trade body FBCCI for providing cash incentive to a number of products to help boost the country's exports, sources said. The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) recently...

RHD moves to build country part sans Myanmar nod

The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges moves to construct the country part of the Bangladesh-Myanmar friendship road as the other side delayed its readiness for a fresh joint survey on the route, official sources said.            A consensus was reached...

Pvt helicopter service gaining popularity in Bangladesh

Private helicopter and air ambulance service have emerged as one of the potential investment areas in the country as businessmen and other skilled professionals now prefer the chopper service to avoid long travels and wastage of time, industry insiders said.  ...

US buyers pile pressure on Congress for GSP renewal

American buyers have been mounting pressure on the Congress for renewal of GSP (generalised system of preferences) as they are compelled to pay higher taxes for importing Bangladeshi goods since expiry of the facility in July 2013, trade diplomats have...

Preparing and reinforcing future entrepreneurs

Creating more business and more jobs through fast-growing, innovative firms is one of the key objectives of economy. As things stand now the crucial need is to support innovation in existing companies, while at the same time creating new business...

Financial inclusion: The role of postal service

Bangladesh is pioneer in postal ATM service in South Asia. The country introduced postal cash card service two years back. Initially, postal cash card was usable only at selected post offices with the help of POS (Point of Sales) terminals....

Forging trade, investment ties with Japan

Visits of the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and Japan to each other's country have enkindled hopes of furthering strong economic ties between Dhaka and Tokyo. Though political diplomacy occupies the centre-stage, economic diplomacy always remains on top. Japan is a...

Small farms and ASAE conference

A three-day conference of the Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) kicks off at BRAC Center for Development Management (BCDM), Savar, on October 15 (Wednesday). The 8th international conference will be hosted jointly by the BRAC and the ASAE. The...

An accounting device to save the environment

The environment of the present world faces after-shocks from climate changes, global warming, unplanned deforestation, impetuous urbanisation and  industrialisation. The accounting credenda has been oscillating from the traditional accounting to modern accounting that includes management accounting, financial accounting, cost accounting,...

Kerry pushes for Mideast peace, Qatar pledges $1b for Gaza

US Secretary of State John Kerry called last week for a renewed commitment to achieving Middle East peace, saying a lasting deal between Israel, the Palestinians and all their neighbours was possible. But prospects for a renewed peace process appeared...

S Korea powers up downtown duty-free sales as China tourism magnet

Already the world's biggest duty-free market, South Korea said last week it will issue more licenses for downtown duty-free shops, doubling down on a strategy that has helped it outstrip regional rivals seeking to reel in shopaholic Chinese tourists. Seoul-based...

Modi\\\'s bravado ups the ante in India-Pakistan fighting

To judge from the shrill outrage of India's TV news channels, the past week's bloody clashes along the border dividing Kashmir are all Pakistan's fault: one network has been plugging the Twitter hashtag #PakBorderDare. However, military officers in both countries...

Stocks fall on profit-taking

Dhaka stocks fell slightly on Monday, a day after the premier bourse witnessed the steepest single-day gain in 2014 as investors booked some profit. The market opened with a downward trend and the negative trend continued till the market closure...

Stocks stumble at start

The prices of most of the shares at the country’s twin-bourse – the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) – witnessed downward trend in early hours of trading on Monday, the second session of the week....

BB directs 4 PCBs to cut down family directorships

Setting October 20 as the deadline for compliance, the central bank has asked four private commercial banks (PCBs) to cut down the number of directors from a single family to maximum two or face action for breach of the law....

Muhith optimistic of 7pc growth this fiscal

WASHINGTON, Oct 12: Bangladesh Finance Minister AMA Muhith aired on Saturday his optimism about achieving a growth rate of 7.0 per cent for the current fiscal year (FY). He expressed the optimism despite his dissatisfaction over Bangladesh's prevailing GDP (gross...

Slow progress in CWASA plant

Water crisis in Chittagong city is likely to persist for an indefinite period due to slow progress in construction of the Karnafully water treatment plant by CWASA, sources said. Against the demand for 500 million litres per day the water...

Nobel shines on Malala and Satyarthi

People from all corners of the world have been immensely excited and pouring in their heartiest messages of support and congratulations for Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, two illustrious advocates of children's rights, who have been awarded this year's Nobel...

Making disaster risk reduction inclusive

Climatic hazards that we saw in the last few years remind us of the fact that we are perhaps passing the most crucial decade in history of the world with both frequency and ferocity of disasters being the serious concerns....

Jilted love and crime

Jilted love often ends up in tragedy. While unrequited love usually led lovers to go nuts or even to destruction in the past, today a saga of violence and sadism has become the order of the day. If love is...

China and emerging politics in Bangladesh

China has become the world's number one economic power. The new status coincided with the 65th year of the founding of Communist China. The news that the US has become the number two economy of the world was disclosed at...

DSE key index crosses 5,300-mark

Stocks witnessed steep gain Sunday, the opening day after a prolonged 9-day Eid vacation with the key index of the major bourse crossing 5,300-mark as investors' buying spree continued. The market opened with an upbeat mood in the morning which...