Stocks extend rally for sixth straight week

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) extended its rally for a sixth consecutive week, buoyed by sustained buying in banking stocks amid renewed investor optimism.Market analysts attributed the continued upward trend to broad-based investor participation, supported by...

Who are distorting Bangla language?

During the month of language, a debate resurfaced over the distortion of Bangla through the use of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu words and jargon. Some people alleged a deliberate move to replace common Bangla words with non-Bengali ones, claiming an...

Strengthening bank-financed projects to safeguard economic growth

Business projects remain vital pillars of industrial expansion, employment generation, and national economic progress, where bank finance plays a pivotal role. By channelling public deposits into productive investments, banks contribute to the country's development trajectory in a variety of ways....

Need better management of TCB sales

A chaotic situation recently erupted during the sale of subsidised products by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) in Uttara in the capital. A large crowd gathered around a TCB truck to purchase essential commodities at affordable prices ahead of...

Children's lives trapped in screens

With the passage of time, modern technology has become deeply intertwined with our daily lives. Among these innovations, the smartphone is the most widely used and easily accessible device. While it has undoubtedly made communication, information-sharing, education and entertainment more...

Where do workers stand in AI age?

The debate over artificial intelligence and the future of the job market has often swung between anxiety and excitement. Much of the excitement has come from the promise of a more efficient world where machines can produce code, analyse data...

Cleaning up the power sector mess

A lack of long-term power and energy policy, penchant for quick fix and governance issues are responsible for leaving the country's power forever crisis-prone. So, when Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood observes that power deals signed...

Rate reset, reopening factories key priorities

Resetting higher interest rates and helping in reopening closed factories through default loan rescheduling and fresh working-capital lending are among first priorities set by the newly appointed Bangladesh Bank governor. Explaining Governor Mostaqur Rahman's directions to the central bank's hierarchy...

Japan births fall for 10th straight year

TOKYO, Feb 26 (AFP): The number of births in Japan fell for the 10th straight year in 2025, official data showed on Thursday, highlighting the challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.A total of 705,809 babies were born in Japan, the...

Almost 8,000 died on migration routes in 2025

BRUSSELS, Feb 26 (Reuters): Almost 8,000 people died or went missing last year on perilous migration routes such as across the Mediterranean and Horn of Africa, but the real toll is likely far higher as cuts in funding have hit...

Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian boy in West Bank

GAZA, Feb 26 (BBC): Last November, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy named Jad Jadallah was shot at close range by Israeli soldiers in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.As Jad lay collapsed in an alley, the soldiers created a...

Trump, Zelensky speak before Ukraine-US talks in Geneva

KYIV, Feb 26 (AFP): US President Donald Trump spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of a fresh round of talks Thursday aimed at ending Russia's invasion, both sides said on Wednesday.A White House official gave AFP no further...

Trump threatens to strike Iran if no deal

GENEVA, Feb 26 (BBC): US and Iranian officials are meeting in Geneva for a third round of indirect talks seen as crucial to averting conflict, with President Donald Trump threatening to strike Iran if a nuclear deal is not reached.The...

Litton's fifty leads North to 2nd straight win in BCL

Litton Das struck an unbeaten half-century to guide North Zone to a six-wicket win over South Zone, while Naim Sheikh and Abu Haider Rony hit contrasting fifties as Central Zone beat East Zone by five wickets in the Bangladesh Cricket...

New Zealand can topple England to make semis, says Kiwis coach

COLOMBO, Feb 26 (AFP): New Zealand's "street-smart" cricketers can find a way to beat England and guarantee their semi-final place at the T20 World Cup, coach Rob Walters said on Thursday.A win for New Zealand in Friday's night's Super Eights...

Shanaka says constant criticism has affected players' mental health

COLOMBO, Feb 26 (Agencies): Fitness and form were not the only areas in which Sri Lanka failed, said captain Dasun Shanaka as he also blamed the "negative environment created outside" for his team's ouster from the T20 World Cup and...

South Africa stay unbeaten with win over West Indies

AHMEDABAD, India, Feb 26 (AFP): South Africa captain Aiden Markram led from the front with an unbeaten 82 as South Africa all but secured a T20 World Cup semi-final berth with a brutal nine-wicket thrashing of the West Indies in...

Steps demanded to protect Jamuna riverbanks in Sirajganj

SIRAJGANJ, Feb 26 (UNB): Local residents on Thursday formed a human chain in Chauhali upazila of Sirajganj district, demanding urgent steps to protect the banks of the Jamuna River from erosion.The hour-long programme was held around noon at Jotpara Jamuna...

Trade disruption feared as crime surges at Jashore's Nawapara port

BENAPOLE, Feb 26: Organised criminal groups have been committing robberies and theft every day from cargo vessels anchored at the Nawapara river port in Jashore's Abhaynagar Upazila. The port now stands at the centre of an estimated Tk 250 billion...

Rare earth shortages worsen in US aerospace, chips despite trade truce

MONTREAL/BEIJING/WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters): Suppliers to US aerospace and semiconductor firms face worsening rare earth shortages, with two turning away some clients, industry insiders said, weeks before US President Donald Trump is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping...

Pubali Bank holds 200th meeting of Executive Risk Management Committee

The 200th meeting of Executive Risk Management Committee (ERMC) of Pubali Bank PLC was recently held on virtual platform. Managing Director & CEO Mohammad Ali attended the meeting as the chief guest, while Deputy Managing Directors: Ahmed Enayet Manzur, Md....

NRBC Bank observing 'Remittance Service Month' during Ramadan

NRBC Bank PLC is observing the holy month of Ramadan as a 'Special Remittance Service Month' to encourage expatriates to send remittances through formal banking channels and to further expand related services. On this occasion, special gifts are being offered...

IMF urges US to work with partners to ease trade restrictions

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26 (AFP): The IMF on Wednesday called on the United States to work with trading partners and find ways to mutually ease trade curbs, as it issued a review of the world's biggest economy.The International Monetary...

Egg auction shows supply and demand at work

The supply of eggs has exceeded demand for eggs, causing a low price, which has been sustained for months. When egg prices were high, government officers alleged that the egg market was controlled by a syndicate. Low prices have proven...

Mitsui & Co. Asia Pacific signs partnership with ACI Logistics

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui"), one of Japan's leading global trading and investment companies, has agreed to partner with ACI Logistics Limited (ACIL) by providing a foreign currency-denominated convertible loan, in accordance with the relevant regulatory approvals through its Singapore-based...

BGMEA accords reception to its members elected to JS

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Thursday accorded a reception to its members who have been elected members of parliament in the 13th national election.A total of 17 members from the readymade garment sector, including three ministers, three...

BGMEA pushes for quick release of Tk 57b in RMG incentives

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has urged the government to expedite the disbursement of Tk 57.0 billion in cash incentives for the ready-made garment (RMG) sector.The call came during a meeting with Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury...

AMTOB eager to work closely with new govt

Leaders of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) on Thursday expressed their willingness to work closely with the government on future initiatives aligned with national development goals.They expressed the desire during a courtesy call on Posts, Telecommunications...

India revamps mutual fund rulebook, opens room for higher gold and silver exposure

India's markets regulator on Thursday overhauled rules for mutual funds, introducing newer categories of schemes, curbing portfolio overlaps and allowing more exposure to gold and silver, reports Reuters.The move is part of the regulator's efforts to tighten mutual fund rules...

Private credit in emerging markets surges to record, says industry group

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters): Investors ploughed a record $22.3 billion of private credit into emerging markets last year, according to data released on Wednesday, amid banks tightening their lending and wobbles in traditionally safe markets.The total is nearly 40 per...