RAKUB secures ISO/IEC 27001:2022 re-certification

RAJSHAHI, Apr 22: Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) has successfully secured ISO/IEC 27001:2022 re-certification, reinforcing its commitment to safeguarding digital banking operations and strengthening cybersecurity amid growing cyber threats in the financial sector.The certification was issued by UK-based accredited certification...

Should Bangladesh join RCEP?

Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have emerged as multilateral or bilateral arrangement in the global trade landscape and have been shaping economic relationships and influencing global trade dynamics since 1960s. Starting from European Economic Community in 1957, the world experienced RTAs...

Severe load-shedding in Thakurgaon

Thakurgaon Sadar is currently experiencing a severe load shedding crisis at a critical time when students are sitting for their Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations. Despite official assurances of uninterrupted electricity supply during the exam period, frequent power outages continue...

Eden College needs more buses

Eden Mohila College is one of the country's traditional and historic institutions in the capital. Established in 1873, the college is about 153 years old and has played a significant role in advancing women's education. However, despite its long-standing legacy,...

Lightning deaths - an avoidable tragedy

Lightning strikes are increasing in frequency and costing more lives every year. Thunderbolt in the sky is nothing new, but what raises concern is its growing human and economic toll. On Saturday alone, 12 people died in lightning strikes in...

Can EU-Bangladesh partnership be taken to next level?

The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed between Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) on Monday last has been hailed as a comprehensive strategic partnership. It is going to replace the earlier EU-Bangladesh Cooperation Agreement 2001 known for its emphasis on...

Bank consolidation imperative: why the Resolution Law matters for stability

The unanimous passage of the Bank Resolution Bill 2026 in Bangladesh's Jatiya Sangsad comes at a critical juncture for the country's financial sector. Mounting stress in several weak banks reflected in high non-performing loans (NPLs), governance lapses, and capital shortfalls...

Chokepoints and the fragility of globalisation

The tensions between the United States (US), Israel, and Iran are not just another geopolitical confrontation-they are a reminder that globalisation, for all its scale, still runs through a narrow set of fragile chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz, once again...

Why weddings seem 'impossible' for less than a million taka

Marriage is often described as one of life's most joyful moments, a celebration of commitment, family, and new beginnings. Yet for many urban middle-class families in Dhaka and other cities across Bangladesh, weddings have increasingly become sources of financial anxiety...

Launch fare proposed at Tk 3 per km for trips up to 100km

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and launch owners have agreed on a revised fare structure, setting the per-kilometre fare at Tk 3.00 for journeys up to 100 kilometres, with the proposal to be sent for government approval.The decision...

July-Mar sees record revenue shortfall

Bangladesh confronts a nearly trillion-taka record revenue shortfall in the bygone three quarters of this financial year, scaling up pressure on government's fiscal management.Until March, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) had lagged behind its target by about Tk 980...

Top USTR official to visit Dhaka soon: Envoy

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen on Tuesday said Brendan Lynch, assistant US Trade Representative (USTR) for South and Central Asia, would visit Bangladesh soon to improve trade talks. He said this during a meeting with Commerce Minister Khandker...

Over 1.86m sit for SSC, equivalent exams

This year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations began across Bangladesh on Tuesday, with a total of 1,857,344 candidates participating.The examinations started at 10:00am at 3,885 centres nationwide under the nine general education boards, as well as the Technical...

Requests sent to countries over S Alam, Beximco's fortunes

Bangladesh has begun legal and diplomatic steps to recover money allegedly laundered abroad by tycoons, the finance minister told parliament Tuesday, vowing that there would be "no compromise" in enforcing financial discipline.Speaking during a question-and-answer session in the JatiyaSangsad, Amir...

Four-tier plan taken up to reform fragile financial sector

Bangladesh's total external-debt buildup touched US$78.067 billion as of last February, the finance minister apprised parliament Tuesday while outlining their new government's financial-reform recipe. To a question, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said between the 2008-09 and 2025-26 fiscal years, the...

Banks lose borrowing appetite as credit demand slumps

Commercial banks' borrowing appetite continues to fall amid a squeeze in credit demand in the face of persisting economic sluggishness in recent months.Apart from the private sector's lower credit demand, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) keeps injecting liquidity in the form...

3 more children die of measles, symptoms

Three more children died of measles and measles-like symptoms with the health authorities reporting 1,347 new cases in the past 24 hours until 8:0am on Tuesday.Of the fatalities, one was confirmed as a measles case, according to the Directorate General...

Govt to brief nation on its activities every week: Info adviser

Information and Broadcasting Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Zahed Ur Rahman Tuesday said the government would brief the nation every week on its activities and latest developments.Speaking to reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital, he also said...

Urgent import of 175,000-tonne oils approved

Government's purchase body approves urgent procurement of 175,000 tonnes of fuel oils to face the fallouts from the Mideast turmoil, as queues to filling stations have little respite.The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase, in its meeting Tuesday with Finance and...

Fuel queues ease as supply rises after price hike

Vehicle queues at filling stations across the capital began to ease on Tuesday following an increase in fuel supply and a drop in demand after a steep price hike of Tk 15-Tk 20 per litre.Visits to several petrol pumps in...

After large sum wasted, project now stands cancelled

Some Tk 1.54 billion from the public exchequer has gone down the drain as the Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) has cancelled the 15-kilometre elevated road project in Kishoreganj's haor area after spending the money, sources say.The project, originally approved with...

Land feud may be behind Naogaon family killings

A brutal killing of four members of a family, including two children, in a remote village of Naogaon's Niamatpur Upazila has raised suspicions of a land dispute, according to relatives, with a chilling message found on a wall further fuelling...

Commodity prices static, no reason to worry: Muktadir

Commerce Minister Khandker Abdul Muktadir Tuesday said the supply and stock of essential goods in the country are stable and there is no reason for concern.He made the remarks on the day after a taskforce meeting on commodity prices.He said...

PM reaffirms strong commitment to press freedom

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, during a meeting with members of the Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) on Tuesday, expressed his government's strong stance on ensuring press freedom."He (Prime Minister) said his government believes in press freedom. He also expressed...

No more tax holiday extensions: NBR

The government is moving to phase out long-standing tax holidays, signalling a shift towards a more uniform and compliance-driven tax regime. The focus is now on ensuring that all businesses contribute, rather than relying on exemptions, to attract investment, officials...

Modern alternatives could sharply cut tobacco harm

Safer alternatives to smoking could substantially reduce the harm caused by tobacco use, subject matter experts have mentioned. They argued that products such as vaping devices, nicotine pouches, and snus have helped millions of smokers around the world to quit....

Five-day IAEA mission supports water resource management in BD

Experts visited the laboratory facilities of the Isotope Hydrology Division (IHD) at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology in Savar as part of a five-day mission organised by IAEA to support water resource management in Bangladesh.The main objective of...

DU cuts freshers' admission hassles

The admission process for the first-year undergraduate students at the University of Dhaka (DU) has become significantly smoother this year, reducing long-standing hassles faced by freshers. Previously the system was marked by multiple campus visits, complex departmental procedures, and long...

DISCRIMINATION: An Ansar member awarded punishment to a child for illegally bathing in the Crescent Lake adjacent to the Zia Udyan

DISCRIMINATION: An Ansar member awarded punishment to a child for illegally bathing in the Crescent Lake adjacent to the Zia Udyan in the capital on Tuesday, whereas two others nearby were ‘left unpunished for the same offence'. — FE Photo...

Seven held over stabbing of NICRH official in city

FE REPORTLaw enforcement agencies have arrested seven individuals over the stabbing of a senior official of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) in the capital's Mohakhali area, officials said on Tuesday.The arrests were confirmed at a press...