Festive election people's key demand now: Khasru

CHITTAGONG, Nov 14 (BSS): BNP standing committee member and former minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Friday said the key demand of the people of the country is now a festive election."Everyone wants to vote and choose their representatives. The...

Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher speaking at a joint press conference

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Amir Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher speaking at a joint press conference of eight Islamic parties at Mogbazar in the capital on Friday. — Focus Bangla

Nur hails Chief Adviser's speech

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur on Friday said that the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming national parliamentary election has dissipated following the Chief Adviser's address to the nation, reports BSS."The Chief Adviser (CA) gave due importance to everyone's opinions...

‘No imposed law can interfere with parliament's sovereignty’

BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed on Friday said no imposed law, order or forced proposal can be allowed to interfere with the sovereignty of the National Parliament, reports UNB."We do not want the sovereignty of the National Parliament to be...

AL can't participate in polls for bars

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has said the Awami League cannot contest the polls as its activities have been suspended under the country's anti-terrorism laws and deregistered by the Election Commission.He made the remarks on Thursday evening during a meeting...

BD may be among worst sufferers of heat stress

Bangladesh may become one of the worst sufferers of heat stress, as Dhaka's temperature has risen by nearly 6°C over the last decade, far exceeding the global threshold of 1.5°C, experts warned.The economic losses due to heat is projected to...

Resetting Dhaka's overhead electric cables underground stalls

Shifting Dhaka's dangerously dangling overhead power-distribution-network cables underground remains stalled as two Japanese-funded projects worth around Tk 19.01 billion face rollback after prolonged dithering, sources say. The projects were initiated under Power Division of the government nearly eight years ago...

NCP delegation meets visiting IMF mission

A delegation of the National Citizen Party (NCP) met the visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission at the InterContinental Dhaka on Friday for a courtesy and policy discussion. They expressed gratitude to the IMF for its continued support to Bangladesh...

DMTCL looks for new financier for Diabari-Tongi section

The Dhaka Metro Rail Company is seeking a new financier for developing another extension of the under-operation metro rail from Diabari to Tongi although Japan has already supported development of the existing 21.7-km corridor.According to sources, the Dhaka Mass Transit...

Vegetable, fruit, spice exports exceed $100m in Jul-Oct

Bangladesh's vegetables, fruits, and spices are showing a strong performance in foreign exchange earnings, having already crossed the $100 million export mark in the first four months of this fiscal year, say analysts.According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the...

Prayer Timings (2025-11-15)

Two children work at a motor-cycle service centre

Two children work at a motor-cycle service centre at Golapbagh in the city on Friday. Many poor households cannot send their children to school because of high inflation squezzing their income. — FE Photo

BD-China sea trade thrives on rare 'empty box' model

Bangladesh's ocean-going trade with China is expanding at an unexpectedly rapid pace despite a striking overall imbalance with the volume of shipments bound for China being very low.The model is so unusual that shipping executives describe it as a rare...

Free trade access to largest market mostly missed, remedies overlooked

Bangladesh miserably fails to avail the enormous opportunities the world's largest market, China, has offered, mainly due to a deep-seated crisis in product diversification, competitiveness, and inept strategic execution, experts say.China has granted Bangladesh zero-tariff entry for 98 per cent...

NCC finds ambiguities in July Charter order, seeks clarification

National Citizen Party (NCP) member-secretary Akhtar Hossain has urged the government to immediately clarify the July Charter Implementation Order, saying that several ambiguities in the directive have already created confusion.He says a lack of clarity has led to a crisis,...

Three advisers misleading Chief Adviser

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Amir Dr Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher alleged on Friday that three advisers were misleading the Chief Adviser in different ways and providing wrong information to prevent a free and fair election."They (three advisers) are manipulating him (CA) in...

Security adviser to attend Delhi meet next week

National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman will lead Bangladesh delegation to the 7th NSA-level Colombo Security Conclave on November 19-20 in New Delhi, says a spokesman for the CA Office.Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser of India, has extended invitation to...

After IMF, JICA also opts to deal with political govt

Japanese financier JICA follows IMF footprint as it also now tags consultation with Bangladesh's upcoming political government to budget bankrolling as the national elections are in sight for transition from the interregnum.Officials say the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has...

Poverty rising, jobs squeezing, social parameters worsening

Poverty is rising, employment shrinking and key social indicators in Bangladesh are deteriorating, says a presentation at an international meet in Dhaka about a setback on the national economic front and its spillovers. Despite these negative trends, however, people of...

Global investors pull back, cautious over tech valuations

Global equity fund inflows cooled significantly in the week to November 12 as worries about stretched technology valuations and signs of softening US labour market conditions fuelled risk-off sentiment, reports Reuters.According to LSEG Lipper data, global investors bought just $4.11...

Asia-Pacific markets slide as tech stocks under pressure

Asia-Pacific markets slid on Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as technology stocks continued to come under pressure and Fed rate-cut doubts swirled, reports CNBC.Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 1.77 per cent to close at 50,376.53, while the Topix...

BRAC BANK OPENS NEW SUB-BRANCH IN BASHUNDHARA

BRAC Bank has opened a new sub-branch in Bashundhara Residential Area in Dhaka. Tareq Refat Ullah Khan, Managing Director & CEO of the bank, inaugurated the sub-branch at JCX Tower at Block: I in Bashundhara recently. Sheikh Mohammad Ashfaque, Deputy...

Travel booking platform Klook reveals robust revenue growth in US IPO filing

SoftBank-backed Klook reported more than a 24% jump in revenue in 2024, the online travel booking platform disclosed in its filing for a US initial public offering this week, signalling steady investor demand, reports Reuters.The US IPO market has rebounded...

Change mindset, focus on vocational education to build skilled workforce

Managing Director of Apex Footwear Syed Nasim Manzur has called for an urgent shift in Bangladesh's mindset towards technical education, warning that the deep-rooted stigma attached to vocational training is preventing the country from building the skilled workforce it desperately...

Stocks plunge amid growing political concerns

Stocks suffered a big jolt this week, extending the losing streak to third straight week, as the key index of the Dhaka bourse plunged to a six-month low amid mounting concerns over political instability.Market analysts pointed to growing political unrest...

US announces new military operation in Latin America

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (AFP): US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday a military operation to "remove narco-terrorists," amid growing concerns that a US naval build-up in Latin American waters could presage land strikes and a wider conflict."Today, I'm announcing Operation...

Japan says Taiwan stance 'unchanged', urges 'peace and stability'

TOKYO, Nov 14 (AFP): Japan said Friday that its position on Taiwan has not changed, amid a spat with Beijing following comments from hawkish new premier Sanae Takaichi about a possible attack by China on the self-ruled island."Peace and stability...

Four from Afghan-based group arrested over Pakistan bombing

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 14 (AFP): Pakistan said Friday it had arrested four members of a cell over this week's suicide bombing in Islamabad, which the government said was led from Afghanistan.The Tuesday attack outside court buildings was claimed by a...

Iran seizes tanker in Strait of Hormuz, US official says

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov 14 (AP): Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz on Friday, a U.S. official said, turning the ship into Iranian territorial waters in the first-such interdiction...

Germany unveils debt-laden budget, relief measures

BERLIN, Nov 14(AFP): The German parliament's budget committee has approved revised 2026 spending plans that include even higher debts than originally thought, lawmakers said Friday, as the government gears up for an investment splurge.Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his coalition partners...