Fuel shortage fears trigger panic buying

Fears of fuel shortages and price hikes have resulted in long queues of cars and motorcycles at petrol pumps in the capital on Thursday, as panic buying continued following the escalating military conflicts in the Middle East.The situation led to...

BR now gears up to revive two ditched projects

Bangladesh Railway (BR) plans to revive its two projects dropped by the interim government despite its importance in improving railway's workshop capacity, reducing operational costs and ensuring smooth train movement.Officials have said coach-and locomotive- handling capacities of BR's two existing...

National protocol to detect, manage CKD launched

A National Treatment Protocol for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in primary healthcare settings has been launched, introducing a standardised approach to early detection, diagnosis, and management of kidney disease across the country.The protocol was disseminated on Thursday by the Non-Communicable...

Eid holiday-makers start homebound journey from city

Many holiday-makers have started their homebound journey from the city ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival amid a fear of trip rescheduling due to the ongoing fuel crisis.Although the long Eid holiday will begin on March 17, many holiday-makers and service-holders...

Chinese vice FM to visit Dhaka next month

Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen on Thursday informed Foreign Minister (FM) Dr Khalilur Rahman about the upcoming visit of Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong to Bangladesh on April 2-3 to lead Beijing's delegation to the 14th Bangladesh-China Diplomatic Consultations, reports...

Mirza Abbas hospitalised

Mirza Abbas, political adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the capital on Wednesday evening, reports UNB.Mirza Abbas fell unconscious while drinking water during iftar, said Afroza Abbas, wife of Mirza Abbas.As his condition did...

Pak Speaker congratulates BD Speaker Major Hafiz

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, has felicitated Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed on his unanimous election as the speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament. Speaker Sadiq extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes, stating that...

Five JS committees formed on first day

Five parliamentary committees, including the Business Advisory Committee, were formed on the first day of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday, reports UNB.Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed announced the formation of the Business Advisory Committee and the House Committee during the...

Shafiqur Rahman urges Speaker to ensure fairness, vibrant parliament

Opposition Leader of the House Dr Md Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday congratulated the newly elected Speaker of Parliament and urged him to ensure fairness, justice and a dynamic parliamentary environment for the benefit of the nation, reports UNB.After the election...

US envoy observes inaugural session of parliament

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen attended the inaugural sitting of the country's 13th National Parliament, reaffirming Washington's commitment to strengthening bilateral partnership for prosperity and security, reports BSS.Ambassador Christensen joined the opening session of the newly elected parliament,...

Dignitaries, diplomats fill galleries at maiden session of 13th parliament

The first session of the 13th National Parliament saw the VVIP lounges on both sides of the Speaker and the surrounding visitor galleries packed with invited guests, reports UNB.Among those present in the VVIP gallery were Chief Adviser of the...

Speaker hopes constructive roles from both the benches in JS

Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Bir Bikrom, on Thursday expressed strong optimism that both the treasury and opposition benches will work together in the national interest to realise the dreams and aspirations of the...

Ahmed Azam Khan sworn in as minister

Ahmed Azam Khan, Member of Parliament from Tangail-8 constituency, was sworn in on Thursday as a new minister.President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Ahmed Azam Khan, reports BSS.He took the oath at around 12:45 pm at the Office of...

NBFC deposits rise, loan disbursements fall

Non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) saw a slight increase in deposits during the October-December 2025 quarter, but loan disbursements declined on a year-on-year basis, reflecting a mixed performance across the sector. Despite the marginal 0.8-percent rise in total deposits to Tk...

US launches trade probe targeting BD, 15 others

The United States has launched a new trade investigation into the manufacturing sectors of 16 economies, including Bangladesh, alleging that structural excess capacity and production in these countries are undermining US reindustrialisation efforts.The probe, initiated under Section 301 of the...

Fuel loading at Rooppur NPP set to begin on Apr 7

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said fuel loading at the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is set to begin on April 7, marking a key milestone in Bangladesh's nuclear power programme.Electricity from the plant...

Apparel exporters' raw-material costs surge 32pc, export loss looms

Bangladesh's textile manufacturers, apparel exporters and global buyers alike feel mounting financial pressure under chain effects of the Middle East turmoil that disrupts major shipping routes and hikes freight, energy and raw material costs, industry insiders say.Initial shock is already...

7 LNG cargoes due by mid-April affected

The delivery of a total of seven liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes has so far been affected for Bangladesh due to the enforcement of force majeure by QatarEnergy and restrictions on the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.The...

JS adopts condolence motion on death of Khaleda, Khamenei

The first session of the 13th Parliament on Thursday unanimously adopted a condolence motion expressing profound grief at the death of three-time Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, 31 former lawmakers and several other eminent personalities, reports UNB.Former President AQM Badruddoza...

Prayer Timings _2026-03-13

Iran vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed in new leader's first statement

DUBAI, March 12 (Reuters): Iran will fight on and keep the Strait of Hormuz shut, new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday in a statement read out on state television, the first remarks attributed to him since he succeeded...

Current account deficit narrows on remittances

Bangladesh's current account deficit narrowed sharply in the first seven months of the fiscal year through January, helped by robust remittance inflows that temporarily eased pressure on the country's external sector.However, economists caution that the improvement may not last, as...

SC upholds HC verdict allowing NCT contract to foreign company

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a High Court verdict that allowed a government move to award the container handling contract of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chittagong Port to a foreign company. The...

Family card to reduce poverty rate to 11.3pc: RAPID study

Family card can have significant anti-poverty impact as the programme if properly targeted would reduce Bangladesh's overall poverty rate by 7.4 percentage points, according to a RAPID study.The newly-elected government recently introduced the piloted family card programme that offers Tk...

Eleven of a family among 13 killed in Rampal accident

At least 13 people were killed, eleven of a family, as a bus collided head-on with a bridal-party microbus in Rampal upazila of Bagerhat district on Thursday afternoon, sources said.A newlywed couple met with their tragic end in the violent...

Industrialist Manzur Elahi remembered

Officials and employees of Apex Footwear Ltd on Thursday remembered their late founding chairman Syed Manzur Elahi by paying rich tributes to his memory, recalling his honesty, visionary leadership, and deep sense of social responsibility at a memorial event held...

Parliament to be centre for resolving all national issues

As the newly formed parliament went into session Thursday, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the Jatiya Sangsad would become central forum for debate and resolution of all national issues.Addressing lawmakers at the outset of the maiden sitting of the post-uprising...

President urges parties to make joint efforts to build a secure Bangladesh

President Mohammed Shahabuddin called upon all political parties on Thursday to work with a common purpose to build a secure Bangladesh for future generations."The members of parliament (MPs) from both the treasury bench and opposition are accountable to the nation...

13th JS goes into maiden session amid walkout

Bangladesh's post-uprising parliament went into its maiden session Thursday amid mixed feelings as opposition lawmakers from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party staged walkout during presidential address, after a buoyant start.The inaugural session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS)...

Uber plans Tokyo robotaxi trial with Nissan, Britain's Wayve

TOKYO, Mar 12 (AFP): Uber announced Thursday its first robotaxi partnership in Japan, teaming up with Nissan and British artificial intelligence autonomous driving startup Wayve for a trial this year in Tokyo.Companies worldwide, from Alphabet subsidiary Waymo to Tesla and...