Environmental factors threaten beauty, safety of PSTU lakes

PATUAKHALI, Apr 29 (UNB): The scenic and serene Lal Komol and Neel Komol lakes, long celebrated as the jewels of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), are now teetering on the brink of environmental collapse, casting a shadow over the...

Chandpur farmers lose interest in soya bean farming

CHANDPUR, Apr 29: Farmers are losing interest in growing soya bean in the district as soil is not favourable for its bumper production.According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), soya bean is cultivated in three upazilas of the district.Some...

Plan your budget trip to Sri Lanka

Travelling abroad is no longer a luxury. With some preparation, students and working adults can now afford to visit new countries without breaking the bank. Sri Lanka tops the list as a perfect destination for a fulfilling international budget trip,...

Conquering the world's deadliest mountain

On April 7, 2025, Dr Babar Ali did something no Bangladeshi had ever done. He stood on Mount Annapurna 1, with a towering peak of 8,091 meters. He had already conquered Mount Everest, becoming the sixth Bangladeshi to reach there....

LDC graduation: Bilateral partnership agreements can mitigate loss of preferential access

Graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status to a developing nation is a new milestone in the development journey of Bangladesh. Upcoming graduation in November 2026 is a testimony of the strides that Bangladesh has made over the decades in...

Workers' rights in crisis

May Day, observed worldwide, is a day dedicated to workers' rights and international solidarity. It serves as an eternal inspiration for all working people across the globe. However, the workers who struggle under the scorching sun, whose efforts build civilisations,...

Twelve years after Rana Plaza collapse

April 24, 2013, began like any other morning in Savar. Within moments, it became a national nightmare. The eight-storey Rana Plaza building collapsed, burying not just bodies, but humanity beneath its ruins. The cries of thousands, the panic, the dust-covered...

Can domestic policies alone boost trade?

The question whether domestic policies alone can effectively boost trade has no easy and simple answers. External factors may determine its course. To understand the impact and limitations of such policies, it is essential to consider them within the broader...

Culture of taking responsibility

Instances of accepting responsibility for any major lapse including big corruption scandal, even accident, let alone any relatively minor case of lack of service delivery by any ministry during the past governments were few. Rather denial of responsibility at best...

Trump's reciprocal tariff: a threat to global multilateral trading system

US President Donald Trump on April 2, 2025, announced a new 'Reciprocal Tariff' policy designed to revitalise the American industrial base, reduce trade imbalances, and protect domestic jobs. The policy introduced a two-tiered tariff structure: a universal 10 per cent...

BRAC Bank earns record profit, to pay decade-high dividend

BRAC Bank earned a record profit of Tk 14.32 billion in 2024, securing a remarkable 73 per cent year-on-year growth driven by substantial income from investments in government securities. Apart from high returns from Treasury bills and bonds, the bank...

PS to energy adviser removed

Amid the criticism over the removal of two personal secretaries to two advisers from their posts, now the personal secretary (PS) to the Energy, Power and Mineral Resources Adviser, Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, has been removed, citing no reason, reports...

DNCC mulls 5.0pc tax rebate for solar panel users

Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mohammad Azaz has said his administration is contemplating to provide a 5.0-percent tax rebate for city dwellers who will use solar panels as part of green energy promotion. "The DNCC is thinking of...

Ex-law minister Anisul assaulted at N'ganj court

Former law minister Anisul Huq has allegedly been assaulted by pro-BNP lawyers at a Narayanganj court, reports bdnews24.com.The incident occurred at around 2:45pm on Monday.According to Court Police Inspector Kaiyum Khan, Anisul was brought to the court of Senior Judicial...

CA gives directives for next steps

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday gave necessary directives towards next steps on the reform process as the National Consensus Commission reviewed the progress of the ongoing discussions with political parties. He made the directives during a meeting with...

Lightning strikes kill 10 in five districts

Lightning strikes killed 10 people on Monday in five districts across the country, report agencies. The districts are Cumilla, Netrokona, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, and Chandpur. The victims in Cumilla include two farmers who died in Muradnagar's Kurbanpur, and two students killed...

Meghna Alam granted bail in extortion case

A Dhaka court on Monday granted bail to model Meghna Alam, who was detained under the controversial Special Powers Act and later shown arrested in an extortion case filed with Dhanmondi Police Station.Judge of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in...

Despite police actions, easy bikes running illegally in Ctg

CHATTOGRAM, Apr 28: Over 20,000 battery-run autorickshaws are plying illegally with mostly stolen electricity, causing accidents and traffic congestion in Chattogram, despite recent police efforts to ban them.The vehicles, locally known as 'Easy Bike' and 'Tom-Tom', are running on almost...

Workers’ min wage Tk 16,250 recommended

The minimum wage board has drafted its proposal recommending Tk 16,250 as minimum monthly wages for the workers of the country's poultry industry.Moreover, a 5.0-percent annual increment has also been proposed for the sector.To this end, the labour and employment...

Taka strengthens against dollar-

Bangladesh's currency, the Taka, has strengthened against the US dollar, bolstered by recent growth in remittances and exports, reports UNB.The exchange rate of the US dollar is falling against the taka due to a reduced pressure on paying import bills.Bankers...

ADB exposes vistas of business prospects, here and beyond

Wide vistas of business opportunities in Bangladesh and beyond were unveiled at an exposition hosted Monday in Dhaka by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The organisers said the business opportunities seminar (BOS) provided a platform for accessing information on a...

Railways ministry cuts FY26 ADP demand by 7.05pc

The railways ministry has sought 7.05-percent lower funds in the upcoming FY26 Annual Development Programme (ADP) than the current fiscal year's allocation as the interim government has taken a tougher stance on the misuse of public funds, officials said on...

CA opens app to guide pilgrims as Hajj flights begin today

Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus inaugurated the mobile app "Labbaik" on Monday to facilitate services for pilgrims, as this year's Hajj flights will begin in the early hours today, report agencies.Inaugurating the app, the Chief Adviser stated that this app...

No new mass transit in Dhaka, nearby areas until 2045

The capital and its surrounding areas are unlikely to get any new mass- transit services, including metro, subway, and circular train, over the next 20 years, as per the final Strategic Transport Plan (STP) 2025 draft. The STP, being revised...

Prayer Timings (2025-04-29)

India, Pakistan exchange small arms fire

SRINAGAR, April 28 (Reuters): India said on Monday it had responded to 'unprovoked' small arms firing from Pakistan along the de facto border for the fourth consecutive night, as it deepens its search for militants in the region following last...

CA approves Starlink's licence to operate in BD

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has officially approved the licence for Starlink, the US-based satellite internet provider, to begin operations in Bangladesh, marking a significant step towards improving connectivity, especially in remote and underserved areas, reports UNB.The Chief Adviser approved...

Jul-Mar container handling at Ctg ICDs up 15.7pc

Container handling at the inland container depots (ICDs) in Chattogram grew at a double-digit rate during nine months of the current fiscal year, signalling strong recovery and expansion in the country's external trade.During the July-March period of FY25, the ICDs...

Shower brings relief to city-dwellers

A brief spell of rain in the morning and the evening on Monday provided relief for city-dwellers from the ongoing sweltering heat in the past few days in Dhaka like other parts of the country.According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD),...

Refrigerator, AC making poised for redoubled VAT

Local manufacturers of air-conditioners and refrigerators are likely to see a twofold hike in value-added tax (VAT) in the upcoming fiscal year, under government plans for raising revenues.Also poised for coming under higher taxation the local manufacturers of mobile-phone handset,...