Unpaid care work recognised in budget speech for first time

For the first time, women's unpaid care work has been formally recognised in a budget speech by a finance ministry head.In the speech for the fiscal year 2025-26 budget, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed also emphasised on inclusion of the work...

Akij, Pan-China to launch mega business project

Akij Group (Bangladesh) and Pan China Group (China) announced their business partnership at a grand event held at a restaurant in Dhaka on Monday.During the event, Sk. Amin Uddin, Director of Akij Group, and David Liu Xian Wei, General Manager...

Bodies of a couple found hanging in Natore

NATORE, June 02 (UNB): In a deeply distressing incident, the bodies of a husband and wife were found hanging in their home in Kachua village under Lalpur upazila of Natore on Monday morning, casting a pall of grief and shock...

Three college students killed in Magura road crash

MAGURA, June 02 (UNB): Three college students were killed after a speeding bus hit them in front of Abalpur petrol pump on the Magura-Jhenaidah highway.The accident occurred around 5 pm on Saturday near a place called Haor, according to Ayub...

Rain, upstream water inundate three Sylhet upazilas

SYLHET, June 02. Incessant rainfall coupled with onrush of flood water from the upstream in the Indian state of Assam has caused flooding in many areas of Zakiganj, Beanibazar and Kanaighat upazilas of the district. The low-lying areas of Sylhet...

New hope for patients with less common breast cancer

WASHINGTON, June 02 (AFP): A new treatment nearly halves the risk of disease progression or death from a less common form of breast cancer that hasn't seen major drug advances in over a decade, researchers reported Monday.Results from the study,...

No N deal if goal is to 'deprive Iran of peaceful activities'

CAIRO, June 02 (AFP): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that a nuclear deal would not be possible if the goal is to "deprive Iran of its peaceful nuclear activities"."If the goal of the negotiations is to gain...

Six children among 14 killed in Gaza strike

GAZA, June 02 (AFP): Gaza's civil defence agency said an Israeli strike on a home in the northern town of Jabalia killed 14 people on Monday."The number of martyrs from the targeting of the Al-Bursh family home has risen to...

Russia, Ukraine swap peace roadmaps at Istanbul talks

ISTANBUL, June 02 (AFP): Russia and Ukraine on Monday swapped plans for ending their three-year war during talks in Istanbul aiming to find a way out of Europe's largest conflict since World War II.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said any deal...

Secretariat employees stage demo for withdrawal of ordinance

The officials and employees of Bangladesh Secretariat staged demo on Monday, warning that they would not return to their respective works until the withdrawal of the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025.Md Badiul Kabir, president of Bangladesh Secretariat Officials and Employees...

BB-appointed administrator can continue with Nagad

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday cleared the way for the Bangladesh Bank (BB)-appointed administrator to continue with the mobile financial service (MFS) provider 'Nagad'. The apex court has stayed an order, passed on May 7...

Source taxes on land transfer cut

The interim government has taken initiative to encourage land registration based on actual value.Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed proposed to reduce the source tax collection rate from capital gains on land transfer in the next fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 at...

Tk 1.0b allocated to battle climate risks

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has proposed allocation of Tk 1.0 billion in the next fiscal year to take necessary actions considering the depth and seriousness of climate change risks.A Multisectoral Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic Management in Bangladesh has been...

Communication sector gets 14pc higher allocation

The communication sector, which has been a priority sector so far with the highest budget allocation, has received a 14 per cent higher allocation in the upcoming fiscal year (FY), 2025-2026, with significant decrease of allocation to rail and bridges....

Retired Prof Anowara gets bail in attempted murder case

A Dhaka court has granted bail to Anowara Begum, a retired professor of Jagannath University (JnU) in an attempted murder case, reports UNB. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Minhazur Rahman passed the order on a Tk 500 bond when Anowara's lawyer...

EC assures of executing court rule on reg soon: Jamaat leader

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad has said the Election Commission (EC) has responded positively to their request for reinstating the party's registration and electoral symbol, the Scale (Daripalla), reports BSS."The EC has assured us that it will...

Tk 29.96b allocated for EC

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has said Tk 29.96 billion (Tk 2,964 crore) have been allocated for Election Commission (EC) in the FY2025-26, during which the 13th national election is set to be held.Of the total allocation to EC, Tk...

Court freezes 23 bank A/Cs of ex-IGP Shahidul

A Dhaka court has ordered to freeze 23 bank accounts of former inspector general of police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque, reports BSS.Senior Special Judge of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court Md Zakir Hossain Galib passed the order on Monday following a...

No justifiable reason to delay polls beyond Dec: Salahuddin

BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed has said most reforms can be done within a month if there is consensus, emphasising that there is no valid reason to hold the election after December, reports UNB."We have been able to make it...

'July Charter' after minimising distance among parties: CA

Chief Adviser (CA) Muhammad Yunus says the "July Charter" will be announced after minimising the distance among parties, reports bdnews24.com."We all have gathered here today for the welfare of the country...we hope that we will be able to prepare a...

Listed cos to be benefitted from tax incentives

The government has offered tax advantages to local manufacturers of medicines, two-wheelers and three-wheelers and to the makers of electrical and electronics goods for FY26. VAT exemption on API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) production has been extended to June 30, 2030,...

Budget proposes tax cuts to boost telecom, startups

The interim government has unveiled a tech-focused fiscal agenda in the proposed national budget for FY 2025-26, offering tax relief for telecom operators and internet service providers while expanding incentives for local startups. At the same time, the budget tightens...

Phasing out of protective tariffs proposed

The government has announced phasing out of protective tariffs for the local manufacturing industries in a bid to prepare for graduation from the least developed country status, due in November 2026.It also facilitated import of goods for the same purpose.Also,...

FY26 GDP growth target set at 5.5pc

The interim government has backtracked from the previous administration's ambitious macro-economic targets as it is expecting 5.50 per cent economic growth in the next fiscal year. It has also revised down the current fiscal year's gross domestic product (GDP) growth...

Target pared down to 8.0pc this June, 6.50pc by next

City-dwellers still feel the bite of high food prices although overall inflation eases by latest official count and the interim government pares the rate down progressively from July in the forthcoming fiscal year. The carried-over high inflation is still close...

Black money whitening allowed at a huge cost

Black-money holders would need to pay up to five-time higher taxes to whiten their money investing in real estate from July as the interim government retains the budgetary amnesty on harder conditions.The source of such undeclared money would have to...

Prayer Timings (2025-06-03)

Leading chambers give mixed reaction

Leading chambers and other organisations of the country came up with a mixed reaction over the budget announced on Monday for the fiscal year 2025-26.The Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has expressed mixed reactions to the Finance...

Targets realistic, say economists

Eminent economists hail the proposed budgetary measures as realistic in the current economic context at home and abroad, save some reservations. They are critical of an "ambitious" revenue target and retaining the scope for legalising undisclosed incomes as weak points...

Social safety net almost same

The proposed budget for the FY25-26 is unlikely to provide any significant relief for inflation-hit common people of the country.Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed in his budget proposal on Monday announced some changes in income tax, VAT and duty structure,...