Police must prove their worth

There is a growing sense of unease over the perceived decline in law and order situation across the nation. Near my house, the local branch of retail chain Shwapno sends its female employees home before nightfall due to safety concerns,...

Why is this surge in crimes?

In recent times some dreadful crimes such as robbery, rent-seeking, mugging, and sexual assault against women and minor girls have been reported with chilling frequency. In Mithapukur, Rangpur, a fourth-grade student was raped while collecting flowers to pay tribute at...

Concern about law and order

The very night combined patrol teams were deployed across the country and a similar drive by three specialised units of the police was launched in the capital against robbery, mugging and other crimes following a meeting of the Core Committee...

Mental health challenges of female RMG workers

After 1975, Bangladesh saw economic liberalisation leading to the growth of an export-focused ready-made garment (RMG) industry that mainly employs women. With lower wages and little resistance, factory owners maintain a comparatively cheap and stable workforce. The working conditions for...

Skill gap in digital and green tech impacts competitiveness

Job skills in digital and green technologies are believed to constitute the core foundation of productivity and competitiveness in the global market. A lacking in these skills is feared to affect Bangladesh's economy considerably. Many skills are getting obsolete at...

Pilkhana massacre took place under Hasina's leadership

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said brutal massacre of army officers in capital's Pilkhana was carried out under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina. "The massacre in Pilkhana continued for two days under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina,"...

Dhaka's open water bodies receive 230 tonnes of fecal waste daily

UNICEF, WaterAid, SNV, and ITN-BUET highlighted the critical need for accelerated progress in sanitation and hygiene during the International Toilet Conference 2025 in Dhaka. According to a statement, over one-third of Bangladesh's population, more than 65 million people, still lack...

Salehuddin slams businessmen for 'lopsided talks'

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday lambasted businessmen for "lopsided talks" saying while one group is in favour of lowering taxes the other group is opposed to it."You know the businesses very well. I know them even better. They...

5pc contractors secure 61pc of projects: TIB

A decade of data on electronic Government Procurement, or e-GP, shows that 5 per cent of contractors dominate 61 per cent of the projects in the 10 ministries with the highest spending, according to Transparency International Bangladesh, or TIB.Meanwhile, the...

82 police officers made OSD

Eighty-two police officers who served in elections during the Awami League government have been made Officers on Special Duty, or OSD, reports bdnews24.com.OSDs are usually political victims, having no work to do either in the policymaking or the implementation process...

Dhaka Nagar Paribahan operations resume on new route

Under the green cluster, Dhaka Nagar Paribahan resumed Tuesday its services after more than two years on a new route from Gabtoli to Narayanganj with air-conditioned buses.However, several bus services are already operating on the same route. Road Transport and...

BB to introduce platform soon to boost automated transactions

Bangladesh Bank (BB) is actively considering introducing a platform for mobile interoperability within a short period of time to further facilitate automated transactions, Governor Dr Ahsan H. Mansur said on Tuesday."We don't have mobile interoperability and it is something that...

BNP leader Noman passes away

CHATTOGRAM, Feb 25 (UNB): BNP Vice-Chairman and former minister Abdullah Al Noman passed away while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka on Tuesday morning. He was 82.He breathed his last around 6 am at Square Hospitals Ltd in Dhaka,...

VAT refund process for superstores simplified

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has simplified the VAT (Value added tax) refund process for the superstore businesses by waiving the requirement to furnish details on the use of raw materials.Usually, manufacturers are supposed to submit 'input-output coefficient' to...

Political, interim governments fundamentally different

Renowned economist Dr Rehman Sobhan Tuesday said there is a fundamental difference between political and interim governments.Dr Sobhan, also the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) chairman, said the present interim government, formed after a mass uprising, is not bound to...

Businesses urge improvement in law and order

Businesses at a dialogue on Tuesday stressed the need for an improved law and order situation to support their operations. They also demanded the government's prioritised measures for resolving the energy crisis to ensure manufacturers' competitiveness in the global market,...

Prayer Timings (2025-02-26)

Resigned to fulfill promises of July uprising: Nahid

Nahid Islam, who resigned as Information and Broadcasting Adviser, on Tuesday said he stepped down to play a greater active role on the streets in realising the aspirations of the July uprising, rather than remaining within the government.Speaking at a...

Economic recovery on, but riddled with headwinds

A gradual recovery of Bangladesh economy during the second quarter of this fiscal year is a bit retarded by 'substantial' hurdles like inflationary pressures, revenue shortfall and sluggish investment, a business body says. "In the quarter under review (October-December of...

Army chief urges parties to eschew mudslinging

Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman urges all parties to eschew "fighting, bickering and mudslinging", which may imperil Bangladesh's sovereignty, as he outlines his hope for elections by December."I am telling you this today otherwise you'll say I didn't warn you," he...

Bangladesh 'obligated' to ensure justice, says Dr. Yunus

Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor of the interim government, says that Bangladesh as a state is responsible for ensuring justice for the brutal massacre during the mutiny at the Pilkhana headquarters of the country's border security force, reports bdnews24.com.The chief advisor's...

Banks balk at rescheduling non-wilful defaulters' loans

A bailout policy-support committee constituted by the central bank for the affected businesses sits with all commercial banks' chief executives soon to motivate them as the lenders hesitate to reschedule non-wilful defaulters' loans.Sources said at the last meeting with the...

Tributes paid to victims of 2009 Pilkhana tragedy

Sixteen years after one of the deadliest military mutinies in Bangladesh's history, the victims of the 2009 Pilkhana massacre were remembered on the newly proclaimed "National Martyred Army Day", reports bdnews24.com.The recognition comes after years of appeals from bereaved families...

Chances of keeping few ailing banks alive slim: Mansur

Notwithstanding various regulatory rescue efforts to keep all the crisis-hit commercial banks operational, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Ahsan H. Mansur gives up hope of keeping a few alive on government doles.He says the central bank has been working hard to...

Weather (2025-02-26)

Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country in the next 24 hours from 06:00 am today (Wednesday), according to the Met Office. The highest temperature in the country on Tuesday was recorded at 31.3 degrees...

Sajek reopens to tourists

RANGAMATI, Feb 25 (BSS): The district administration has reopened Sajek valley at Rangamati's Baghaichhari upazila for the visitors, revoking an earlier order discouraging people to travel this popular tourist destination following a devastating fire on Monday.Additional District Magistrate Pathan Md....

A growing concern in BD

Pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh increasingly influence medical prescriptions by offering incentives to doctors, raising ethical and medical concerns that largely go unchecked, reports UNB.Sales representatives from pharmaceutical companies are often seen waiting outside clinics and hospitals, eager for a moment...

Shift in mindset crucial to achieve gender equality in country

Speakers at a roundtable discussion on women's empowerment emphasised that changing the mindsets of both men and women is key to achieving gender equality in the country.They highlighted the need for policy reforms and collective efforts to close gender gaps...

Nine ministries, divs get new secretaries

The government has given promotions to seven additional secretaries and transferred two secretaries in nine ministries and divisions, report agencies.The Public Administration Ministry issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday.The ministries and divisions include Commerce Ministry, Cultural Affairs Ministry,...

Palak on 12-day remand in three cases

A court in Narayanganj has placed Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former state minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology, on a 12-day remand, allowing four days of interrogation for each of the three cases filed against him, report agencies.Senior Judicial Magistrate...