Home loans increasing steadily beyond urban centres

SAJIBUR RAHMANBangladesh's housing loan stock recorded a modest decline in the last quarter (Q4) of 2025, reflecting a slight easing of outstanding borrowing in the sector.According to available data, the total housing loans stood at around Tk 1.25 trillion in...

UAE pulls out of OPEC oil cartels citing 'national interests'

The United Arab Emirates will withdraw from the OPEC and OPEC+ oil cartels to focus on "national interests", it announced on Tuesday, causing fresh shockwaves as energy prices soar over the Middle East war.The UAE, one of the world's top...

Less than 30pc of oil wells active in Venezuela

CARACAS, April 28 (AFP): Less than 30 percent of Venezuela's oil wells are currently active, a trade group said during a forum Monday, with production hovering around 1 million barrels per day.Current production is far below the 3 million barrels...

Gunmen kill 29 in northeast Nigeria's Adamawa: state governor

JOS, Nigeria, April 28 (AFP): Gunmen have killed at least 29 people in northeast Nigeria's Adamawa state, the state governor said Monday, with locals saying the attackers targeted young people gathered at a football pitch.Adamawa state is a hotspot for...

Trump unhappy with Iran's latest proposal to end the war

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters): US President Donald Trump is unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, a US official said, dampening hopes for resolution of a conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation, and killed...

Shorna's heroic in vain as Sri Lanka defeat Tigresses in 1st T20I

Bangladesh made a promising start in the chase but could not sustain the momentum as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Despite a fighting knock and a career-best effort from Shorna Akter, the hosts eventually fell short, report agencies.In...

Tigers target T20I series win in rainy Ctg

Bangladesh will face New Zealand in the second T20I 29 at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram today (Wednesday), report agencies.Bangladesh come into this match with strong momentum after a convincing six-wicket win in the first...

Vancouver hosts FIFA congress with expanded World Cup under scrutiny

VANCOUVER, Canada, Apr 28 (Agencies): FIFA's member associations meet in Vancouver on Thursday for their annual congress, a usually routine gathering that carries greater weight this year with the 2026 World Cup less than two months away and several questions...

Severe Sandhya River erosion threatens homes, farmland

Riverbank erosion along the Sandhya River in Banaripara upazila of Barishal district has worsened significantly in recent days, threatening homes, croplands, and local infrastructure, according to a press release.Local residents said several meters of riverbank have already been swallowed by...

Rangpur's impoverished farmers become financially solvent

OUR CORRESPONDENTRANGPUR, Apr 28: Thousands of impoverished farmers, including landless people of Rangpur, have become financially solvent by cultivating crops along the fertile riverbanks, or char areas, on both sides of Teesta, Ghaghat, Jamuneswari, and other rivers.Farmers have been cultivating...

Heat-driven blackouts throw life out of gear in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI, Apr 28: Persistent power outages under the impact of ongoing heat wave have disrupted normal public life in Rajshahi, creating severe discomfort in both urban and rural areas and affecting agriculture, education, business and daily activities.According to local power...

Home loan in Bangladesh offers a mixed outlook

Bangladesh's home-loan sector is expanding on the back of rapid urbanisation and rising housing demand, but financing arrangements remain hard-to-cross hurdles. Tighter monetary policy and affordability constraints, in the main, are weighing on its near-term growth.Commercial banks dominate the market,...

Why do people feel alone in a crowded Dhaka

Abu Obayed Haque, a newcomer in the field of freelancing, has been living in a joint family in Old Dhaka. Because of his job and responsibilities, he can't avoid people, which makes him tired. "I don't have my own space...

From TV stars to TikTok sensations

Not long ago, fame felt like a distant dream. To become a star in Bangladesh, you needed to land a role in a popular BTV drama or a film! You waited years for auditions, then built connections with directors and...

Trade cliff is closer than anyone admits

If Bangladesh's request is not approved, Bangladesh will cease to be listed as a Least Developed Country (LDC) by the United Nations on 24 November 2026, marking the beginning of challenges that the country is not fully prepared.The most valuable...

Grateful nation honour agricultural excellence

In 2026, fifteen distinguished individuals and five institutions were honoured with the Independence Award in recognition of their invaluable contributions to nation-building, democracy and the Liberation War. Among them, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was awarded posthumously, adding profound significance...

WFP and the escalating global food crisis

The world is falling significantly behind on its 2030 target of ending hunger. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the global food crisis is deepening at an alarming rate, driven by a combination of conflict, climate shocks and economic...

JS ends a discriminatory privilege

Doing away with the decades-long discriminatory special privilege of importing duty-free car as enjoyed by the lawmakers has indeed been a historic move made by parliament. The Bill titled, the 'Members of Parliament and Allowances (Amendment) Bill 2026', as placed...

African response in the face of war-driven difficulties

Analysts in South Asia including Bangladesh need to carefully ascertain how African institutions are trying to overcome the terrible difficulties being created because of the Mid East war imbroglio.This includes a careful analysis by Claver Gatete, the Under-Secretary-General and Executive...

None to be allowed to disrupt public order, peace: PM

Stating that some quarters are out to create chaos, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman Monday said it would not be possible to hold back the country's people by scaremongering."It will not be possible to hold back the people of Bangladesh with...

Trivedi new Indian high commissioner to BD

The Indian government has appointed former union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dinesh Trivedi as its next high commissioner to Bangladesh, marking a departure from the country's long-standing diplomatic convention.The announcement was made on Monday by India's Ministry...

Increased supply, 'fuel pass' ease motorists' queues

Increased fuel supply from the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) coupled with the introduction of a 'fuel pass' system has helped ease the motorists' rush to petrol pumps to some extent. Spot visits to some filling stations in the capital revealed...

Power supply from Adani plant fully restored after unit restart

A previously shut unit of the Adani Group's power plant in Jharkhand, India, has resumed operation, restoring electricity supply to Bangladesh from both units. Power from the revived unit began flowing into the national grid at around 7:45pm on Monday,...

Security tightened at 8 airports amid militant threat

Security has heightened at all airports across Bangladesh, including Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, in the wake of a warning from Police Headquarters regarding a possible militant attack on important national installations, reports bdnews24.com."Following the letter from the police headquarters,...

NBR chairman hints at raising tobacco prices

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan has hinted at the possibility of increasing minimum cigarette prices to align them with those in neighbouring countries."Looking at the prices in other South Asian countries, we may reconsider the...

Suspect used AI to plan body disposal

The roommate of murdered Bangladeshi student Zamil Limon used artificial intelligence to plan the disposal of the bodies before being charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Zamil Limon, 27, and his friend Nahida Bristy, 27,...

Bangladesh yet to get USTR hearing date

Bangladesh has not yet received a specific date for the US Trade Representative (USTR) hearing, though the commerce ministry earlier predicted it would take place on April 28 (today), say sources.The US has launched two separate investigations against Bangladesh and...

Pakistan still seeks to bridge US, Iran gaps

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD/DUBAI, April 27 (Reuters): Work has not halted to bridge gaps between the United States and Iran, sources from mediator Pakistan said, despite the failure of face-to-face diplomacy after President Donald Trump called off a trip by his envoys over...

Local govt polls soon Fakhrul tells JS

The government prepares to begin local-government elections at the earliest after completing necessary preparations, parliament was told Monday, amid growing suggestions for a reset of the grassroots administrations. Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir spoke about the plan while...

Most of Dhaka's rooftop solar systems dead

Hope of transition into clean renewable energy, now a global agendum, dims as most of the rooftop solar-power systems installed in Dhaka have gone dead, a spot survey shows. Over a decade of policy push had only 113.67-megawatt-capacity panels installed...