National,Politics,Jatiya Sangsad,Election

Law and order, corruption high on BNP agenda: Tarique

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday said law and order and corruption would be the two top priorities if his party forms the next government, saying that addressing these issues would help solve many other national challenges.“Our first priority is to ensure law and order. People have said...

National,Resources,Environment & Nature

Microplastics, cadmium found in Hilsa; Adviser flags health risks

Hilsa, Bangladesh’s national fish, has been found contaminated with microplastics and cadmium, raising serious concerns for human health, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said on Saturday."Industrial effluents from Narayanganj and other districts are flowing into the Shitalak...

National,Politics

Tarique visits Koko’s grave, attends milad mahfil on his death anniversary

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday visited the grave of his younger brother Arafat Rahman Koko on the occasion of his 11th death anniversary and later joined a doa and milad mahfil.Tarique, accompanied by family members including his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, daughter Zaima Rahman and Koko’...

National,Business & Commerce,Economy

Bangladesh capital markets weekly turnover jumps 51pc as DSEX gains 3pc

Trading activity on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) surged sharply over the past week, with average daily turnover rising by 51 percent, while the benchmark DSEX advanced nearly 3 percent, reflecting renewed investor participation.According to the DSE’s weekly review, the DSEX gained about 140 ...

National,Politics

Political party reform more important than state reform: Experts

Reforming political parties is more important than reforming the state itself if transparency, accountability and good governance are to be ensured in Bangladesh, according to experts.They said this at a policy dialogue organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) on Saturday.The dialogue, t...

National,Sports,Cricket,Diplomachy

T20 World Cup: ICC rejects Bangladesh’s safe-venue request, includes Scotland

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has denied the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) plea to relocate Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches from India to an alternative venue, a senior BCB official told UNB.It has opened the door for Scotland to play in the World Cup, according to the re...

National,Transportation & Aviation

Auto-rickshaw drivers block Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar protesting ban

Auto-rickshaw drivers blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar for about one and a half hours on Saturday, demanding the withdrawal of fines and removal of restriction on their movement.Members of the Auto-rickshaw Drivers Association started the protest around 11 am by placing their vehicles on th...

National,Business & Commerce,Economy

LC openings rise amid dollar stability, settlements face hurdles

Import activity in Bangladesh showed signs of a modest recovery in the first five months of the current fiscal year (FY26), supported by a stable dollar market and preparations for Ramadan.However, the recovery remains fragile as businesses adopt a cautious ‘wait-and-see’ approach ahead ...

National,Politics,Jatiya Sangsad,Election

No deal with India, says BNP dismissing Jamaat allegation

BNP on Saturday dismissed an allegation by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher regarding an alleged agreements with India, calling it a 'political smear' with no factual basis.“A very influential leader of a political party has made a claim about BNP&rsqu...

National,City,Crime & Corruption

Underworld criminal Binash ordered Musabbir killing at Karwan Bazar: DB chief

Underworld criminal Dilip alias Binash ordered the killing of Swechchhasebak Dal leader Azizur Rahman Musabbir over extortion and control in the capital’s Karwan Bazar area, detectives said on Saturday.Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner and Detective Branch (DB) Chief Shaf...

National,Agriculture & Farming

Tk 1,300cr GK irrigation rehabilitation project aims to revive southwest agriculture

The government has taken a rehabilitation and emergency maintenance programme for Ganges–Kobadak (GK) Irrigation Project at a cost of Tk 1,299.96 crore, aiming to restore one of the country’s most important surface irrigation systems and increase food production in the southwest region.T...

National,Politics,Law & Justice,Election

Polls violence: Case filed over shooting BNP leader in Keraniganj

A case has been filed in connection with the gun attack on a local BNP leader in Keraniganj on Thursday.A family member of BNP leader Hasan Mollah filed the case with Keraniganj Model Police Station on Friday night, said M Saiful Alam, Officer-in-Charge of the police station.Earlier on Thursday, two...

National,Politics,Jatiya Sangsad,Election

After Sylhet, Tarique heading towards Chattogram for electioneering

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is set to begin the second phase of his election campaign from Chattogram on Sunday, completing electioneering in Sylhet.“Our leader Tarique Rahman is travelling to Chattogram today as part of his election campaign. He will depart Dhaka at 7:35pm by air and spend th...

National,Country, Districts,Environment & Nature

Corruption allegations engulf Bangladesh’s haor embankment projects; farmers fear crop disaster

Allegations of bribery, document forgery and abuse of power have surfaced around haor embankment projects in Sunamganj district, raising fears that corruption could undermine flood protection works critical to the country’s boro rice harvest.Farmers in Shalla upazila accuse officials and polit...

National,Politics,Jatiya Sangsad,Election

Nahid urges voters to turn out as election atmosphere improves

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat-backed 10-party alliance nominee for the Dhaka-11 constituency, on Saturday said an environment conducive to voting has emerged in the country after a long time.He made the remarks before beginning his electioneering in Natunbazar-...

National,Country, Districts

Young mother drowns son before ending her own life in Bagerhat

Bagerhat’s Saberkhanda village was shrouded in grief on Friday evening as a young mother allegedly ended two lives—her nine-month-old son’s and her own—inside the family home.Kaniz Surbana Swarnali, 22, reportedly drowned her infant son, Nazim Hossain Swarnali, in a water buc...

National,Diplomachy

UN rights chief offers support to combat election misinformation

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has offered the support of his office to counter the surge of misinformation targeting the February 12 elections as Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus sought support of the organization to address the issue. “There has been a floo...

National,Business & Commerce

Restaurant owners demand urgent govt intervention to dig sector out of 'deep crisis'

The Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association (BROA) has warned that the country’s restaurant industry is facing an existential threat due to skyrocketing energy costs, persistent inflation, and regulatory harassment.During a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Tuesday (J...

National,Economy ,Diplomachy

Regional dialogue on sustainable blue economy, connectivity begins in Dhaka

A two-day regional dialogue titled "Northeast Indian Ocean Regional Dialogue on Sustainable Blue Economy, connectivity, and resilience" officially commenced today (January 13), at a hotel in Dhaka.The high-level event brings together senior policymakers, maritime experts, and development p...

National,Economy

Bangladesh’s GDP growth rises to 4.5% in Q1 of FY2025–26

Bangladesh’s economy posted a stronger performance in the first quarter (Q1) of the 2025-26 fiscal year, with gross domestic product (GDP) growth accelerating to 4.50 percent on a point-to-point basis in constant prices, according to provisional estimates.The latest quarterly figures show a no...