National,Business & Commerce,Bank & Insurance

Sammilito Islami Bank starts restoring customer access

Banking operations returned to normal on Thursday as five troubled Islamic banks in Bangladesh officially merged under a single entity, Sammilito Islami Bank, allowing depositors to access their funds after months of uncertainty.The consolidation, effective from the start of 2026, brings together EX...

National,Art& Culture,Country, Districts

Over 2.4m students of mosque-based education project receive textbooks

A total of 24.30 lakh students under the Mosque-based Children and Mass Education project received their textbooks for the new academic year on Thursday.Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain inaugurated the textbook distribution programme for 2026 as the chief guest at the Islamic Foundati...

National,Business & Commerce,Healthcare

E-cigarettes, emerging tobacco products fully banned in Bangladesh

E-cigarettes, vapes and other emerging tobacco products have been completely banned in Bangladesh as the Smoking and Tobacco Products Use Control (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 has come into effect with provisions for jail terms and hefty fines for violations.The ordinance, proposed by the Health Servi...

National,Politics

India’s Defence Minister condoles death of former PM Khaleda Zia

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and expressed his condolences over the death of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah received Singh during the visit.Khaleda Zia, a t...

National,Business & Commerce,Travel & Tourism

Biman’s profit jumps 178pc as flag carrier posts Tk 785cr gain

Bangladesh’s state-owned airline Biman Bangladesh Airlines posted a net profit of Tk 785.21 crore in fiscal 2024–25, nearly tripling earnings from a year earlier, as higher passenger traffic and tighter cost controls lifted the carrier’s financial performance, officials said.The st...

National,Business & Commerce,Power, Energy, Oil, Gas

Bangladesh cuts fuel prices by Tk 2 a litre at start of 2026

Bangladesh cut retail fuel prices by Tk 2 a litre from January 1, reversing an increase imposed a month earlier as part of its automatic fuel pricing mechanism.The Energy and Mineral Resources Division said in a notification issued late Wednesday that the prices of diesel, octane, petrol and kerosen...

National,City

Youth hacked to death in Hazaribagh

A youth was hacked to death allegedly by miscreants in Jhauchhar area under Hazaribagh Police Station of Dhaka early Thursday, on the first day of 2026.The victim was identified as Md Shipon, 24, son of Md Shah Alam of local Boro Mosque area under the same police station.The concerned police station...

National,Business & Commerce,Bank & Insurance

2025: Bangladesh economy stabilises unevenly as banking crisis drags growth

Bangladesh’s economy is ending the year on a divided note, with hard-won stability in the external sector offset by a deepening crisis of confidence at home, as weak investment, soaring bad loans and political uncertainty continue to restrain growth.Analysts say decisive policy actions have he...

National,Politics

Pakistan Speaker meets CA, expresses sorrow over Khaleda Zia’s demise

Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Wednesday evening and conveyed heartfelt condolences to the brotherly people and government of Bangladesh on the demise of former Prime Minister Begum Khaled...

National,Politics

Next Bangladesh election an internal affair: China

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian has said the general election, scheduled for February 12 next year, is Bangladesh’s internal affair and reiterated its position of "non-interference" in other countries' internal issues.Responding to a question in a regular media bri...

National,Politics

New Year: Tarique calls for united efforts to restore democracy

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Wednesday called for united efforts to restore democracy in the country through a free and fair election and the formation of an accountable government.In a message marking the English New Year 2026, he also appealed to people to reject destruction and revenge a...

National,Politics

Khaleda's passing leaves irreplaceable void, but her vision, legacy will endure: Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Begum Khaleda Zia’s passing has created an irreplaceable void, but her vision and legacy will endure."I am confident that her ideals will be carried forward under your able leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and will continue ...

National,Country, Districts

China remembers Khaleda Zia’s contributions to Dhaka-Beijing ties

China has said BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s important contributions to promoting Bangladesh-China friendship and the bilateral relationship will forever be remembered.“Khaleda Zia is an old and dear friend of Chinese people and long committed to China-Banglades...

National,Politics

Hasina can’t evade responsibility for Khaleda Zia’s death: Nazrul

BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan on Wednesday alleged that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would never be able to evade responsibility for the death of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.“On February 8, 2018, Khaleda Zia walked into jail on her own f...

National,Politics

Pakistan’s Speaker conveys state condolences to Tarique over Khaleda’s death

Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Wednesday met BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and conveyed heartfelt condolences on behalf of the Pakistani President, Prime Minister, Field Marshal and people of Pakistan over the sad demise of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zi...

National,Politics

Interim govt advisers meet foreign dignitaries, express gratitude

Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul and National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday met visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Speaker of the Pakistan National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma and Bhutan’s Foreign Minister DN Dh...

National,Politics

Farewell to a leader; Khaleda Zia laid to rest with state honour

BNP Chairperson and three-time former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was laid to rest beside her husband and late President Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital on Wednesday afternoon.She was buried around 4:30 pm with state honour following her namaz-e-janaza at the South Plaza of the Jat...

National,Politics

Khaleda Zia’s janaza held with tears of lakhs of mourners

Hundreds of thousands of people on Wednesday offered prayers at Manik Mia Avenue as the namaz-e-janaza of BNP Chairperson and three-time former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was held, bidding her a final farewell amid waves of grief.Mufti Abdul Malek, Khatib of the national mosque Baitul Mukarram...

National,Politics

Jaishankar hands India’s condolence message to Tarique over Khaleda

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar handed over a message of condolence to BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Wednesday.The condolence message was delivered as a mark of respect following the passing of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Kha...

National,Business & Commerce,Healthcare,Art& Culture,Country, Districts

Tk 5,000 fine for selling cigarettes near schools, hospitals

The government has promulgated the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, with provision of maximum fine of Tk 5,000 for selling cigarettes or tobacco products in areas near educational institutions, hospitals and other sensitive areas.The ordinance was promulgated...