Monday, July 7, 2025

Saline-based shrimp farming imperils agriculture in Khulna

Rampant saline water-based shrimp cultivation on agricultural lands in the south-western coastal region of the country including Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts poses a threat to soil fertility, thus casting an ominous shadow on country’s food security and environment as a whole. The farmland of Koyra, Paikgaccha, Dacope upazilas of Khulna district,

Hamid okays Hasina to head govt

A day after the opposition called for presidential intervention to end the current political stand-off over the forthcoming national election, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told parliament that the president has given her permission to head the poll-time government. Urging opposition leader Khaleda Zia to take part in the upcoming election

BNP rejects polls under Hasina-led government

Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday rejected the decision to hold the next general elections under the government, led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as stated by her in parliament. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, flanked by the party senior leaders at a news briefing at the party chairperson’s

10 hurt, 50 RMG?factories shut as unrest continues

At least 10 more people, including two police men, were injured on Wednesday in clashes between RMG workers and police at Pagar area of Tongi, Ashulia, in a continuing labour unrest over pay hike. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, along with additional police and Rab members, have been deployed in the area to maintain law and ... Read more

Some ministers get portfolios

The prime minister is learnt to have allocated portfolios to ministers of the poll-time government. The portfolios were allocated on Wednesday night and a gazette notification in this regard will be issued on Thursday. According to sources, Awami League (AL) advisory council members Tofail Ahmed has been given the charge of industries and land ministries

Violence in Sitakunda continues

The police fired several hundred shots to contain a wave of violence on Dhaka-Chittagong highway on Wednesday as activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir went on the rampage at Sitakunda vandalising vehicles and attacking houses of ruling party activists. The news of the killing of a local leader

1.6 lakh absent on 1st day of pry completion exams

1 held for question leak in Dinajpur Primary and ibtedayi education completion examinations began on Wednesday amid allegation that question paper was leaked in Dinajpur. The police arrested a coaching centre director Masud Rana in Dinajpur town in connection with the alleged leak of question. Dinajpur Kotwali

Poll schedule likely next week

The Election Commission is planning to announce the schedule for the 10th parliamentary election next week, election commissioner Mohammad Shahnewaz told reporters on Wednesday. The EC would fix the date for announcement of the election schedule within a couple of days. The commission had also apprised the President

Armed Forces Day today

The Armed Forces Day that marks the establishment of Bangladesh military during the country’s War of Liberation will be observed today with due solemnity and enthusiasm. On this day in 1971, Bangladesh Armed Forces comprising Army, Navy and Air Force came into being and launched an all-out attack on the

RAB arrest 1.41 lakh in nine years

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a total of 1,41,164 criminals for the last nine years, sources at the police headquarters said quoting a brief of the elite force prepared for the high-level delegation of the commonwealth meeting held at Sri Lanka. Of the arrested criminals, 1087 belonged

Crude bomb explosion leaves 2 boys injured on play ground

Two minor boys were injured, one more seriously, Wednesday afternoon as a cracker they had picked up taking it for a ball exploded in the city’s Tejgaon area. Tofazzal Hossain, 11, a student of class III lost three fingers and the wounds of his friend Lokman Hossain, 10, was less serious. The misfortune

PM leaves tonight to perform Umrah

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave for Saudi Arabia Thursday night to perform Umrah. She will be accompanied by a delegation of about 50 members comprising the prime minister’s family, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, officials of the foreign ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office, security and media team, said the sources concerned. After performing Umrah

7 Bangladeshis injured in Lebanese blasts

At least seven Bangladeshi nationals were injured in bomb blasts in Beirut on Tuesday, an official of the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. It has been gathered that seven Bangladeshi nationals sustained injuries in the blasts and of one of them was in critical condition, said the official.

President okays ACC bill despite criticism

Despite widespread criticism, President Abdul Hamid has signed a much-talked-about bill into law that introduced a controversial provision curtailing the Anti-Corruption Commission’s authority to file graft charges against the government officials on its own. From now on, the anti-graft body will

8kg gold seized

In a span of three days, customs officials again seized at least 8 kilograms of gold worth about Tk 3.75 crore from a passenger of an incoming flight at Shah Amanat International Airport Wednesday morning. A man was arrested for his alleged involvement in gold smuggling, the officials said. He was identified as Jamal Uddin who ... Read more

‘Helen’ moves westwards

The cyclonic storm, ‘Helen’, over the west-central Bay and adjoining area moved slightly westwards. It was centred at 3:00pm on Wednesday about 1200 kilometres southwest of Chittagong port, 1150 kms southwest of Cox’s Bazar port and 1040 kms southwest of Mongla port. It is likely to intensify further and move

Sufia Kamal’s death anniversary today

Poet Sufia Kamal’s 14th anniversary of death will be observed today. One of the leading female poets of the country Sufia Kamal began writing as early as the late 1920s, when it was almost beyond imagination that a Bengali Muslim woman would write poems. When Muslim woman were not allowed to take part in the ... Read more

Real life freedom fighters act in Ekattur-er Guerilla

The real life freedom fighters have acted in Ekattur-er Guerilla a film based on a true story of the war of independence in 1971. The film illustrates some valiant guerillas, who fought and defeated the invading Pakistani army in alliance with their Bengali collaborators known as razakars who rampaged and killed thousands in the Gazipur ... Read more

Baul songs presented at Shilpakala

The members of Baul Bazar presented songs of leading bards at a programme held at the Music and Dance Centre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Monday. With acoustics of traditional instruments dhol, ektara, dotara the singers in solos rendered songs composed by Fakir Lalon Shah, Hason Raja, Shah Abdul Karim, Pagol Chanchal, Kabi Jalal,

Farzana Chhoby in role of a photojournalist

Photojournalist Smrity went to a remote hilly area with a project of an NGO. Her progressive mindset and positive thinking make her confident always. To make successful of this project, Smrity lonely enters into the deep forest area. All on a sudden, she curiously and passionately bought a bracelet from a female bangle-seller. After wearing ... Read more