Apps being used to organise criminals; security tightened
Despite a ban on their organisational activities following the mass uprising, the fascist group continues to operate staging flash processions and committing a series of violent crimes. In Dhaka, over the past few days, their members have carried out repeated crude bomb attacks and petrol-bombings at educational institutions. According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch...
Health spend abroad tops budget as patients go overseas
Shortcomings in the country’s healthcare system, a lack of trust in physicians, insufficient attention to patients, the use of unnecessary medicines, and pressure for extra tests are driving large numbers of Bangladeshis to seek care overseas. As a result, a vast sum leaves Bangladesh every year in payments for treatment abroad. Annual spending on treatment overseas According to Bangladesh...
67% of polling centres are vulnerable: Intelligence report
Two-thirds of polling centres for the 13th national parliamentary election are considered vulnerable, with possible inflows of illegal firearms also anticipated. Accordingly, recommendations have been made to take preventive measures immediately. Sources said the police Special Branch (SB) has recently identified the vulnerable centres and asked the Election Commission to act. Election...
Bangladesh to launch NEIR to block illegal phones
To curb the sale of illegal mobile handsets, combat financial fraud in mobile financial services, prevent handset theft, and strengthen government revenue collection and security, the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) will be launched nationwide on 16 December. Under the new system, customers will receive quality services by using only approved, standard-compliant, lawfully imported...
'Awami League is not remorseful as a party; instead, it is lying'
The interim government has repeatedly said the 13th national election will be held in the first half of February. Yet doubts surface in politicians’ remarks. Amid this, debate has grown over a “safe exit” for some advisers. Some claim certain advisers are working for a particular side. The central question is this: How successful is the interim government that took charge after the July...
July Charter seen as political pledge, not legally binding
Bangladesh’s political parties have signed a “July National Charter” that spells out a set of political reform commitments but carries no binding legal force—leaving implementation to the next parliament, according to organizers. The charter was endorsed on Friday (October 17) after months of debate over post-uprising reforms, one year and two months on from the July upheaval that...
Bangladesh bourses: A decade on, demutualisation gains elusive
Bangladesh’s 2013 demutualisation of stock exchanges—intended to separate ownership from management and strengthen transparency, accountability and corporate governance—has not produced the anticipated gains for investors, market participants say. The reform was expected to stabilise the market and restore confidence. Instead, brokers, analysts and investor groups argue that the impact...
Essential price hikes squeeze middle class
Bangladesh’s retail food prices have spiked again just as the interim government marks one year in office, with households reporting steep increases across rice, pulses, eggs, chicken, fish and vegetables despite adequate supplies. Shoppers and traders in Dhaka’s Sutrapur, Ray Saheb Bazar and Nayabazar say prices now fluctuate daily, with little certainty from stall to stall, forcing...
Chinese rifles, SMGs, 2.5 lakh rounds not recovered ahead of polls
Law enforcement agencies have yet to recover a significant stock of weapons and ammunition looted from police stations and outposts during the July uprising and the fall of the government on 5 August. While most items have been retrieved in nationwide raids, authorities acknowledge that Chinese-made rifles, some Chinese sub-machine guns and other firearms remain unaccounted for—along with...
If elections are not held swiftly, country to face deeper crisis
Failure to arrange prompt national elections in the current situation will push the country into a deeper crisis, according to Bangladesh Communist Party (CPB) President Kazi Sajjad Zahir Chandan. The CPB considers the much-debated referendum unnecessary, Chandan added in an exclusive interview with Banglanews on October 11 at the CPB’s central office. During the interview, he spoke...
Cyclone-displaced women face severe health risks in garment sector
From homes washed away by flooding in Sunamganj, to saline-scarred fields in Khulna, to river erosion in Bhola, thousands of women are streaming toward the cities. The ready-made garment factories that have sprung up across urban areas are fast becoming their new refuge. But this refuge brings little comfort; it ushers in a new struggle—long working hours, deteriorating health, and a cycle...
Farakka to Payra: Hilsa production and taste trapped in chars and dams
When Auwal Sheikh, a private sector employee, paid Tk 2,400 for hilsa fish at the market, it was not out of habit or luxury — but to satisfy his two children’s craving for Bangladesh’s most iconic delicacy. Yet, the 37-year-old said the taste wasn’t what it used to be. “When I was a child, my mother’s hilsa curry would fill the entire neighbourhood with its aroma,” he recalled....
Drug prices set to rise by 10pc after end of patent waiver
If all goes as planned, Bangladesh is expected to graduate from the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to that of developing nations in November 2026. While this transition will mark a major milestone and a source of national pride, it also brings economic challenges. Once the LDC status is withdrawn, Bangladesh will lose several trade-related benefits, including exemptions under the...
Dhaka’s crime hotspot Mohammadpur — Geneva Camp at its core
The name Mohammadpur in the capital now conjures images of theft, snatching, robbery and various other crimes for city residents. The situation there is so fragile that police officers themselves say Mohammadpur tops the list of crime among Dhaka’s 50 police stations. At the centre of the area’s criminal activity is the enclave known as “Geneva Camp”. For years the camp has been the...
AI challenge ahead of elections: How prepared is EC?
With the 13th National Election approaching, Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) faces a new and complex challenge — the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in the electoral process. Experts warn that AI-driven misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes could be used to undermine the credibility of the polls or incite unrest. Analysts say AI technology can make falsehoods appear...
Juvenile crime on the rise in Dhaka
The growing involvement of adolescents in criminal activities has become an alarming concern in the capital. Teenagers are increasingly engaging in offences such as mugging, illicit garment scrap trading, extortion in the transport sector, drug trafficking, land grabbing, and even targeted killings. Most of these juveniles operate under various gang cultures. Despite the intensified...
Anthrax: Awareness needed, not panic
The presence of anthrax bacteria has been detected in 11 people across three upazilas of Rangpur. The infection was first identified in Pirgacha upazila before spreading to the neighbouring Kaunia and Mithapukur upazilas. Of the 11 infected patients, eight are from Pirgacha, two from Kaunia, and one from Mithapukur. Experts from the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research...
Asylum in Europe growing harder for Bangladeshis
Applying for asylum in Europe is becoming increasingly difficult for Bangladeshi nationals. In April this year, the European Union (EU) designated Bangladesh, along with five other countries, as a “safe country.” This means that asylum claims from citizens of these countries are processed rapidly, resulting in most cases being rejected. As a consequence, the process has grown tougher for...
AI Threat: EC to cancel candidacy, impose jail terms, fines for misuse
The Election Commission (EC) is preparing legal provisions to cancel candidacies and impose fines and prison sentences for spreading disinformation in election campaigns using artificial intelligence (AI). Political parties will also be held accountable if found complicit. Artificial intelligence, now one of the most widely used technologies globally, is capable of replicating voices,...