Author: International Desk

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders yesterday said the staff at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis are working in dire conditions, facing severe shortages of medical supplies. “There is no room for all of the patients. We have patients in corridors… and more come in today, dead and wounded,” Claire Menara, an emergency coordinator with Doctors Without Borders, told Al Jazeera. The NGO, known by its French name MSF, blamed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid distribution system for chaos at the scene in the southern Gaza town of Rafah on Sunday that killed 31 Palestinians. …

Hamza Choudhury wasted no time settling in. The star midfielder arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning and, true to his word, joined the national team’s training session at the National Stadium just hours later in the afternoon. “Hello, Assalamu Alaikum, everyone. I want to say thank you to all the fans, media and journalists for the warm reception again. I am looking forward to joining the team and preparing for the big game. Inshallah we will be successful and hopefully I will see all the supporters,” Hamza said shortly after arriving at the team hotel. And he…

In a democratic system, an elected government is expected to fulfill its economic promises gradually over its term, typically through annual budgets. It’s unrealistic to expect all commitments to be met within a single fiscal year. However, this year’s budget seems to lack that political character altogether. The current government did not make any electoral pledges beforehand, although they have expressed intentions for reform. The reforms being discussed are mostly political, but Bangladesh requires multifaceted reforms. Ordinary people expect a budget that facilitates trade and business, and promotes investment. The Finance Advisor has claimed that this budget is…

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has said that the interim government has taken responsibility for stabilising a deeply troubled economy, not assumed political power. He made the remarks at a post-budget press conference held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka on Tuesday, a day after unveiling the Tk7.90 trillion budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year. “When we took responsibility, the country was on life support — in the ICU, metaphorically speaking. The banking sector and other key institutions were in disarray. Now, we’ve managed to bring about some degree of stability,” said Dr. Salehuddin. For the…

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Tuesday submitted allegations of abduction and enforced disappearance against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and six others with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Salahuddin arrived at the ICT around 11:15am with a BNP-backed lawyers’ team led by Legal Affairs Secretary Barrister Kayser Kamal. Later, they handed over the copy of allegations to Chief Prosecutor of the ICT Advocate Md Tajul Islam. The accused include former Inspector General of Police (IGPs) Benazir Ahmed, Shahidul Haque, former Special Branch (SB) Chief Monirul Islam, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, and retired…

BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury has said that there is no qualitative change in the proposed national budget for the FY 2025-26. “We don’t see any change in the budget from a qualitative perspective. Moreover, it should be smaller,” said the BNP leader in an instant reaction of his party to the proposed national budget for the upcoming fiscal year. While addressing a press conference held at BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka, he said the main structure of the proposed national budget remains unchanged, while its figures and allocations have been revised.…

The government has unveiled a national budget worth Tk7.90 trillion for the 2025–26 fiscal year, marking the first time in the country’s history that the budget size has been reduced from the previous year. Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed began presenting the budget at 3 pm on Monday. The speech is being broadcast live on Bangladesh Television. The proposed budget, approved by the interim cabinet led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, includes a revenue target of Tk5.64 trillion — down Tk 700 billion from the current fiscal year. This year’s budget is being presented outside the traditional…

The interim government has proposed to support 55 lakh families under Food-Friendly Programme in the national budget for fiscal year 2025–26, an increase of 5 lakh families from that in the previous fiscal year. In addition, the duration of the benefits has been extended to six months from the next fiscal year, up from five months at present. Previously, 50 lakh low-income families were entitled to receive 30 kilogrammes of rice per month at a subsidised rate of Tk 15 per kilogramme over a five-month period under the programme. Since January 2025, the government has also…

BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Sunday called upon the interim government to arrange the national election by December to ensure its graceful exit. “We recently met the chief adviser and explained why December is the most suitable time for elections. The longer the delay, the more room the cohorts of the deposed regime will have to hatch conspiracies, and we’ve already seen the signs of that,” he said. Considering all aspects, the BNP leader said it is better to hold elections by December. “The interim government will have to quit at some point. We think…

Calling upon Chinese companies to invest in Bangladesh, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday said a robust investment from the Asian superpower can be a game changer for Bangladesh economy. “I urge Chinese investors to make Bangladesh their home and their production hub…the young people are ready to accept that challenge,” he said. The chief adviser made the call while addressing the “China-Bangladesh Conference on Investment and Trade” at the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) office, Agargaon, in the capital. The Bangladesh and Chinese governments jointly organised the conference. Recalling the longstanding Dhaka-Beijing relations, he…