THE first ever visit by the high-powered US delegation to Bangladesh has met with leaders of the interim government headed by Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka. At the meeting Dr. Yunus sought assistance from the multiagency delegation led by US Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Finance and Development Brent Neiman and Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asia Donald Lu. During the meeting held at State Guest House Jamuna, Dr....
Editorial
Dr. Md. Nurul Islam : The revolution of August 5, 2024, led by students and the masses in Bangladesh, has set the stage for building an exploitation-free, egalitarian, and corruption-free...
WE strongly echo the bold statement of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who said, “We can’t allow the interim government to fail.” His words remind us of the voice of ‘Major Zia’ in the turbulent March of 1971, declaring, “I revolt,” in protest against the brutal attack by the Pakistani army on unarmed Bangladeshis. Likewise, we must remember the blood that stained the streets across the country in July this year, shed in the fight to end the inhumane autocratic...
Barrister Solaiman Tushar : The largest number of people killed since Bangladesh’s independence occurred during the July-August 2024 student-people protests. More than 1,000 people were killed, and over 400 lost...
It is quite distressing that the country’s fertilizer factories are shutting down one by one due to the insufficient gas supply. A vernacular daily on Monday reported production at the Hazrat Shahjalal Fertilizer Factory in Fenchuganj, Sylhet, came to a halt last week. As a result, many fear a urea shortage in the upcoming Boro season, potentially threatening the country’s food security. We all know that no initiatives were taken for gas exploration during the regime of the fallen autocrat;...
Anis Chowdhury and Khalilur Rahman : Bangladesh’s White Paper committee will review foreign loan deals signed by the fallen kleptocratic regime. We recommend that it identifies and declares the loans or portions of loans that did not benefit the nation as unpayable, because they were siphoned off the country by corrupt politically powerful elites, or worse used to buy deadly weapons and surveillance equipment to oppress people. Such loans are “odious” – they stink and are detestable. It is not...
THOUGH the launch of the Bangabandhu-1 Satellite in 2018 was hailed as a major achievement for Bangladesh, symbolising the country’s entry into the elite space club, six years later the project now seems to be a financial misstep rather than the anticipated success. A newspaper report on Sunday said that despite costing the nation a staggering Tk. 30 billion, the satellite has struggled to generate the expected revenue, leaving it a significant burden on state resources. The satellite, now a...
The concept of brotherhood championed by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) vividly exemplifies the profound ideals of Islamic coexistence. This was evident when the Prophet (PBUH) established the Yathrib (Madinah) community, a transformative act that united Jews and the Arab tribes of Aws and Khazraj, who had long been in conflict. The Prophet (PBUH) turned their enmity into peaceful unity, allowing the tribes to unite and form a cooperative community dedicated to overcoming oppression and adversity. Historical accounts reveal unprecedented brotherhood...
WE welcome the high-level US delegation, headed by Brent Neiman, Deputy Under Secretary for International Finance at the US Department of the Treasury, and accompanied by Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Certainly, this team brings a message of significance to the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the United States. We are happy to learn that the US decision to engage in high-level economic discussions with Bangladesh’s interim government is a...
The recent unrest in the Savar-Ashulia and Gazipur industrial belts, leading to the closure of over 250 factories, has sent shockwaves through Bangladesh’s garment industry. Our newspaper reported Thursday that this sector, a cornerstone of the country’s economy, is already grappling with global market fluctuations, energy shortages, and currency issues. It is indeed raising much apprehension among us that the added disruption from labour unrest poses a grave threat to both immediate production and the long-term stability of the industry....
A total of 401 people lost their eyesight because of bullet wounds during the anti-discrimination movement of students in July-August in the country, particularly in capital Dhaka. Of them, 19 have lost sight in both eyes and 382 people lost one eye. What’s more heart-rending is the fact that many of them are young people barely in their teens or twenties. Undeniably, the student movement has brought us freedom from a fascist and oppressive regime but at a huge cost,...
Over the past 15 and a half years, it appears that the Hasina regime has significantly increased Bangladesh’s electricity production capacity, reaching an impressive 27,791 megawatts. However, this achievement is overshadowed by the stark reality that less than half of this capacity is currently being utilized. While the Hasina administration and its allies celebrated the expansion of electricity generation, concerns have been raised about the misuse of public funds, particularly in the establishment of numerous power plants, including quick rental...
AS PER a report published on Tuesday, the country is currently facing a critical challenge in maintaining a steady supply of petroleum products due to the backlog in Letter of Credit (LC) payments, compounded by forex shortage. We are apprehended to know that the state-owned Sonali Bank PLC’s reluctance to open new LCs and clear existing dues for fuel imports managed by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) underscores the severity of the situation. With BPC owing nearly $297 million to...
THE recent floods that have ravaged Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali have left a deep scar on the educational infrastructures of these regions. With many schools still submerged or functioning as shelters for displaced people, the road to recovery is fraught with challenges. As per a report of an English newspaper, the prolonged closure of educational institutions, coupled with the extensive damage to facilities, has severely disrupted the academic lives of thousands of students. The report also said, while some institutions...
WITH appalling wonder, we are confronted with a harsh reality that the life-saving medicines we rely on daily have skyrocketed in price, leaving many of us grappling with the impossible choice between our health and our financial stability. An English newspaper on Sunday reported a major disparity between factory-gate and retail medicine prices in Bangladesh, highlighting a growing concern over the accuracy of the Producer Price Index (PPI) data. Despite the PPI for pharmaceuticals remaining stable for 14 months until...
