Shipping and Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain. File PhotoDHAKA, Dec 23, 2025 (BSS) - Shipping and Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain today said the activities of the Shipping Department have been modernised and made time-befitting. He made the remarks while inaugurating the Joint Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (JMRCC) at the Shipping Department headquarters in Agargaon. The centre was established under the Establishment of Global Maritime Distress and Safety System and Integrated Maritime Navigation System (EGIMNS) project, implemented by the Shipping Department. The EGIMNS project has been jointly financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the Korean Economic Development Fund (KEDF).

The event was attended by 226 officials from the field administration, police and the Election Commission. During the briefing, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin and four election commissioners gave the necessary instructions and guidelines to conduct a credible and peaceful election. CEC Nasir Uddin said the rule of law must be firmly established to ensure a free, fair, acceptable and credible election. Calling on the field administration to give the highest priority to communal harmony, the CEC said, for example, a Hindu body was “burnt” in Mymensingh. Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said directives have already been issued to launch joint operations at the earliest possible time.

Diploma agriculture students blocked the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway in Gazipur for an hour on Tuesday, demanding implementation of eight demands. The students enforced a complete shutdown, boycotting their semester exams, and staged the blockade at Salna area from 12:00pm to 1:00pm, causing long traffic tailbacks on both sides of the highway. Their demands include ensuring higher education opportunities for diploma agriculturists at public agricultural universities, gazette notification and regular recruitment of Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officers as second-class officials, addressing the teacher shortage in diploma institutions, and upgrading the overall quality of diploma agricultural education. Gazipur Metropolitan Police headquarters OC Aminul Islam said police persuaded the students to withdraw the blockade peacefully. Later, the protesters submitted a memorandum outlining their demands to the deputy commissioner.

Former reserved-seat lawmaker and BNP's international affairs assistant secretary Rumeen Farhana will contest the election as an independent candidate from the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency (Sarail–Ashuganj and parts of Bijoynagar). Although the BNP announced candidates for 272 seats in two phases, this seat had been kept vacant. Attempts to contact Rumeen Farhana on her personal mobile phone were unsuccessful. She will contest the election as an independent candidate in this constituency.”Previously, at several public meetings, Rumeen Farhana said that her father, language movement activist Oli Ahad, contested the election from this seat in 1973. Among them, Rumeen Farhana, SN Tarun Dey—Secretary General of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Welfare Front and a member of the district BNP—and district BNP member Akhtar Hossain have announced they will contest as independent candidates.

Even then, perhaps direct bribery was prevalent, but many still held hope that one day this mess would be cleared. It has been estimated that the average file processing time of the government is deliberately prolonged by 15 days in 2025. He is aware that the work is supposed to be done in seven days. We have to have an objective of cutting down the average service delivery period to less than seven days by 2030. Dauwood Ibrahim Hassan is currently a graduate student in the Economics Department at Jahangirnagar University and working in the Marketing Department at IDLC Finance PLC.

Ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election, Bangladesh police have urged “stricter” regulation of mobile banking activities and enhanced telecommunications monitoring to ensure a fair voting environment. The recommendations came during a conference on Tuesday at the Election Commission building auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka. The meeting, convened by the Election Commission, brought together deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, all Range DIGs, divisional commissioners, and regional election officers. Addressing concerns over unaccounted money influencing the election, Ahsan Habib Polash, DIG of the Chittagong Range, said: “Those associated with mobile banking services may experience an increased flow of money during the election period. Steps should be taken to ensure this does not occur before the election.

Amid growing tensions between Dhaka and Delhi, India, on Tuesday, summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah. This development came hours after the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned its Indian counterpart Pranay Verma to express Dhaka’s "grave concern" over a series of incidents in India targeting Bangladeshi diplomatic missions. This is the second time the envoys to India and Bangladesh were summoned amid tense ties between the two countries following violent anti-India protests in several parts of Bangladesh. Meanwhile, India deployed 15,000 security forces in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) Vice-President Abu Shadik Kayem has declined government-provided gunman support, saying security should be ensured for all citizens, not just a few individuals. Following the fall of the Hasina government, Kayem said people expected visible and fair changes in the country’s overall security system. He said if law enforcement agencies were effectively activated and criminals brought to justice, public concern over security would not be so acute. “At the same time, there are proposals to provide gunmen for personal security. Kayem acknowledged that security is necessary for everyone but stressed that it should not be limited to select individuals or groups.

DHAKA, Dec 23, 2025 (BSS) – The government has launched a special initiative to collect precise information on waste burning, a major source of air pollution. To address this challenge, the government has undertaken strong measures to identify and control the sources of air pollution. In this connection, an initiative has been launched to collect precise information on locations where waste burning occurs. To engage commoners in efforts to curb air pollution, the government is requesting all citizens of Bangladesh to submit photographs of waste burning incidents. The government expects that active public participation in this initiative will play a significant role in controlling air pollution.

It’s a story built on multiple miracles and I succeeded in believing in them for a long time. Early civilizations performed near miracles by calculating the Earth’s path and fluctuations of daylight without advanced tools (or AI). Some see miracles in nearly everything associated with the ancient band known as the Beatles. Our greatest leaders, Gandhi, MLK JR., and Mandela, all believed in miracles, and succeeded in moving mountains. Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident.

“"Despite repeated calls from civil society, political parties and the media to take strict action against mob violence, the interim government has not taken any effective steps. To repair the shattered trust of citizens in security, a zero-tolerance policy must be adopted against all types of crimes, starting from mob violence. Dhaka TribuneThe Dhaka Tribune published a story on Monday documenting the events that led to the brutal mob lynching, which triggered a “nationwide outrage and renewed concern over mob violence fuelled by misinformation”. In its editorial , headlined, “Law and order remain lacking”, the daily remarked that the events of Thursday highlighted “the dismal state of our law and order”. Publications such as bdnews , Bangladesh Pratidin , a Bengali daily, and Daily Observer , an English daily, also published stories and articles analysing the brutal incident.

The inaugural Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held in Phnom Penh between Bangladesh and Cambodia in a cordial and constructive atmosphere. Photo : CollectedDHAKA, Dec 23, 2025 (BSS) - Cambodia has reaffirmed its support forBangladesh's bid to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner, underliningthe importance of sustained engagement with ASEAN during the first-everForeign Office Consultations between the two countries. The FOC was convened following the signing of a memorandum of understandingin 2020 during a bilateral Joint Commission meeting in Dhaka. Both sides noted steady growth in bilateral trade and agreed to deepenbusiness-to-business engagement, deciding to convene the first Joint TradeCouncil meeting in Phnom Penh next year. Bangladesh expressed interest in investment opportunities in rice and cashewnut processing in Cambodia under buy-back arrangements.

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UNITED NATIONS, United States, Dec 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Sudan's prime minister on Monday called on the UN Security Council to stand "on the right side of history" by backing a peace plan for the war-torn country that calls for a ceasefire and global monitoring of the conflict. Since April 2023, Sudan's army has battled the paramilitary forces of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controls the west and parts of the south, in fighting that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Idris pledged to organize free elections following a transition period to allow for "inter-Sudanese dialogue." The Sudanese PM did not, however, meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to a UN spokesperson. In November, US President Donald Trump voiced willingness to help end the conflict, but talks led by the United States and other mediators of the so-called "Quad" -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates -- remain at an impasse.

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed -File photoDHAKA, Dec 23, 2025 (BSS) – Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed today said that Bangladesh would import essentials such as rice from India if prices remain competitive, regardless of the prevailing political discourse between the two neighbouring countries. Dr Salehuddin stressed that Bangladesh has never pursued punitive trade measures against India for political reasons. On the broader state of Bangladesh–India relations, Dr Salehuddin acknowledged that political rhetoric, particularly during periods of heightened political activity, can sometimes appear strained. Dr Salehuddin also said the interim government has no desire to see tensions between neighbouring countries. Highlighting Bangladesh’s regional outlook, Dr Salehuddin said the country believes strongly in regionalism and constructive engagement with all neighbours.