Educational institutions to go on extended holiday
After the Eid-ul-Fitr and SSC examinations, the primary, secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions in Bangladesh are going on an extended holiday. The institutions returned to educational activities at the beginning of April following over a month-long holiday for Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr. The SSC and equivalent examinations after the opening have also disrupted classes in educational institutions used as exam centres. Apart from the weekly off, the institutions will remain closed for eight days. The SSC and Dakhil Vocational-level educational institutions will be closed from Jun 1 to Jun 19 per the academic calendar of the Technical Education Board.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 20:07 UTC
Two Bangladeshis held in Italy over ‘jihadi provocation’
Italian police have detained two Bangladeshi youths over allegedly “releasing provocative videos about jihad” on TikTok. In a post from his verified Facebook page, he said: "Italy has no place for those who promote terrorism and jihad. The two men were arrested in an operation led by the head of the Palermo prosecutor's office, Maurizio De Lucia, the report added. These included many posts about the situation in Gaza, where they were accused of patronising jihadist ideology, according to the report. The detainees were under house arrest under court orders and have been fitted with electronic GPS trackers, it added.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 15:15 UTC
Villagers evacuated from line of fire along India-Pakistan border fear going back
Indian and Pakistani authorities advised people who had left border areas not to return to frontline villages just yet. After four days of fighting, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday under US pressure, but within hours explosions rang out in border towns and India accused Pakistan of violating the pact. Hundreds of people were shifted to temporary homes, while others left to stay with relatives far from the border as fighting intensified earlier in the week. Kabal Singh, head of a village close to the border, said people were scared to return home after they heard the blasts following the ceasefire announcement. On the Pakistan side of the border, some residents displaced from villages were advised to wait until Monday midday before returning.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 14:07 UTC
Election Commission says next step on cancelling Awami League’s registration after govt order
The Election Commission (EC) has said it will determine the next step in revoking the registration of the Awami League as a political party after receiving a government order pertaining to the ban of the ousted party. According to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), the registration of a political party is revoked if it is declared banned. According to the amendments, the International Crimes Tribunal will be able to penalise any political party, its affiliates or support groups. Article 90H (1)(b) of the RPO states that The registration of a political party may be cancelled for the following reasons shall be cancelled if it is declared banned by the government. Anwarul said, “The Election Commission does not yet know what the government order will be, what conditions will be set forth.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 10:54 UTC
Petrol pump, tank-lorry owners call for work stoppage on May 25
Bangladesh Petrol Pump and Tank Lorry Owners Unity Council have called an eight-hour work stoppage for May 25, with a 10-point charter of demand including a 7 per cent commission on fuel sales. We have been protesting against these for a long time.”After announcing the upcoming programme, Kabul said: “We have decided to stop the fuel business. “Pumping of fuel, transportation and sales and marketing will remain stopped at that time. >>Tank lorries should not be stopped randomly in the name of checking their documents. The authorities must issue an inter-district route permit for all tank lorries.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 09:36 UTC
Khaleda visits brother’s house in Gulshan
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has spent four hours with her extended family at the house of her brother in Gulshan. She was accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, Tarique’s wife Zubaida Rahman and Syeda Sharmila Rahman, the wife of late Arafat Rahman Coco, reports bdnews24.com. Shamim Eskander’s wife Kaniz Fatema, another sister-in-law of Khaleda Nasrin Ahmed, sister Selina Islam and other family members welcomed Khaleda with flowers. Her personal physician, prof AZM Zahid Hossain, Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and other BNP members were present. She went for a family event, and the family members were elated.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 08:12 UTC
Fragile ceasefire holds between India, Pakistan as Trump offers more help
People celebrate after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, May 10, 2025. REUTERSPeople celebrate after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, May 10, 2025. In response, Pakistan said it was committed to the ceasefire and blamed India for the violations. India blames Pakistan for an insurgency in its part of the territory, but Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists. In the Indian Kashmir city of Baramulla, residents were told to wait due to the threat posed by unexploded munitions.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 05:47 UTC
Wounded Ukrainian soldiers ask: What ceasefire?
A medic transfers a wounded Ukrainian serviceman of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to a medical stabilisation point, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine May 10, 2025. REUTERSA medic transfers a wounded Ukrainian serviceman of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to a medical stabilisation point, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine May 10, 2025. REUTERSRussian President Vladimir Putin has declared a three-day pause in fighting against Ukraine, but for bloodied Ukrainian soldiers limping into a field hospital, their wounds testified that the ceasefire was not being respected. One soldier, who gave his name as Stanislav, sat in the field hospital on Friday night cradling his left arm. “There hasn’t been any ceasefire," said Stanislav, who did not give his full name in line with Ukrainian military protocol.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 03:25 UTC
Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine after three years of war
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a statement to the media at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 11, 2025. Sergey Bobylev/Host agency RIA Novosti/Handout via REUTERSRussian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul that he said should be aimed at bringing a durable peace and eliminating the root causes of the war. "We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions," Putin said from the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday. Putin specifically mentioned the 2022 draft deal which Russia and Ukraine negotiated shortly after the Russian invasion of February 2022. It was Kyiv," Putin said.
Source:bd News24
May 11, 2025 02:52 UTC
Hasnat gives government 1 hour to ban Awami League as a political party
Hasnat Abdullah, chief organiser of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has issued a one-hour ultimatum to outlaw the Awami League as a political party. Speaking at a “mass” gathering at Dhaka’s Shahbagh at 7:30pm on Saturday, he said: “Interim [government], ban the Awami League. We will leave the streets only after the Awami League is banned. A “mass” gathering at Shahbagh began after 3pm on Saturday with three demands, including the ban on the Awami League. Our views and approaches may differ, but we are united in our resolve to see the Awami League banned.
Source:bd News24
May 10, 2025 21:08 UTC
Bangladesh moves to outlaw Awami League, paves way for war crimes-style trial of parties
They shouted, “Find League, send them to jail”, “Breaking news, Awami League is now banned”, “Bangladesh Zindabad”, Awami League Murdabad”. The demands for banning the Awami League had been raised by the leaders of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement from the very beginning. Protesters shouted slogans such as “Ban the Awami League now”, “Find League, send them to jail”, “Ban, ban, Awami League”, “One demand, one goal, League not come back”, “One, two, three, four, Chuppu leave your throne”, “Cancel Awami League’s registration”, and “Delhi or Dhaka? Dhaka Dhaka”. Our views and approaches may differ, but we are united in our resolve to see the Awami League banned.
Source:bd News24
May 10, 2025 17:29 UTC
NBR to lose authority to grant tax exemptions
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) will no longer have the authority to grant tax exemptions in the industrial sector under a new proposal aligned with International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions.The proposal, set to take effect on the first day of the fiscal year 2025-26, will transfer this authority to parliament.If parliament is not in session, the president will assume the power to approve such waivers.The move has been outlined in the "Tax Expenditure Policy and its Management Framework", published by the NBR on Wednesday.The revenue authority has also said it will take steps to incorporate relevant provisions into the Finance Bill to give the framework legal backing.Officials said since the parliament is currently inactive, the interim government would move to issue the changes through ordinances by incorporating them into "existing tax laws".For years, economists have criticised NBR policymakers for allegedly approving tax exemptions based on "personal or group interests".As part of the ongoing $4.7 billion IMF loan programme, the NBR has been asked to assess the amount of tax expenditure-exemptions, waivers, and reductions-it has granted.The framework has been proposed in response to this condition.Based on the directive, the NBR analysed tax expenditures from previous fiscal years and has now published a comprehensive policy and management framework, proposing it take effect from Jul 1.The draft policy clearly says all powers currently granted to the NBR under the Income Tax Act, Value-Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, and the Customs Act will be rescinded.From now on, all decisions on tax expenditures must be made by parliament during the annual national budget process.If parliament is dissolved or not in session, the authority will be vested in the president.The policy, however, notes that in cases of "urgent" public interest-such as essential commodities or matters of national importance-the finance minister or finance advisor may temporarily approve tax expenditures with approval from the cabinet or Advisory Council.Any tax expenditure approved in this manner will not be valid beyond the final day of the fiscal year in which it was issued, the policy stipulates.If an exemption needs to remain in effect beyond that fiscal year, it must be reapproved by parliament.The policy also proposes that all ongoing tax expenditure orders or circulars-especially those without a specified expiry date-must be presented to parliament by Jun 30, 2026, for approval by the finance ministry.Parliament will then decide whether to approve, amend, extend, or repeal these tax expenditures. �"bdnews24.com
Source:bd News24
May 10, 2025 16:23 UTC
Private sector credit growth rises to 7.57pc in March
Since the July Uprising, the downward trend in private sector credit growth has shown some fluctuations, but is yet to change course.Private sector credit growth in Bangladesh rose slightly to 7.57 percent in March 2025, up from 6.82 percent in February, according to Bangladesh Bank data released on Thursday.Despite the uptick, credit growth has remained below 8 percent for five consecutive months, signaling ongoing weakness in private sector borrowing amid high interest rates and economic uncertainty.In January, credit growth stood at 7.15 percent. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, the opening of Letters of Credit (LCs) for importing capital machinery dropped 28.68 percent year-on-year. "The overall economic situation is unstable, and as a result, investment remains subdued," said Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director of Mutual Trust Bank (MTB), in an interview with bdnews24.com. "Business owners argue that bank interest rates are too high, which discourages them from taking out loans. �"bdnews24.com
Source:bd News24
May 10, 2025 16:23 UTC
Advisory Council meeting ends, briefing awaited
An emergency meeting of the Advisory Council, held in response to the ongoing blockades across Dhaka including Shahbagh demanding a ban on the Awami League, has ended. Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus presided over the meeting, which was held from 8:30pm to 9:40pm on Saturday, his office confirms. A press briefing is expected shortly outside his official residence at the State Guest House Jamuna. While announcing the new programme at the Shahbagh intersection on Friday night, he said: “Our sit-in for the three-point demand will continue [Saturday]. “At 3pm, we will hold a mass gathering at Shahbagh.”A “mass” gathering continued there through the evening.
Source:bd News24
May 10, 2025 15:03 UTC
Advisory Council begins emergency meeting
An emergency meeting of the Advisory Council has begun in response to the ongoing blockades across Dhaka, including Shahbagh, demanding a ban on the Awami League. The meeting began at 8:00 pm on Saturday at the State Guest House Jamuna, the Chief Advisor’s Office (CAO) cofirmed. A press conference is expected to be held outside the residence of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus after the meeting. Earlier, Energy Advisor Fouzul Kabir Khan said, “The meeting will focus on determining the next course of action in light of recent developments.”The urgency followed a series of protests triggered by news of former president Md Abdul Hamid’s departure from Bangladesh
Source:bd News24
May 10, 2025 15:00 UTC