Seventy-nine percent of Bangladesh’s poorest rural families spend more than 40% of their income repaying loans, up from 49% in 2010, according to a study presented Monday. The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) found that the share of all borrowers exceeding that repayment threshold rose from 22% to 41%. Research director Kazi Iqbal presented […]
Forest crime cases in Bangladesh’s Hazarikhil Wildlife Sanctuary nearly quadrupled in one year as tree felling and land encroachment threatened a habitat rich in wildlife, Forest Department records show. Authorities recorded 26 cases in fiscal 2025-26, up from seven the previous year and six in 2023-24. The 2,900-hectare sanctuary in Chattogram is home to 123 […]
Bangladesh opened $8.10 billion in import letters of credit (LCs) in September, the highest monthly total in 53 months, as fuel and raw material costs rose, a Bangladesh Bank official told The Business Standard. Openings increased 22.37% from $6.62 billion a year earlier. Settlements totaled $6.38 billion. Bankers said higher prices, particularly for petroleum products […]
The number of Bangladeshis injured in the Oct. 10 missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has risen to 27, Bangladesh’s embassy said in a report dated Sunday. Eleven injured people are expatriate workers and 16 are Umrah pilgrims. Twelve people with minor injuries were released after treatment, while 15 remained hospitalized. Four […]
Nine firefighting units were battling a blaze at Manzur Khan Plaza in Bangladesh’s Chawkbazar area Monday evening, with narrow lanes, heavy smoke, and water shortages hampering their work. The fire remained out of control more than four hours after it started, The Financial Express reported, citing bdnews24.com. Fire service control room duty officer Shahjahan Hossain […]
At least 17 people were killed and 1,227 injured in 183 incidents of political violence across Bangladesh from July through September, the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) said in a report released Monday. The group recorded 69 internal clashes within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which it said killed nine people and injured at least […]
About 298 to 303 children are living with incarcerated mothers in prisons across Bangladesh, according to a Department of Social Services report prepared for the High Court. The department said prison conditions are unsuitable for children’s long-term physical and mental development. It recommended placing children with close relatives through foster care or other family-based arrangements […]
Bangladesh’s dengue caseload reached 101,442 this year after 2,167 patients were admitted to hospitals in the 24 hours through Monday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Four more people died during the period, raising the 2026 death toll to 307. All four latest deaths occurred within Dhaka South City Corporation, the DGHS […]
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has signed agreements with 420 hospitals to provide affordable healthcare for its cleaners, administrator Md Abdus Salam said Monday in Bangladesh. He also announced a compensation program offering Tk400,000 (approximately $3,244) to families of workers who die while performing their duties, The Financial Express reported. Salam outlined the measures at […]
Import and export trade through Bangladesh’s Benapole crossing and India’s Petrapole port will be suspended Oct. 17-24 for Durga Puja, with operations scheduled to resume the morning of Oct. 25. Petrapole authorities informed their Bangladeshi counterparts in writing, The Business Standard reported Monday. Petrapole’s closure runs Oct. 17-21, while Bangladesh’s government holidays halt Benapole’s import-export […]
