The government has formally requested a three-year deferment of Bangladesh’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category, sending a letter to the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP). According to officials at the Economic Relations Division (ERD), the letter, signed by ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiqui on Wednesday (18 February), was sent to the CDP under the ...

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has said the government is committed to building a country free from drugs, terrorism and juvenile gangs, drawing inspiration from the successful anti-cheating campaign in his constituency. Speaking to journalists on Friday afternoon (20 February) in Kachua upazila of Chandpur, the minister said initiatives would begin locally before being expanded nationwide. “Kachua will be ...

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the upcoming national budget will prioritise public welfare, shifting away from policies that benefit specific individuals or vested interest groups. Speaking to journalists at his residence in Chattogram on Friday, his first visit to the port city since assuming office, the minister said the government is committed to preparing a ...

The government has issued a gazette notification forming a 15-member ‘Cabinet Committee for Family Card Distribution’, aimed at providing protection to marginalised and low-income families. The Cabinet Division issued the notification on Friday (20 February), naming the Finance Minister as chairman of the committee. Other members include the Women and Children Affairs Minister, Social Welfare Minister, Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud ...

The rise in Britain’s youth unemployment rate to a 10-year high is posing tough questions for the country’s centre-left government about its policy of phasing out a lower minimum wage for younger workers. Official figures this week showed Britain’s jobless rate for people aged 16-24 rose to 16.1% in the final quarter of last year, up from 13.8% in the ...

Commerce, Industries, and Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has said that the government has adequate food stocks to maintain market stability during the holy month of Ramadan. Speaking to journalists on Friday morning after exchanging greetings with government officials and party leaders at Osmani International Airport, the minister emphasised that ensuring stable prices of essential commodities remains one ...

Eight backcountry skiers were confirmed killed and a ninth was presumed to have perished when their tour group was overtaken by a football-field-sized avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on Tuesday, in the deadliest US avalanche in 45 years, authorities said. Six survivors were rescued after search teams on skis fought through blinding snow, darkness, treacherous terrain and gale-force winds ...

King Charles’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was released from police custody on Thursday evening after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he sent confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 on Thursday, had been questioned all day by detectives from Thames Valley Police. Earlier this month, the police force said it was ...

Minister of Labour and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury on Thursday said that addressing the problems faced by expatriates will be his top priority. Speaking to reporters at Sylhet Osmani International Airport in the afternoon after arriving in the city for the first time since taking oath as a minister, he said he had already ...

Bangladeshi women’s national footballer Anika Rania Siddiqui was celebrated on Thursday as a shining example of talent connecting Bangladesh and Sweden. The event, which highlighted the importance of supporting women in sport, saw Hanna Norell, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, join the celebrations. Norell even took to the pitch herself, kicking the ball alongside ...