China warns citizens, students about travel in United States amid trade clash
Amid the spiralling trade war with the United States, China has issued a travel advisory warning its citizens about visiting the US and also cautioned students intending to study there about potential security risks. China’s Ministry of Education also issued a directive warning Chinese students about studying in the United States. The advisory referenced a recent bill in the US state of Ohio concerning educational exchange and cooperation programs between China and the US. The warning was made after China announced it would respond with an additional 50 percent tariff on all US goods coming into the nation in response to tariffs by the United States that took effect Wednesday. Since then, the trade conflict between China and the US has only intensified.
Source:bd News24
April 10, 2025 19:34 UTC
BCS: Viva of written exam candidates deferred
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has suspended the oral tests, also known as viva voce, of the 44th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations for those who are also candidates for the 46th BCS written test.The commission said the viva voce would be held later at a "convenient time".Masuma Afrin, controller of examinations (cadre) at PSC, told bdnews24.com on Thursday afternoon, "If the candidates who are to sit for the 46th BCS written exam are scheduled to take the viva for the 44th BCS, they will apply to us. We will suspend their viva for the time being and take it later at a convenient time. "In an earlier a message, the Press Information Department also echoed the agency's statement.For the last several days, a group of candidates have been protesting outside the PSC demanding the 46th BCS written test be held after the completion of the 44th BCS oral examination.However, the protesters were not allowed to demonstrate outside the commission from Thursday afternoon.�"bdnews24.com
Source:bd News24
April 10, 2025 19:32 UTC
Foreign debt slips slightly in 3 months
Bangladesh's foreign debt has edged down in the past three months.According to newly released data from Bangladesh Bank on Thursday, the country's total external debt stood at $103.63 billion at the end of December 2024.The local currency equivalent, based on an exchange rate of Tk 122 to the dollar, places the debt burden at roughly Tk 12.64 trillion.The government accounted for the lion's share of the debt, holding $84.21 billion as of December. The private sector carried $19.42 billion.Long-term debt taken by both the public and private sectors comprised 87.54 percent of the total, or $90.69 billion. �"bdnews24.com
Source:bd News24
April 10, 2025 17:46 UTC
BB dissolves ICB Islamic Bank board; appoints Mazibur Rahman as MD
Bangladesh Bank (BB) has dissolved the board of ICB Islamic Bank.Mazibur Rahman, Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank, has been appointed to the board of directors and as Managing Director (MD) of the bank.Arif Hossain Khan, a spokesperson and executive director of the central bank, confirmed the matter to bdnews24.com.Arif said, "The central bank has given the responsibility of the board of directors as well as managing director of the bank to Mazibur Rahman in the interests of the depositors and the bank itself to ensure good governance. "The central bank dissolved the ICB Islamic Bank's board on Wednesday, he added.Arif said that serious irregularities have taken place in the management of ICB Islamic Bank. Bangladesh Bank has conducted an inquiry and prepared a report to this end. "The central bank changed ICB Islamic Bank's managing director in December 2024. "ICB Islamic Bank began its journey in Bangladesh in 1987 as Al-Baraka Bank.
Source:bd News24
April 10, 2025 15:49 UTC
Transshipment cancellation: India denies passage to 4 goods trucks
Benapole Land Port Deputy Director (Traffic) Mamun Kabir Tarafder said the trucks were sent back from the gate of the Indian land port on Wednesday evening. “The trucks carrying the goods belonged to Dhaka-based exporter DSV Air & Sea Limited. On Wednesday, however, India said that goods trucks already in Indian territory must also leave immediately. In light of this letter, transit facility goods have been prevented from entering Petrapole Port from Benapole Port.”Mamun Kabir said, "Petrapole customs did not issue cargo passes for any third-country goods due to the cancellation of the transshipment facility. So, they did not [allow passage] of four truckloads of goods brought for export to a third country yesterday [Tuesday]."
Source:bd News24
April 10, 2025 14:40 UTC
Bangladesh urges Saudi Arabia to expand labour recruitment amid passport crisis
Jahangir appealed to Al Duhailan to facilitate the recruitment of additional Bangladeshi workers during a courtesy meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday. According to a media statement from the ministry, Bangladesh hopes to increase the number of its nationals employed in Saudi Arabia from 3.2 million to 4.0 million. “Saudi Arabia is one of the most important partners in Bangladesh’s development,” Jahangir said, noting that more Bangladeshis are employed there than in any other single country. “Saudi Arabia has always stood by Bangladesh and will continue to do so,” he said. The meeting also addressed the status of approximately 69,000 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals residing in Saudi Arabia without valid passports.
Source:bd News24
April 10, 2025 04:25 UTC
Bangladeshi exporters explore alternatives as India ends use of ports for third-country shipments
This means Bangladesh can no longer use Indian ports or airports to export goods to third countries outside of those two landlocked neighbours. No new consignments, however, will be eligible for the transshipment facility moving forward. SEVEN SISTERS CONTROVERSYWith no specific reason provided in India's notification for the sudden cancellation of the transshipment facility, speculations have begun to arise. In response, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "The reason for the withdrawal of the transshipment facility has already been said. “It has been withdrawn because of the build-up of Indian goods and the slow pace.
Source:bd News24
April 10, 2025 03:05 UTC
ADB slashes Bangladesh’s growth forecast to 3.9pc
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised down Bangladesh’s GDP growth forecast to 3.9 percent for the fiscal year 2024-25, citing a combination of political instability, high inflation, and a decline in global demand. In its Asian Development Outlook for April, published on Tuesday, the ADB paints a cautious picture of the country’s economic trajectory as it navigates domestic challenges and global uncertainties. The latest projection, down from 5.1 percent in September, marks the slowest growth rate since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the country’s large labour force and strong export record, FDI inflows remain low compared to other economies in the region. ADB analysts emphasised that reforms to simplify business regulations, enhance transparency, and strengthen governance were crucial to restoring macroeconomic stability and sustaining long-term growth.
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 21:52 UTC
HSC candidates get another chance to fill out exam forms from Apr 13
Students who missed the original deadline to submit the HSC exam registration form have been given another opportunity to complete the process.In a notice issued on Wednesday, the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board said these students can fill out the forms between April 13-21. They will have until April 22 to pay the registration fees.The board also urged schools to ensure that all eligible students complete their forms within the extended window.The HSC form fill-up process originally began on Mar 2. Students could submit forms without a late fee until Mar 10, and with a late fee of Tk 100 until Mar 17. The deadline for payments was Mar 18.On Mar 22, Prof SM Kamal Uddin Haider, exam controller of the Dhaka board and convenor of the Inter-Education Board Examination Controllers' Committee, had indicated that students who missed out on submitting the forms would be given another opportunity to register.�"bdnews24.com
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 18:29 UTC
Woman raped, killed in Ctg
CHATTOGRAM, Apr 9: A woman has been raped and killed and her maternal grandparents have been seriously injured during an attack in Chattogram.The incident occurred in the Dakshin Gachh Baria Nayapara area on Chandnaish Upazila on Wednesday morning.The woman was identified as 18-year-old Arzu Akter, the daughter of Anwar Hossain from Chandnaish's Kanchannagar.Arzu went to visit her maternal grandparents, said Chattogram Additional Superintendent of Police Md Rasel.Nazim, a young man Arzu referred to as "uncle", raped her when she went to the washroom at night.When Anzu's grandparents attempted to block him, Nazim slit their throats and fled the scene, leaving them injured. Police recovered the body from the washroom and sent her grandparents to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for treatment when the incident was reported.The suspect Nazim is a cousin of Arzu's mother, said ASP Rasel.�"bdnews24.com
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 18:21 UTC
Edn ministry appoints dead teachers as college principals
The Ministry of Education has come under fire after appointing two teachers -- both dead for over a year -- as principals of government colleges. Among those listed were two teachers who had passed away over a year ago.Prof Mohammad Jamal Uddin, a physics teacher at Kurigram Government College, was appointed principal of Mir Ismail Hossain College in Kurigram. Prof Md Abdul Muttalib, who taught history at Carmichael College in Rangpur, was named principal of Pirgacha College in the same district.Both teachers had died more than a year before the appointments.Prof Md Ataul Haque Khan Chowdhury, acting principal of Kurigram Government College, confirmed that Prof Jamal Uddin died on Apr 12, 2023. "Prof Jamal Uddin was also the father of Fairuz Sadaf Abontika, a law student at Jagannath University who took her own life in March 2023. He had posted about her death on Facebook shortly before his own.His widow, Tahmina Begum, was stunned to learn of the posthumous appointment.
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 18:00 UTC
UK firms offer $50m to support Bangladesh’s ‘stolen asset’ recovery
During the five-day visit, Governor Mansur, who also heads the asset recovery task force, met with several government and private organisations in the UK. UK-based organisations expressed interest in supporting Bangladesh’s recovery efforts and suggested that sanctions could be considered against the launderers if necessary. A key event of the visit was the Bangladesh Asset Recovery Seminar on Mar 19, which brought together around 100 participants from 30 firms, including prominent law firms and forensic experts. He also met representatives of two UK-based strategic communication firms to discuss how Bangladesh could present its recovery efforts more effectively to the global audience. The statement said Bangladesh will receive technical assistance from the World Bank’s Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative and the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR), with a draft terms of reference expected in April.
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 15:28 UTC
India ends transshipment facility for Bangladeshi exports to third countries
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) announced the decision on Tuesday with immediate effect, the Indian Express reports. The move comes shortly after Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus suggested that China's economic reach should extend into India's strategically important, landlocked northeast region -- a comment that has drawn scrutiny in India. During his four-day visit to China from Mar 26 to 29, Yunus described Northeast India as “landlocked” and referred to Dhaka as “the only guardian of the ocean for the entire region”. He told the Indian Express, “Bangladesh’s plans to establish a strategic base near the Chicken’s Neck area with China’s assistance may have prompted this action. With its withdrawal, Bangladeshi exporters are expected to encounter logistical bottlenecks, higher transportation costs, and overall increased uncertainty.
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 11:52 UTC
ADB slashes Bangladesh’s growth forecast to 3.9% amid political and economic headwinds
It expects Bangladesh’s economy to rebound to 5.1 percent in FY26The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised down Bangladesh’s GDP growth forecast to 3.9 percent for the fiscal year 2024-25, citing a combination of political instability, high inflation, and a decline in global demand. In its Asian Development Outlook for April, published on Tuesday, the ADB paints a cautious picture of the country’s economic trajectory as it navigates domestic challenges and global uncertainties. The latest projection, down from 5.1 percent in September, marks the slowest growth rate since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the country’s large labour force and strong export record, FDI inflows remain low compared to other economies in the region. ADB analysts emphasised that reforms to simplify business regulations, enhance transparency, and strengthen governance were crucial to restoring macroeconomic stability and sustaining long-term growth.
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 07:32 UTC
Deadline for stock market investment fund extended until Dec 31, 2026
Bangladesh Bank has stretched the deadline for its special fund set up to support stock market investments by banks, pushing the fund's validity until Dec 31, 2026. This initiative was introduced in February 2020 with a five-year term to encourage long-term investment in the capital market. The fund was primarily established as part of a long-term plan to stabilise the stock market by offering banks special liquidity and policy support. According to the Bank Companies Act, banks can invest up to 25 per cent of their regulatory capital in the stock market. This includes investments in shares, debentures, corporate bonds, mutual fund units, and other securities traded on the stock exchange.
Source:bd News24
April 09, 2025 06:28 UTC