Cold wave easing in northern BD as temperature rises
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has forecast that a slight rise in temperature may ease the mild cold wave currently sweeping across the northern districts of Bangladesh, reports bdnews24.com. The 72-hour forecast, issued at 9am on Saturday, indicates that the mild cold wave sweeping through Panchagarh, Kurigram, Kushtia, and Jashore may gradually subside. Over the past 24 hours, the lowest temperature was recorded at 8.2 degrees Celsius in Panchagarh's Tentulia, while Teknaf registered the highest temperature at 29.2 degrees Celsius. The mild cold wave in southern districts like Gopalganj and eastern districts like Moulvibazar is also expected to ease. Typically, a mild cold wave is classified when temperatures range between 8.1 and 10 degrees Celsius.
Source:bd News24
January 12, 2025 06:03 UTC
TikTok warns of broad consequences if Supreme Court allows ban
Noel Francisco, representing TikTok and ByteDance, argued that Supreme Court endorsement of this law could enable statutes targeting other companies on similar grounds. TikTok is a platform used by about 170 million people in the United States, roughly half the country's population. Jeffrey Fisher, the lawyer representing TikTok content creators who also have challenged the law, noted during the Supreme Court arguments that Congress with this measure was focusing on TikTok and not major Chinese online retailers including Temu. If the ban takes affect on Jan 19, Apple and Alphabet's Google would no longer be able to offer TikTok for downloads for new users but existing users could still access the app. The Supreme Court also debated whether the possibility of TikTok being used for covert influence campaigns or propaganda purposes by China justified the banning it.
Source:bd News24
January 12, 2025 02:43 UTC
Iran holding war games as it faces Israel tensions, Trump's return
REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerIranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerIran was holding air defence exercises on Saturday, state media reported, as the country braces for more friction with arch-enemy Israel and the United States under incoming U.S. president Donald Trump. The war games take place as Iranian leaders face the risk that Trump could empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran's nuclear sites, while further tightening U.S. sanctions on its oil industry through his "maximum pressure" policy. "In these exercises,...defence systems will practice the fight against air, missile and electronic warfare threats in real battlefield conditions... to protect the country's skies and sensitive and vital areas," Iranian state television said. Iran has recently suffered setbacks in Lebanon after Israeli attacks against Iranian-backed Hezbollah and the toppling of Tehran's ally President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria last month.
Source:bd News24
January 12, 2025 01:05 UTC
Five months on, political parties pile pressure on interim government to call genreal elections
He also said there will be another round of dialogue with political parties after receiving the report from the reform commission. If political parties do not demand substantial reforms, the government is expected to hold elections by the end of the year. The following day, Advisor Mahfuj Alam said the government would consult political parties to determine the path forward. He added that after receiving the reform commission's reports, the date for the elections would be determined after consulting all political parties. On that day, the chief election commissioner said: "We have started working for the national election from the very first day.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 22:40 UTC
'UK Labour Party considering candidates to replace Tulip Siddiq'
Senior allies of UK PM Sir Keir Starmer are considering candidates to replace Tulip Siddiq, niece of deposed Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in case she is forced to quit over links to her aunt’s regime, reports UK publication The Times. Candidates are said to have been identified to succeed the Treasury minister over the weekend, before Monday’s public announcement that Tulip had referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog. Starmer said he had full confidence in Tulip, and a No 10 spokesman said it was “completely untrue” to suggest the party had drawn up a shortlist. However, The Times reported that some of the close aides to the prime minister were at least informally considering who could succeed her. A spokesman for Tulip said it was “categorically wrong” to suggest the properties were linked to her support for the Awami League.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 18:14 UTC
Trump's Middle East envoy meets Netanyahu on Saturday amid ceasefire push
American business person Steve Witkoff makes remarks next to US President-elect Donald Trump, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US Jan 7, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaAmerican business person Steve Witkoff makes remarks next to US President-elect Donald Trump, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US Jan 7, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaUS President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday amid a push to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, Netanyahu's office said. Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Netanyahu's decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a "historic opportunity." One of the two strikes killed three people in a house near the Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 16:00 UTC
Lebanon says will work with Syria to strengthen borders
Both sides agree to establish committees to provide supportLebanon says will work with Syria to strengthen bordersLebanon and Syria will work together to secure their land borders, as well as to delineate both land and sea borders, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday in Damascus. In the first trip by a Lebanese prime minister to neighboring Syria in 15 years, Mikati addressed a joint news conference in Damscus with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa said they had discussed issues including smuggling between the two countries, border challenges, and Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks. Both sides agreed to establish committees to address these matters and provide support.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 13:39 UTC
Hopes of ‘Minus Two’ will never be fulfilled: BNP's Khosru
BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has dismissed calls for the so-called "Minus Two" formula and defended his party's resilience, asserting that it remains a dominant political force in Bangladesh. “The popular BNP cannot be wiped out with fabricated theories of depoliticisation,” Khosru said. “If someone is making fabricated statements about depoliticisation or Minus Two, then it is their problem. The most popular party is the BNP, the most popular leaders [are Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman].”"Bangladesh is waiting for them, and will keep doing so. The period was marked by heightened discussions of political reform, with proposals emerging to reshape the nation’s political landscape.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 12:06 UTC
National Citizens’ Committee demands withdrawal of VAT hikes on over 100 essential items
The committee also urged the government to resume the discontinued process of selling subsidised goods via trucks through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, or TCB. Speaking at a press conference at the committee's central office in Dhaka’s Banglamotor on Saturday, Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain announced the demands. On Jan 10, the interim government issued two ordinances raising VAT and supplementary duties on essential goods and services, including medicine, LPG, powdered milk, and mobile SIM use. Akhtar said, "Recently, the government issued two ordinances to increase VAT and supplementary duties on over a hundred goods and services to boost revenue. The National Citizens’ Committee made two demands - the immediate withdrawal of the VAT and supplementary duty ordinances and the resumption of TCB’s truck sales.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 10:39 UTC
Release of roadmap will boost investor confidence, hopes foreign advisor
"When someone sees political uncertainty, they are not encouraged to come and invest,” he said. "That is why a difficult task lies ahead of us and we hope a roadmap will be released very soon. The advisor said: "There are foreign investors - including NRBs – who will invest their personal funds. Then the investment environment will improve further and investment will come in. We are trying to protect people from this kind of harassment as much as possible and to punish those responsible for it.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 09:29 UTC
Dhaka air quality fourth worst among world’s cities
Dhaka has recorded the worst air quality of the winter season so far on Saturday, with the Air Quality Index, or the AQI, recorded by international air quality tech company IQAir at the “very unhealthy” level, even on the weekend. At 11am on Saturday, IQAir said Dhaka’s AQI stood at 198, ranking fourth worst in the world in terms of air pollution. Keeping Dhaka’s air quality score within 200 during winter is the biggest challenge, said Ziaul Haque, director (air quality management) of the Department of Environment. The agency's website has made an announcement regarding the “very unhealthy” air, saying that the air quality in Dhaka and its surrounding districts is occasionally going from “very unhealthy” to “hazardous”. The air quality in Dhaka and across the country deteriorates during the winter, which is also the dry season.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 07:42 UTC
Two die as speedboat crashes into freight vessel in Munshiganj
Two people have been killed and another person injured after a collision between a speedboat and a freight vessel on the Meghna River in Munshiganj’s Gajaria. The accident occurred around 9:30pm on Friday near Kalipura Dock, according to Anowar Alam Azad, chief of Gajaria Police Station. One of the dead has been identified as Wadud, who hailed from South Jamalpur village in Gajaria’s Guagachia union. Anowar said that a speeding speedboat rammed the freight vessel, which had been anchored in the river. Locals rescued the victims and brought them to the Gajaria Upazila Health Complex, where the doctor declared two dead.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 05:33 UTC
Bangladesh to skip 150-year celebration of India Meteorological Department
Bangladeshi officials will not attend the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), authorities have said, citing restrictions on non-essential foreign travel at government expense. Mominul Islam, the acting director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), on Friday confirmed receiving the invitation from the IMD a month ago, saying: “The India Meteorological Department invited us to their 150th anniversary celebrations. We maintain good relations and continue to collaborate with them.”“However, we are not going to the event as there is an obligation to limit non-essential foreign trips funded by the government,” Islam told bdnews24.com. He emphasised the regular contact between the two agencies, noting his recent visit to India on 20 December 2024, for a separate meeting with Indian meteorologists.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 05:04 UTC
Wall Street ends lower as blowout job data spooks traders
"We started the year on the wrong foot," said Sam Stovall, market strategist at CFRA Research, commenting on the impact of a hotter-than-expected job data on equities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 696.75 points, or 1.63%, to 41,938.45, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 91.21 points, or 1.54%, to 5,827.04 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lost 317.25 points, or 1.63%, to 19,161.63. Brokerages also revised their Fed rate cut forecasts, with BofA Global Research forecasting a potential rate hike. Most of the 11 S&P 500 sectors declined, except for the energy index .SPNY, which rose 0.34%. The S&P 500 posted 6 new 52-week highs and 32 new lows while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 39 new highs and 211 new lows.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 03:55 UTC
IMF chief sees steady world growth in 2025, continuing disinflation
REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal/File PhotoThe International Monetary Fund will forecast steady global growth and continuing disinflation when it releases an updated World Economic Outlook on Jan. 17, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters on Friday. Overall, interest rates were expected to stay "somewhat higher for quite some time," she said. The IMF will release an update to its global outlook on Jan 17, just days before Trump takes office. At the time, it left its forecast for 2024 global growth unchanged at the 3.2% projected in July, and lowered its global forecast for 3.2% growth in 2025 by one-tenth of a percentage point, warning that global medium-term growth would fade to 3.1% in five years, well below its pre-pandemic trend. Georgieva said it was "very unusual" that this uncertainty was expressed in higher long-term interest rates even though short-term interest rates had gone down, a trend not seen in recent history.
Source:bd News24
January 11, 2025 03:49 UTC