The death of Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday, December 30, is an irreparable loss to the nation at a moment when it is at a critical juncture. In fact, this is no eulogy to her memory to say that Khaleda Zia was the first elected female prime minister of the country or that she was elected prime minist
The people of Bangladesh, who practically remained disenfranchised for more than one and a half decades under the ruthlessly autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina, could finally cast their ballots last Thursday (February 12, 2026) to elect the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (legislature). Notably, Sheikh Hasina
The signing of a trade deal with the United States at the fag-end of the interim government's tenure has understandably raised many eyebrows, particularly because of its non-disclosure clauses. The limited information released so far suggests a mixed picture-one that promises new opportunities but
As the country goes to the world's first Generation Z or Gen Z-influenced polls today, the people are both hopeful and apprehensive of the tidings of the day. The nation is not at peace with itself and the interim government has not particularly helped the cause. There have been a number of politic
Despite some positive forecasts made by the multilateral lender, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in April last that inflation rate in Bangladesh might decline to 8.0 per cent in the fiscal year, 2025-26, things did not turn out that way. The ADB's positive outlook might have emerged from the fact
The report that the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and the Petrobangla, two government-owned statutory corporations, have defaulted on payment of import duty and taxes to the tune of Tk 330 billion is highly disconcerting. Responsible for the bulk of the energy import, the Petrobangla has a
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Bangladesh and Japan is significant not only because it marks Dhaka's first such deal with any country, but also because it offers a blueprint for trade diplomacy in the run-up to the LDC graduation. It appears that Bangladesh has managed to negotiat
The temporary break in the Chattogram port strike that came after six full days of disruption did little to ease tensions. Port workers have flat-out warned that operations may be shut down again as early as tomorrow unless the government scraps the deal with DP World for the New Mooring Container
A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between the European Union (EU) and India a week back and the reduction of US reciprocal tariff on India from 50 per cent to only 18 per cent have evidently heightened concerns in Bangladesh about safeguarding its trade preferences in the two major export markets
The statement by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed that the interim government is leaving the country's economy in a stable position does not entirely sound like rhetoric, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the looming collapse from which the economy has managed to recover over the pa
