Wasim Bin Habib

The acrid stench of charred wood and melted plastic still clung to the air as onlookers gathered around the Milestone School and College building in Uttara’s Diabari.

Toll may rise; around 170 injured, many critically; ISPR says ‘mechanical failure’ caused BAF training plane to plunge into Uttara school

The Asian Development Bank plans to provide $1 billion in budget support to advance Bangladesh’s banking sector reforms, contingent on 25 conditions including the creation of a financial stability fund for banks facing capital shortfalls.

The government has pledged a series of sweeping reforms to meet International Monetary Fund conditions for the next instalment of its $5.5 billion loan, including a public survey to measure corruption in tax administration and a phased reduction of subsidies on electricity, fertiliser, remittances and exports.

Bangladesh’s gross domestic product is projected to surpass the $500 billion mark for the first time in the upcoming fiscal year contingent upon exchange rate stability.

Standoff over Ishraque Hossain’s mayoral post halts civic services in half of Dhaka

The interim government is likely to introduce a transparent system for social safety net schemes in the upcoming budget, increasing the number of beneficiaries by around 10 lakh while slashing one-third of the existing programmes.

“Who will pick up the duck’s photo?” The moment Rafia Sonamoni posed the question to a group of 26 children, four eager hands shot up, accompanied by excited shouts of, “I will!”

The plan comes as $42.85b foreign funds remained unused at start of current FY

The BNP submitted its feedback yesterday. So far, 15 other parties have submitted theirs.

It has been seven months since the interim government took office. During this time, the caretaker administration has been working to revive the political process and strengthen state institutions. Meanwhile, participants in the July uprising have floated a new political party.

Culture adviser Farooki and Shilpakala chief Syed Jamil exchange barbs

With the interim government having completed its first six months in office, all eyes are now on the series of dialogues with political parties to reach a consensus on reforms to be carried out.

Four-year-old Ibrahim Islam was walking to his school in Kushtia town with his grandmother around 8:00am on Sunday. Perhaps his mind was buzzing with excitement, thinking about the games he would play with his friends.

Nahid Islam, adviser to the interim government, spoke with The Daily Star on the nation's key challenges and the way forward.

Seismic. That is perhaps the one word close enough to describe Bangladesh’s transformation in 2024.

The stage was all set. The Bangladesh Police Academy at Sardah was decked up for the year’s highlight. Another batch of assistant superintendents was about to pass out. Many of the guests and dignitaries had already arrived in Rajshahi the evening before. They would watch 62 ASPs — all BCS recruits — march in their passing-out parade.

For example, when the Dakar Declaration came in 2000, the country said it would spend 6 percent of GDP on education. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation recommends earmarking four to six percent of the GDP for the sector.

For instance, the outlay for the health sector was Tk 25,028 crore in 2021-22, representing 4.8 percent of the budget of Tk 518,188 crore. It was five percent in the previous fiscal year when the government spent Tk 21,647 crore under a Tk 460,160 crore budget.

Are the secondary schools and colleges open today? It is very likely that no one can answer this seemingly simple question with certainty.