Al Amin : Recent political unrest in Bangladesh has severely impacted its economy, with the government imposing curfews and suspending internet services nationwide. The e-commerce sector, a significant pillar of economic stability, has been hit hard, with losses estimated at hundreds of crores of taka per day. The e-commerce sector, which had seen rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, reported a turnover of over Tk 45,000 crore last year. The sector, despite facing some scandals, had been transacting between Tk...
Staff Reporter : Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has asserted that dissent opinions and peaceful movements to realize demands are constitutional rights, not crimes. The organization urged the government to learn from the crisis and immediately accept all the legitimate demands of the students by ceasing repressive measures, abductions, and tortures. In a press release on Friday, the anti-corruption watchdog called upon the government to formulate a roadmap acceptable to the students by holding a dialogue with all stakeholders involved in...
Staff Reporter : Prices of vegetables, broiler chickens, and eggs in the capital’s kitchen markets are beginning to decline, but consumers feel they have not dropped enough to provide real relief yet. Traders said the supply of essential items is improving as road connectivity between Dhaka and the rest of the country gradually normalises. “During the movement, going to the wholesale market to buy products was quite challenging, which resulted in a reduced supply of vegetables across Dhaka. Now, things...
Anadolu Agency : Bangladesh announced that a curfew will continue Friday and Saturday with a nine-hour pause amid an intensified crackdown against those involved in violence during student protests. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan made an announcement at a news conference early Friday after meeting with law enforcement that the curfew, which came into effect last Saturday, will continue in Dhaka and three other cities. There will be a pause in the curfew from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in those...
Staff Reporter : The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, has issued a stern warning to the government, asserting that the people will hold it accountable for the killings carried out using helicopters bought with state funds. In a statement released on Friday, Alamgir voiced his alarm over the arrest, oppression, and torture of ordinary citizens in the aftermath of the nationwide violence that erupted around the student-led movement demanding quota reforms. “The government...
Staff Reporter : The international community, including the United Nations and the British Parliament, has expressed strong concern over the violence and clashes resulting from the quota reform movement, exerting significant global pressure on Bangladesh. Many global bodies are calling for fair and independent probes into the violence and the publication of findings to clarify what occurred. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk on Thursday called on the Bangladesh government to urgently disclose full details about last week’s crackdown on...
Staff Reporter : Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) on Friday demanded the formation of a commission comprising neutral persons and experts to investigate each killing during the countrywide violence centered on the quota reform movement. Shujan, a civil society platform, issued a statement signed by its President M. Hafizuddin Khan and Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, also demanding the punishment of those involved in these incidents. “We are deeply concerned by the ongoing deadlock caused by the students’ protest to reform the...
Staff Reporter : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused BNP-Jamaat activists of orchestrating widespread chaos to undermine the country’s progress and tarnish its international reputation. She called on citizens to help identify and bring the culprits to justice. “They, who are involved in such incidents, must be identified by searching every nook and cranny of the country,” she said after inspecting the damage at BTV Bhaban in Rampura, Dhaka, where a violent rampage occurred on Thursday. The Prime Minister recounted the...
Staff Reporter : The country’s export-oriented readymade garment (RMG) industry has faced losses worth over Tk 6,500 crore due to factory closures caused by the recent unrest. From July 18 to July 23, all RMG factories and export-import activities were halted due to clashes between law enforcement agencies and anti-quota protesters. The turmoil led to the deaths of more than 200 people. Apparel exporters reported potential losses of Tk 1,000 crore from late shipment discounts demanded by buyers and the...
Staff Reporter : Six people, including a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader, have been arrested in connection with the killing of two police officers in Dhaka during the quota reform movement. At a press briefing held at the DMP Media Centre on Friday, Additional Commissioner Harunor Rashid, Chief of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), announced the arrests. A team from the DB’s Cyber and Special Crime (South) unit apprehended six individuals, including Demra Chhatra Dal Convener Masud...
UNB : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the people of the country must come forward to ensure that the perpetrators of the recent countrywide carnage face trial and get punishment. “They (people of the country) have to try these culprits, I am seeking justice from them,” she said after visiting the vandalised metro rail station at Mirpur-10 in the morning. She said that everyone involved in metro rail construction is now tears witnessing such destruction. “Why did they...
Staff Reporter : The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) are actively working to prevent those involved in sabotaging the quota reform movement from leaving Dhaka, according to DMP Joint Commissioner (Operation) Bilpab Kumar Sarkar. Speaking from his office on Thursday afternoon, Sarkar revealed that the police have received information implicating the BNP-Jamaat alliance in the sabotage efforts. “The wave of development initiated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been selectively attacked by these saboteurs,” Sarkar stated. He highlighted that terrorists targeted...