Art and Culture
Editorial Views
Google Pay, the globally popular digital payment platform, is expected to officially launch in Bangladesh within the next month, according to Asif Mahmud Sojib Bhuiyan, Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The rumour that Faruk Ahmed may resign started gaining traction shortly after midnight on Wednesday and has since been rapidly spreading. While it remains unofficial, recent reports in local media suggest that this speculation may soon become a formal announcement. Whether that happens or not is a matter of time, but one thing is clear—the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is in a state of turmoil, and that instability is reflecting on the field as well.
Those who work with trends in the country’s sports arena regularly observe that in age-based international tournaments, our boys and girls compete in various sports in South Asia, and even further in Asian-level competitions, with equal emotion, courage, and confidence. This reflects that, just like in other fields, the youth of our country are not lagging behind those of other countries in sports either. This is significant. There is no alternative to ability and creativity.
It was 9:00 pm., and a light drizzle had begun. At the sound of a knock on the door, Shapla Begum stepped out of her house, still shaken and gripped by fear. Her young son, Shakil, had been forcibly taken from her and subjected to brutal abuse. The horrifying cries and pleas of her seven-year-old still haunt her.
Given the dire condition of the country’s education and healthcare sectors, it was expected that the interim government would play a significant role in providing allocation to these sectors. But the draft budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year reveals that allocations for both sectors are being reduced. According to the Planning Ministry’s draft ADP (Annual Development Programme), the education sector will receive Tk 28,557 crore for 91 projects in the upcoming fiscal year, whereas the original ADP for the current fiscal year allocated Tk 31,528 crore to this sector. This marks a reduction of nearly Tk 3,000 crore. Similarly, the allocation for the health sector is decreasing by Tk 2,500 crore.
A mother and father killed their own daughter in an attempt to frame the opposing party over a land dispute in Kurigram Sadar upazila on May 10, 2025. Late at night, with the help of the brother’s wife, the parents hacked their daughter Jannati Khatun, a ninth-grade student, to death using an iron rod and a machete, then left her body in a cornfield. To divert the case, they set fire to a haystack near the house. Exactly one year earlier, on February 8, 2024, an eight-year-old girl named Mariam was killed by her own mother and uncle for the same reason, a land dispute, at Ramballav village under Betagi Sankipur union of Dashmina upazila in Patuakhali. The mother, Rina Begum, dressed her daughter in new clothes and told her they were going to visit a neighbor’s house. Instead, she took her to an abandoned homestead next to their house, tied her mouth with a scarf, and the uncle beat her to death with a stick.
My strongest opinion regarding the establishment of women's equal rights is that to enjoy rights, one must fulfill duties. This is the rule. If a woman's status or the family's attitude towards her is not equal and respectful in society, the desire in women to fulfill their duties will not arise. If a woman is not regarded equal within the family, she will not develop self-confidence. The most urgent need for a woman is to acquire the ability and courage to make her own decisions. Without that, equal rights to property will only become a source of suffering for her.
For four days from May 7 to May 10, fear and panic prevailed for four days not only in the subcontinent, but also among people all over the world. During these four days, the missile, drone, and airstrikes exchanged between India and Pakistan brought the two nuclear-armed nations to the brink of a full-scale war. Despite the global panic, no mediator was seen between the two sides during the first three days after the war began. At that time, neither India nor Pakistan showed any sign of compromise in their body language. Amidst the war cry, a statement by US Vice President JD Vance further alarmed peace-loving people worldwide where he said, “The India-Pakistan war is not our business.”
Globally, it is recommended that national budgets allocate at least 20% or 6–8% of GDP to the education sector. However, in Bangladesh, education consistently receives less than what is necessary. Crafting a national budget for a densely populated country like ours, amid global economic uncertainty, is undoubtedly a complex task. It cannot be strictly guided by conventional economic rules. Education remains one of the most crucial sectors for the social, economic, moral, and intellectual development of a nation. It is directly tied to the awakening of citizens’ intellect, thought processes, strength, and sense of purpose. Unfortunately, the state continues to fall short in taking the necessary measures for the development of this vital sector.
The ambiguity, uncertainty, and tension building up in politics are not just a series of events—they form the portrait of the times. They reflect the deep-seated weaknesses, contradictions, and instability in our system of governance. Almost a year has passed since the change of government, yet we have failed to formulate a clear outline, timeline, or a responsible political narrative. Instead, a complex picture of uncertainty, irresponsibility, and opaque practices is becoming clear. Observing the sequence of events, many are saying that this is part of an invisible plan, the purpose of which is to muddy the waters and achieve personal interests. The reality is that some force is either trying to turn this muddy water into their playground or is a participant in this plan—is there any doubt about that? The government which was considered the most acceptable and powerful is now, even before completing 10 months, clearly showing signs of weakness. The lack of policy clarity, confusion in decision-making, and absence of political goodwill have raised public questions—is this government even aware of where it is heading?
The suicide of Dhrubajit Karmakar from Mymensingh Engineering College is not just the tragic news of a death, it reveals the cruel, dark mirror of our education system.
The first District Commissioners (DC) conference of the interim government holds significant importance in the current administrative context. This conference will involve discussions between the DCs and various ministries, where important directions will be given. In light of the changed political scenario, special policy decisions and administrative directions are expected to emerge from this conference.
It was 9:00 pm., and a light drizzle had begun. At the sound of a knock on the door, Shapla Begum stepped out of her house, still shaken and gripped by fear. Her young son, Shakil, had been forcibly taken from her and subjected to brutal abuse. The horrifying cries and pleas of her seven-year-old still haunt her.
In the Bengali calendar, the months of Asharh and Shraban mark the monsoon season. This season begins with the entry of the southwest monsoon winds into Bangladesh. However, due to the active presence of La Niña, the southwest monsoon is set to arrive earlier than usual this year. By the first week of June, the monsoon is expected to spread across the country—a phenomenon that hasn’t occurred in the past 25 years. The last instance of early monsoon in Bangladesh was in the year 2000.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, M. Riaz Hamidullah, on Thursday formally presented his credentials to Indian President Droupadi Murmu.
A federal appeals court in the USA has ruled that President Donald Trump can keep collecting import taxes for now.
At least 21 people were killed in north central Nigeria on Thursday (May 29) when their homes were destroyed by heavy rains and nearly a dozen were missing, reports Reuters.
France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, said the country's health and family minister Catherine Vautrin, reports BBC.
There is no alternative to uninterrupted information technology (IT) services for business growth in product or service sectors. Therefore, ‘Servicing24’, one of the fastest-growing and leading third-party maintenance companies in Bangladesh, has introduced a state-of-the-art and integrated InfraStack Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) solution.
Google Pay, the globally popular digital payment platform, is expected to officially launch in Bangladesh within the next month, according to Asif Mahmud Sojib Bhuiyan, Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Recently, Meghna Bank PLC has signed an agreement for its 2nd Subordinated Bond worth BDT 400 crore with BRAC EPL Investment Limited, who is acting as the sole arranger of the issuance. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of senior officials from both organizations.
We were growing weary watching the political unrest. Anxiety, fear, and terror were becoming normal to us. We saw how brutally the ruling powers could carry out massacres just to hold onto control. We were shocked at the sight of corpse upon corpse. We saw how the reins of a nation could pass from one tyrant to another. We witnessed how people, under the guise of patriotism, turned into traitors. We saw how they placed their hands on holy scriptures and told despicable lies. We saw how the plundering class looted billions and billions without consequence.
Had he been alive, he would have turned 82-year-old youth this February 12. I say "youth" because, in spirit, he remained ever youthful. He had a deep curiosity and interest in everything around him; he observed the world with the delight of seeing it for the first time. So, it can rightly be said that age never weighed him down—he was vibrant, fresh, and even when he was on the verge of death at 54 due to cancer, he did not give up.
