Bangladesh

DHAKA, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Bangladesh raised fuel prices by around 50% on Saturday, a move that will trim the country's subsidy burden but put more pressure on inflation that is already running above 7%.

The South Asian country's $416 billion economy has been one of the fastest-growing in the world for years.

However, soaring energy and food prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war have inflated its import bill, forcing the government to seek loans from global agencies, including the International Monetary Fund.

DHAKA, Jul 13 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves, yesterday fell below 40 billion U.S. dollars, for the first time in two years, weighed by higher import bills and the taka’s weakness, driven by the dollar’s broad surge in recent months.

The country settled import payments worth 1.99 billion dollars with the ACU (Asian Clearing Union) last week. After the payments, Bangladesh’s forex reserves slumped to 39.80 billion dollars yesterday, for the first time in about two years.

DHAKA, Jun 26 (NNN-BSS) – Floods, triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of rivers in Bangladesh, have killed 82 people since last month, authorities said.

According to the daily flood report of the Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room, most victims drowned, but some died of snake bites, lightning strikes and other reasons, in the flood-hit areas between, May 17 and Jun 25 (yesterday).

At least nine deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Floods in Bangladesh continued to wreak havoc Monday with authorities struggling to ferry drinking water and dry food to flood shelters across the country’s vast northern and northeastern regions, officials and local media said.

More than a dozen people died across the country since the monsoon began last week, authorities said. The government called in soldiers Friday to help evacuate people.

Ekattor TV station said millions remained without electricity.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — At least 18 people have died as massive floods ravaged northeastern India and Bangladesh, leaving millions of homes underwater and severing transport links, authorities said Saturday.

In India’s Assam state, at least nine people were killed in the floods and 2 million saw their homes submerged, according to the state disaster management agency.

Lightning in parts of neighboring Bangladesh meanwhile killed nine people on Friday.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of people marched in Bangladesh’s capital on Thursday to demand the governments of Bangladesh and India officially condemn comments by two Indian governing party officials deemed derogatory to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

The march began at the country’s main Baitul Mukarram Mosque but was blocked by police as it headed toward India’s Embassy, a few kilometers (miles) away.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of people marched in Bangladesh’s capital and in parts of India on Friday to urge Muslim-majority nations to cut ties with India and boycott its products unless it punishes two governing party officials for comments deemed derogatory to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

The protesters in Dhaka also criticized their country’s government for not publicly condemning the comments made last week by the two officials in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party.

DHAKA, May 6 (NNN-BSS) – In a spirit of friendship and good neighbourly relations, Bangladesh yesterday sent emergency medical supplies to Sri Lanka.

At a token handover ceremony, held at the State Guest House Padma here, yesterday, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister, Zahid Maleque, handed over a few boxes of medicines to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Sudharshan D.S. Seneviratne.

DHAKA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Monday slammed the U.S. sanctions on officials of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) over alleged rights abuse, saying the move was "very condemnable act".

She said the elite force has immensely contributed to the country's efforts in containing militancy and terrorism.

Hasina said Bangladesh takes legal action against any law enforcement agency members including those from RAB if they are found involved in any criminal act.

DHAKA, March 20 (Reuters) - At least five people died and dozens went missing after a small ferry packed with passengers collided with a cargo vessel and sank on Sunday on the Shitalakhsya River in central Bangladesh, the latest waterway tragedy to hit the nation.

Five bodies have been recovered after the ferry sank as it departed from the industrial district of Narayanganj, about 20 km (12.43 miles) from the capital Dhaka, to Munshiganj, said local police official Mohammad Moniruzzaman.