RELIANCE

RIYADH, September 24, 2026 — Saudi authorities have lifted emergency warnings issued earlier in five areas of the kingdom, including Mecca, Taif, Tabuk, Jeddah and the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, after declaring that the reported danger had passed. The Saudi Civil Defense said on Thursday that the alerts, issued through the National Early Warning Platform, had been withdrawn after conditions returned to normal. Residents were nevertheless urged to continue following official safety instructions and to remain alert. The warnings had referred only to a “potential danger” and did not specify the nature of the threat. Authorities also did not report any casualties or damage in connection with the alerts. Civil Defense separately advised residents to avoid gathering unnecessarily at incident sites or other potentially hazardous locations. People were also asked not to photograph or record video at such sites, reflecting the authorities’ emphasis on public safety and orderly response durin...

NEW DELHI — India’s Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has given Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar 48 hours to resign , warning that it will launch a nationwide protest if he refuses to step down. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke issued the ultimatum at a news conference in New Delhi on Thursday, amid growing political and public scrutiny of the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls and its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Dipke accused the Election Commission of undermining voters’ rights and questioned the conduct of the poll panel under Kumar’s leadership. He said the proposed nationwide protests would follow the pattern of an earlier demonstration organised by the party at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in June. “We believe the Chief Election Commissioner should resign to ensure free and fair elections,” Dipke said, according to reports of the news conference. Dispute over voter-roll revision At the centre of the controversy is the Election Commission’s SIR prog...

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh's Public Service Commission (PSC) has announced the 51st Special Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Examination 2026 , opening recruitment for 5,000 positions in the health cadre . The recruitment drive will include 4,700 posts for assistant surgeons and 300 posts for assistant dental surgeons , according to a notice signed on Wednesday by Masuma Afrin, Controller of Examinations (Cadre) at the PSC. The special examination is being held to fill vacant positions in the government health service and strengthen the country's medical workforce. Applications open on October 1 According to the PSC notice, applicants must be between 21 and 32 years of age as of September 1, 2026 to be eligible for the examination. Online applications will open on October 1 and remain open until October 25 . Candidates will have until 6pm on October 28 to pay the required examination fee. The total application fee, including the service charge, has been set at Tk 205 . ...

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh Bank has given the initial go-ahead to four proposed digital banks, marking another step in the country's effort to expand technology-driven banking services and reduce reliance on conventional branch-based operations. The central bank's board decided on Thursday to issue Letters of Intent (LoIs) to four applicants: bKash Digital Bank, Boost Digital Bank backed by Robi Axiata, DK Digital Bank backed by Bhutan's DK Bank, and Nova Digital Bank, a venture involving Banglalink and Square . The meeting was chaired by Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman . An LoI represents an initial regulatory approval rather than a final banking licence. Under Bangladesh Bank's digital-bank guidelines, an applicant receiving an LoI must meet specified conditions and regulatory requirements before it can obtain a full licence and commence operations. 12 applicants in the latest round Bangladesh Bank received applications from 12 entities seeking to e...

MANIKGANJ, Bangladesh — The sale of tobacco and tobacco-related products within 100 metres of educational institutions has been prohibited, with authorities in Manikganj announcing plans for mobile court operations to enforce the restriction. The decision was disclosed at a quarterly meeting of the district-level task force on implementation of tobacco-control laws, held at the Deputy Commissioner's conference room on Thursday afternoon. Officials at the meeting said shops and other sales points operating within the designated 100-metre zone around educational institutions would not be allowed to sell tobacco products. Violations would constitute a punishable offence under the country's tobacco-control legislation. The district administration is expected to launch mobile court drives shortly to identify violations and take legal action against those found selling tobacco products in restricted areas. 11 Mobile Court Drives Conducted According to information presented at the me...

For millions of people, the day begins with a cup of tea or coffee. But new research suggests that how hot the drink is when consumed may matter for health, particularly when it comes to the risk of a common form of esophageal cancer. Researchers analysed health data from nearly one million adults in the United Kingdom and found that people who preferred to drink tea or coffee “very hot” had an approximately threefold higher risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), compared with those who consumed the beverages at lower temperatures. The study was published on September 8 in the International Journal of Cancer. Temperature may matter as much as consumption The health effects of tea and coffee are often discussed in terms of how much people consume. The new findings suggest that temperature may also deserve attention. The researchers found an association between drinking six or more hot beverages a day and an increased risk of esophageal SCC. One possible explanation...

DHAKA — Banks across Bangladesh will keep relevant branches open on Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26 , to facilitate payments for Hajj registration, according to a directive issued by Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday. The central bank issued the instruction following a request from the Ministry of Religious Affairs dated September 20. Under the directive, branches of banks authorised to collect Hajj registration payments must remain open on both days to receive deposits from prospective pilgrims. Bangladesh Bank also instructed the concerned banks to continue accepting payments beyond regular banking hours if a Hajj applicant arrives before the branch closes its service. Banks must ensure adequate security and complete the payment process for applicants who remain at the branch after normal banking hours. The special banking arrangement has been introduced to ensure that prospective pilgrims can complete their registration payments within the stipulated period without disruption. ...

DHAKA — Bangladesh’s growing dependence on imported cotton yarn is putting pressure on the country’s domestic spinning industry, with local manufacturers warning that a substantial portion of their production capacity remains idle despite billions of dollars invested in the sector. Imports of cotton yarn in the 10-to-30-count range have nearly doubled in two years, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce’s Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA). Shipments rose from 350.8 million kilograms in fiscal 2022-23 to 697.1 million kilograms in fiscal 2024-25 . The value of those imports in 2024-25 was approximately Tk 267 billion . Industry representatives say the surge has come at a time when many domestic spinning mills are operating well below capacity, raising concerns about the sustainability of Bangladesh’s textile supply chain and the viability of investments made in local production. Imports surge as local capacity remains underused Total yarn import payments reached nea...

DHAKA — Bangladesh remains heavily dependent on basic garments even as global demand and trade in higher-value and specialised apparel continue to expand, highlighting the need for greater product diversification in the country's export-oriented clothing industry. An analysis of export data from Bangladesh's Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and global trade statistics compiled by the International Trade Centre (ITC) shows that roughly 77% of Bangladesh's garment exports in 2025 came from basic categories such as bottomwear, T-shirts, sweaters, innerwear, children's clothing and small accessories. Globally, those categories accounted for about 61.58% of total apparel exports during the same period. Bangladesh exported garments worth approximately $38.83 billion in 2025, compared with global apparel exports of around $426 billion . Bottomwear dominates Bangladesh's export basket Bottomwear — including trousers, shorts and skirts — was the single largest category in B...

International Desk: Gold prices fell sharply in global markets on Wednesday as a stronger U.S. dollar and expectations of a tighter monetary policy stance from the Federal Reserve weighed on investor sentiment. Spot gold was down 0.9% at $4,316.78 an ounce at around 2:47 p.m. Bangladesh time. U.S. gold futures for December delivery fell 0.5% to $4,354 an ounce. The decline came as investors assessed the outlook for U.S. interest rates and the broader implications for the dollar and bond yields. Higher interest rates generally reduce the appeal of gold, which does not generate interest or other regular income. Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said gold was currently trading within a range of about $4,300 to $4,400 an ounce. He said comments from Federal Reserve officials, U.S. interest rates, bond yields and their impact on the dollar, along with movements in oil prices, were playing an important role in short-term investment decisions. Fed policy remains in focus T...

TANGAIL, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s anti-graft agency has launched an investigation into allegations that bamboo was used in place of steel reinforcement during construction of a footpath slab on a bridge being built at a cost of more than Tk 100 million ($830,000) in Tangail’s Basail upazila. A team from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) inspected the under-construction bridge on Wednesday and examined several sections of the structure, including the footpath slabs and railing pillars. The inspection was led by Biplob Hossain, an assistant director at the ACC’s Tangail district office. Other officials, including deputy assistant director Based Ali, also took part. “Initially, it appears that there may have been irregularities,” Hossain told reporters after the inspection. He said officials broke open sections of the footpath slab and railing pillars and found that the quantity of steel reinforcement in some areas appeared to be lower than required. The findings will be reviewed by ...

DHAKA: Nearly 97% of investors affected by alleged fund embezzlement at five Bangladeshi brokerage firms will receive compensation, with the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) set to distribute about Tk 720 million among 17,332 investors. The compensation payments will begin on Sept. 28 and are expected to be completed within two months, officials said Tuesday. The announcement was made at a press conference organised by the DSE at its headquarters in Nikunja, Dhaka. DSE Chairman Mominul Islam, Managing Director Nuzhat Anwar and Investor Protection Fund (ITF) Chairman Nasrin Begum attended the briefing. Compensation capped at Tk 500,000 per investor Under the DSE Investor Protection Fund Rules, eligible investors can receive compensation of up to Tk 500,000 each, Nasrin Begum said. She said the claims had been assessed through a verification process before the list of eligible investors was finalised. The initiative is intended not only to return funds to affected investors but also to...

DHAKA: Bangladesh has set the airfare for pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for the 2027 Hajj at Tk 130,000, reducing the cost by Tk 24,830 from the previous year, according to the government. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Dr Zahed Ur Rahman, the prime minister’s adviser for information and broadcasting, during the government’s weekly briefing at the Press Information Department. Citing information from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Rahman said the airfare for the 2027 Hajj had been fixed at Tk 130,000. He said the new rate represents a Tk 24,830 reduction compared with the airfare set for the 2026 pilgrimage. Government seeks to reduce Hajj costs Rahman said the government had been gradually lowering Hajj airfares over the past several years as part of efforts to make the pilgrimage more affordable for Bangladeshi pilgrims. “The government is working to make the overall cost of Hajj more manageable,” he said. The airfare is one component of the overall cost of...

DHAKA: Bus fares across Bangladesh, including long-distance and urban routes, will rise by 17 paisa per kilometre following an increase in fuel prices, according to a decision reached at a meeting of the Road Transport Ministry on Tuesday. The increase is lower than the rates proposed by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), which had recommended a 20-paisa-per-kilometre increase for intercity buses and 18 paisa for urban services. Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, a member of parliament from Pabna-5 and chief coordinator of the central committee of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, said the government’s calculation supported a 20-paisa increase. However, officials decided to reduce the adjustment by 3 paisa per kilometre in consideration of passengers. New fares to apply nationwide Biswas said bus operators would meet with the BRTA to formalise the revised fares. The 3-paisa reduction from the proposed rate will apply to routes in metropolitan areas as well as distri...