Replacing the 159-year-old Public Gambling Act,1867, Parliament passed the Gambling Prevention Act 2026 (Act No. 98 of 2026) on 1 July 2026.[1] The new law is enacted on the basis that the colonial law is no longer capable of addressing online gambling, cryptocurrency gambling, digital payment, virtual private networks (VPNs) and transnational gambling syndicates.[2] There …
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Introduction History leaves behind more than memories; it leaves institutions, assumptions, and unresolved tensions that continue to shape political life long after the events themselves have passed. One of the more difficult inheritances confronting Bangladesh in the aftermath of the political transition of August 2024 is not simply the recalibration of its relationship with India, …
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first overseas tour, covering Malaysia and China, carried significance beyond ceremonial diplomacy. The China leg brought high-level meetings, investment discussions and cooperation instruments, placing trade, infrastructure, river management and regional connectivity at the centre of the conversation. In my view, the visit should be understood as an attempt to widen Bangladesh’s …
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Bangladesh’s FY2026-27 budget promises to wean the economy off bank borrowing. The pivot is real as a ratio — but it is mostly an accounting effect, and the deeper problem it skirts is revenue. Image: AI Generated Every June, Bangladesh unveils a budget bigger than the last, and every June the more revealing number is …
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Five decades after independence, local government remains fiscally starved and politically subordinated. The post-uprising BNP-rule is a chance to change that — if an elected Parliament chooses to use it. Image: AI Generated Local government in Bangladesh occupies a paradox at the heart of the country’s political life. The Constitution could not be clearer: Articles …
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Remembering Mustafa Monwar, the artist who taught a nation to play On the morning of June 29, 2026, the news moved through Dhaka the way bad news about an old, familiar face always does, quietly at first, then everywhere at once. Mustafa Monwar died at Square Hospital at around 8:30 a.m., three months short of …
Image: AI Generated The FY2026-27 national budget points to an important shift in how we think about the economy in Bangladesh. Since the birth of the independent Bangladesh, national economic planning has revolved around manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture and the ready-made garments. While these industries remain indispensable, the latest budget introduces a different idea altogether, as …
Image: AI Generated A 56% rise in education spending, a near doubling of health funding, climate-relevant allocations of Tk51,746 crore and major business reforms suggest this is a budget written not only for one fiscal year, but for the next decade. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury placed before the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday a …
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Image: AI Generated Why FY2026–27 could be Bangladesh’s most action-oriented climate budget yet is because it links climate ambition with visible delivery. The budget connects resilience with water security, afforestation, green jobs, carbon trading, plastic reduction, e-waste management, air quality and cleaner transport. But its success will depend on transparent implementation, public monitoring and real …
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Democratic Governance, Public Welfare, and the State Philosophy of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party — A Comprehensive Policy Analysis Abstract The national budget is never a mere arithmetic of revenue and expenditure — it is the most tangible definition of the relationship between a state and its citizens. This paper argues that the upcoming national budget …