Aristos Socratous, the Cypriot pilot of the FlyDubai jet that crashed in southern Russia was going to quit the airline after recently accepting a job with Ryanair in Cyprus, a long-time friend said.
Month: March 2016
Trapped in an airport for a year
Fadi Mansour, a Syrian, has been detained in a Turkish airport for over a year after he attempted to emigrate to Europe and escape from the danger in his home country.
Dutch MPs question lack of evidence in MH17 investigation
By Rt News Dutch lawmakers have questioned the course of the investigation into the MH17 crash in Ukraine, highlighting innuendos in the Dutch Safety Board report, and lack of raw data despite US claims of picking up ‘imagery’ as the…
The original champions of secularism
Sudhirendar Sharma It is a sheer enigma that the feel-good ideology of pluralism has outlived four decades of populist viewing.
One killed in Pabna pre-UP rural govt polls clash
Dhaka – A man was killed and 12 others were injured in a clash between supporters of Awami League-backed and rebel candidates over the campaign for the upcoming union parishad (UP) election at Mirpur village in Dhalarchar union of Bera…
Fresh contempt hearing against two ministers Mar 27
Dhaka –The Supreme Court on Sunday adjourned the hearing until March 27 on the contempt rule against two ministers for their controversial comments about Chief Justice SK Sinha in connection with the war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem…
Protesters block main road to Trump rally in Arizona
Phoenix — Protesters blocked a main highway leading into the Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump staged a campaign rally Saturday just days ahead of the Arizona primary. Tempers flared at the rally itself, but without the violence…
I yelled ‘Black lives matter!’ at a Trump rally. This is what happened next.
I knew protesting Trump could be dangerous. But I had to do something,told Sierra K. Thomason March 18 at 6:00 AM. Sierra K. Thomas is a student at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.First-time protester Sierra Thomas describes her experience…
‘I led revolt much before Zia declared independence’
Former army chief KM Shafiullah says he led a revolt of Bengali soldiers in Gazipur on Mar 19, 1971, a week before Ziaur Rahman read out the declaration of independence on Mar 26, bdnew24.com reported on Saturday. A major in…
‘Tree man’ undergoes another surgery
Dhaka – ‘Tree Man’ Abul Bajandar, who was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with a rare skin disease, underwent another surgery on his left hand on Saturday, a month after a ‘successful’ surgery on his right hand. Burn and…
Coal-laden vessel sinks in Shela River of Sundarbans
Dhaka – A coal-laden cargo vessel sank in the Shela River in Harintana area of the Sundarbans in Mongla upazila on Saturday evening. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Zone M Saidul Islam said Khulna-bound cargo vessel ‘Sea Horse’,…
Probe body investigating 24 war crimes cases
Dhaka – The investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is probing 24 more war crimes cases from across the country. “We have concluded probing 37 cases so far. Of these, the two tribunals (one is now defunct) have…
Training of 75,000 IT professionals in 3 years: Joy
Dhaka – Describing the shortage of skilled manpower as the ” biggest challenge” for Bangladesh’s further development in the IT sector, Prime Minister’s Information and Communication Technology Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said the government targeted to train up 75,000…
Taskin, Sunny suspended for illegal bowling action
Dhaka – Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Taskin Ahmed have been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found their bowling actions to be illegal. Both bowlers underwent assessments in Chennai last…
Husband kills wife in Manikganj
Manikganj -A young housewife was allegedly killed by her husband on Friday night (March 18).The victim was identified as Firoja Begum 19, daughter of Shamsul Darjee of Vanga-Ramchandrapur village under Daulatpur upazila of the district.Police sources said the husband of…
Remembering folk poet Jasimuddin
Jasimuddin was a Bengali poet, songwriter, prose writer and folklore collector. He is commonly known as Polli Kobi, for his superb rendition of Bengali folklore in his literary works. His poetry is a demonstration to the simple, timeless appeal of…
Twitter to keep 140-character limit, CEO Dorsey says
Twitter Inc’s 140-character tweets are here to stay, Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said on Friday, ending speculation that the microblogging site might abandon one of its trademark features for a 10,000-character limit. “It’s staying. It’s a good constraint for us…
Barcelona to face Atletico Madrid, PSG meet Man City
Holders Barcelona will face fellow Spaniards Atletico Madrid, runners-up two seasons ago, in the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw in Nyon on Friday. Paris St Germain, who last reached the semi-finals in 1995, will face fellow big spenders Manchester…
BNP’s ‘Vision 2030’ to create higher middle income country: Khaleda
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday unveiled the party’s “Vision 2030 Plan” aiming at turning the country into higher mid-income country by this time with the increase of per capita income by $5,000 from the present $1316. She said the…
IGP for seeking int’l help in probing BB fund heist
Inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Hoque has said if needed, help would be sought from the international agencies dealing with money laundering, for unveiling the clue to the $101 million cyber heist at Bangladesh Bank. He said this to…
Khaleda for bringing balance in PM’s power
Presenting a draft of Vision-2030, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday called for bringing balance in power of the prime minister.At the 6th national council session of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the former prime minister also advocated a bicameral parliament…
Citrus fruits production to mark rise in Bangladesh
Rafiqul Islam, UNB Staff Writer Dhaka – The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has targeted to produce additional 2,000 metric tonnes of citrus fruit production, including orange, blood orange (that we call malta), grapefruit and lemon, by 2021. “About 800…
Dubai airliner crash in south Russia, all 61 aboard killed
Moscow — An airliner with 61 people aboard coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, killing all aboard, Russian officials said. All 55 passengers and six crew members were…
Khaleda opens BNP council with resolve for democracy
Dhaka – BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia inaugurated her party’s sixth national council in Dhaka amid a festive atmosphere in the city on Saturday morning. Khaleda opened the council by hoisting the national flag at 10:48 am at Institution of Engineers,…
Managing the politics of water
Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Sundeep Waslekar Amman – This year’s World Water Day, on March 22, provides an opportunity to highlight what in many countries has become a grim reality: The availability of fresh water is increasingly a…
Ensuring Africa’s continued rise
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Lagos – Africa’s rise is in danger of faltering. After years during which the continent’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 5%, global uncertainty, depressed commodity prices, and jittery external conditions are threatening to undermine decades…
A state-powered green revolution
Mariana Mazzucato London – Discussions about building a green future tend to focus on the need to improve the generation of energy from renewable sources. But that is just the first step. Better mechanisms for storing and releasing that energy…
The most beautiful ceilings in the world
Some of the world’s most glorious sights can only be experienced if you crane your neck.The ten beautiful ceilings are oe of them.Castello di Sammezzano, Leccio, ItalyThe mesmerising ceiling, vaults and decor of the Peacock Room in this abandoned Italian…
Gunmen abduct two BRAC officials in Afghanistan
Two BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) officials working in Afghanistan have been abducted by unidentified gunmen. They were going from Kunduz to Baghlan when their vehicle was intercepted by armed men around 4pm Thursday. The two are BRAC Afghanistan’s chief…
Manila continues inquiry of the accused in BB fund hacking
Following Thursday’s closed door testimony of Maia Deguito, it does not appear to Senate blue ribbon committee chair Teofisto Guingona III that she is the “most guilty” of the US$81 million fund heist. The Senator concludes that more officials of…