Dhaka, Jan 24 – For the first time in Bangladesh Army’s history, four female officers have been made commanding officers (COs) of as many as battalions following their promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel from Major. Of them, three…
Year: 2019
U.S. Shutdown effects ripple to farmers, food banks
From Danielle Nierenberg Greetings from Washington, D.C.! In the United States, this week marks the second missed paycheck for furloughed federal workers. Now on its 34th day, the shutdown’s effects are permeating beyond the lives of federal workers, as farmers,…
Education crisis: Being in school is not same as learning
The world is facing a learning crisisTeachers are the single most important driver of how much students learn. They have the responsibility to ensure that all children—each with their own challenges and potential—can learn effectively and have an enriching experience…
Anti-graft body to seize illegal wealth of ‘corrupt persons’
Dhaka, Jan 24 – The Anti-Corruption Corruption (ACC) has decided to seize illegal wealth during the investigation against corrupt persons, if there is any. Sources in the commission said that the ACC took the decision at an emergency meeting held…
EC appoints observers for suspended Gaibandha-3 election
Dhaka, Jan 24 – Election Commission (EC) has appointed its observers and monitoring persons to closely oversee the parliamentary polls of Gaibandha-3 constituency scheduled on January 27. EC sources said the Commission on Wednesday appoint seven of its senior election…
Seat business at BAU: General students in crisis
Mymensingh, Jan 24 – The ruling party’s student organization Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) face allegation of seat business in the residential halls in the campus. Extreme seat crisis has arisen among the halls and the…
PM to address nation Friday evening
Dhaka, Jan 24 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the nation on Friday evening following the formation of her new government through the December-30 general election. State-owned Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television will simultaneously broadcast the Prime Minister’s…
Huawei announces 5G smartphone based on own technology
Beijing, Jan 24 (AP/UNB) — Chinese tech giant Huawei announced plans Wednesday for a next-generation smartphone that will use its own technology instead of U.S. components, maneuvering to gain a competitive edge and sidestep complaints it is a security risk.…
BNP to face split due to internal conflict: Quader
Dhaka, Jan 24 – The government has no intention to spilt BNP as the party will face it due to its internal feud, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said after observing a signing ceremony to upgrade 190-km long…
Govt out to split BNP, alleges Fakhrul
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday alleged that the government is conspiring to split their party. “Many plots are now going on to weaken BNP and split it. They (govt) also tried to do so in the…
Tablig Biswa Ijtema in one phase on Feb15-17
Dhaka, Jan 24 – The Biswa Ijtema will be held on Feb 15, 16 and 17 this year and not in two phases like it had been held over the last few years. This year, Ijtema will be held in…
Scientists to explore Indian Ocean depths
Bremeverhaven, Jan 24 (AP/UNB) — Scientists prepared Thursday to embark on an unprecedented, years-long mission to explore the Indian Ocean and document changes taking place beneath the waves that could affect billions of people in the surrounding region over the…
UN stresses Dhaka’s strong disaster response capacity
Dhaka, Jan 24 (UNB) – UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo on Thursday highlighted how a strong response capacity to disasters ties into longer-term needs by allowing countries to focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She made…
BPL Football: Saif SC earn 2nd successive win
Dhaka – Saif Sporting Club registered their 2nd successive victory in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football beating Team BJMC by a solitary goal at the Shaheed Bhulu Stadium in Noakhali on Thursday afternoon. Denis scored the match-winning goal for…
6 yrs into marriage, Shakib pays maiden visit to in-laws’ Narsingdi house
Dhaka – Bangladesh Test and T20 skipper Shakib Al Hasan visited the house of his in-laws in Monohardi upazila in Narsingdi Thursday for the first time after his marriage with Umme Ahmed Shishir six years back. Shakib and his wife…
Can Italy survive its self-inflicted wounds?
Despite political instability being part of its DNA, Italy is still the ninth biggest economy in the world. Since 1946, when the first republican government took power, there have been 65 administrations over 72 years, or about one government every…
Telescopes capture moment of impact during eclipse of moon
Cape Canaveral, Jan 24 (AP/UNB) — Astronomers managed to capture the moment of an impact during this week’s eclipsed moon. Spanish astrophysicist Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva said Wednesday it appears a rock from a comet slammed…
Three suspects killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfights’
Cox’s Bazar, Jan 24 – Two suspected drug traders and an alleged robber were killed in separate incidents of a reported gunfight with law enforcers in Teknaf and Maheshkhali Upazila early Thursday. In Teknaf, two suspected drug traders were killed…
A morally right decision
By Chandra Muzaffar The decision of the Malaysian government not to allow Israelis to enter the country to participate in the World Para Swimming Championships in Sarawak in July-August 2019 is both politically correct and morally right. Tun Dr. Mahathir…
Bleeding risks may offset aspirin’s benefit vs heart disease
Should healthy people take aspirin to ward off heart disease? The notion has been controversial, and the medical advice mixed. But a review of scientific data on the topic Tuesday showed that any benefits are slight, and are counterbalanced by…
Camel wrestling in Turkey
Erol Bilgin has high hopes. His camel, Kara Elmas (Black Diamond), might not have won the beauty contest the day before, but it might well fare better in the main event, the wrestling competition. The two large camels stand face…
Music Festival at DU
Music Department of the University of Dhaka is going to organize a two-day long Music Festival-2018 to be held on January 27-28. Prof Tumpa Samaddar, the Chairman of the department spoke about the festival at a press conference on Tuesday…
HC asks lower court to dispose of Khaleda’s bail plea
Dhaka, Jan 23 – The High Court Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the lower court concerned to dispose of by February 4 the bail petition filed by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in Cumilla arson attack case that…
Jimmy Page’s dragon guitar reborn after 50 years on ice
Fender instruments on Wednesday gave the public its first look at its recreation of a Telecaster guitar that Page once painted with a dragon, a long-lost piece of six-string history that marked the guitar hero’s last days in the Yardbirds…
Five killed in central Florida bank shooting, police say
A gunman killed five people in a bank in central Florida on Wednesday, then called police himself and eventually surrendered, local authorities said. The shooting occurred at the SunTrust Bank in Sebring, a town of about 10,000 people 95 miles…
Brexit, Trump and ‘yellow vests’
Sixty years ago, the sociologist WG Runciman published an influential study of attitudes to ’relative deprivation’ in 20th century England. Runciman sought to explain why at crucial periods in the past century, notably after the first world war and in…
Why are so many humanitarian crises under-reported?
According to a recent poll of aid agencies by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the most under-reported crisis of 2018 was the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, commented that, ‘the…
Never been a worse time to be a journalist
“I’ve never known a time when it was as bad as it is now,” says Beata Balogova, the Vice-Chair of the International Press Institute (IPI) and Editor in Chief of the Slovak Spectator Sme. “In terms of what’s going on…
Moving beyond just building toilets
One of the most laudable initiatives of the current government’s regime is the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) that was launched on Oct 2, 2014, with a larger vision of a clean India. The critical aspect of the mission was that—unlike…
Overdue Dhaka University Student-Union polls March 11
The long-pending elections to the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and its hall unions will be held on March 11. Dhaka University (DU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman announced the Ducsu election date on Wednesday. According to a…