Dhaka, May 22 (UNB) –The government has increased the regulatory duty on rice import to 25 percent from the existing 3 percent, aiming to discourage its import following a drastic fall in rice prices in the country. The National Board…
Author: Lutfun Nahar
1st state to allow human bodies composting
Seattle, May 22 (AP/UNB) — Ashes to ashes, guts to dirt. Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Tuesday making Washington the first state to approve composting as an alternative to burying or cremating human remains. It allows licensed facilities to offer…
Next BD annual dev plan to prioritise transport sector
Dhaka, May 21 – The National Economic Council (NEC) in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair on Tuesday approved a Taka 2,02,721 crore Annual Development Programme (ADP) outlay for the next fiscal giving highest priority to…
Bangladesh School teacher arrested for impregnating student
Gazipur, May 21 (UNB)– A school teacher has been arrested for impregnating a seventh grader in Salna area of the city corporation. The victim’s family filed a case at Sadar Police Station on May 20 against the teacher, Sohel Rana…
BD ministry disfavours cases against land acquisition notice
Dhaka, May 21, (UNB)- The Land Ministry on Tuesday issued a notice embargo on filing cases over land acquisition before seeking amends from the deputy commissioner. It says that there is no scope to receive any complaint after issuing four…
BD Chuadanga District chief joins farmers in paddy harvest
Chuadanga, May 21 (UNB) – In a rare move, Deputy Commissioner of the district Gopal Chandra Das along with other government officials joined poor farmers in harvesting their paddy from the field in Jibannagar upazila on Tuesday. With the slogan…
With Brad and Leo, Tarantino debuts a fairy tale in Cannes
Cannes, May 22 (AP/UNB) — Twenty-five years after premiering “Pulp Fiction” in Cannes, Quentin Tarantino returned to the French film festival with neither great vengeance nor furious anger but a gentler fairy tale about 1960s Los Angeles. “Once Upon a…
Court orders testing Wasa water from 34 points
Dhaka, May 21 (UNB) – The High Court on Tuesday issued an order to test Wasa water samples from 34 locations in the capital. The bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam ordered Wasa to provide Tk…
To the postcapitalist city … via Amsterdam circa 1619
What makes the 21st century city the harbinger of a postcapitalist world is that for the first time in modern history the network can transcend the market. Imagine yourself in Amsterdam exactly 400 years ago. What word would you use…
Two suspected Ansarullah men held in Narayanganj
Narayanganj, May 20 (UNB) – Rapid Action Battalion members arrested two suspected members of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team from Fatullah on Sunday. The arrestees were identified as Abu Sayeed, 24, of Munshiganj’s Tongibari upazila and SM Mahadi Hasan…
Police constable rapes girl, 16 hurls her through ventilator
Madaripur, May 20 (UNB)- A 54-year-old police constable in Sadar upazila was withdrawn on Monday for throwing a teenage girl out of his house through the ventilator after raping her. Muktar Hossain, 54, was working as a constable at Madaripur.…
65-day Fishing ban in Bay of Bengal for sustainable reserve
Chattogram, May 20 (UNB) – The government on Sunday imposed a 65-day ban (from May 20 to July 23) on fishing in the Bay of Bengal, aiming to boost commercial fishing in the country. Catching all types of saltwater fish…
Stop the war on children
UNITED NATIONS, May 17 2019 (IPS) – Too many children are dying as a result of explosive weapons, and the international community must step up to protect and declare children off limits in war. In a new report, Save the Children documented the devastating…
Putting water at the heart of sustainable fashion
LONDON, May 20 2019 (IPS) – The Copenhagen Fashion Summit celebrated its tenth anniversary last week. The summit, which is often referred to as the Davos of fashion, is a key date in the fashion diary for those businesses with a…
Panel to settle Begun Rokeya teacher’s seniority, promotion
Rangpur, May 20 (UNB)- Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) authorities have formed a three-member committee to settle the issues of seniority, promotion and seven years’ salary of Mahmudul Haque, who was recently appointed as a teacher of the university following…
Google says services on Huawei phone still will function
Beijing, May 20 (AP/UNB) — Google is assuring users of Huawei smartphones the American company’s basic services will work on them following U.S. government restrictions on doing business with the Chinese tech giant. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., said…
Schoolboy’s body found in Dhaka’s Buriganga River
Keraniganj, May 20 (UNB) – The body of a schoolboy, who reportedly jumped into the Buriganga river after being rebuked by his father on Saturday night, was recovered from the river on Monday morning. The deceased was identified as Asif…
Rumeen set to be elected BNP MP from reserved seat
Dhaka, May 20 (UNB) – BNP assistant international affairs secretary barrister Rumeen Farhana is going to be elected MP from a seat reserved for women in parliament. BNP got one reserved seat for women in proportionate to its five elected…
Huawei has immediately lost access to Android and Google
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday,…
US military confirms rocket near embassy in Iraq
Dubai, May 20 (AP/UNB) —The U.S. military command that oversees the Mideast has confirmed an explosion outside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad and says there are no U.S. or coalition casualties. A spokesman for U.S. Central Command, Bill Urban,…
Saudis say they will defend themselves, as Trump warns Iran
Dubai, May 20 (AP/UNB) — Saudi Arabia does not want war but will not hesitate to defend itself against Iran, a top Saudi diplomat said Sunday after the kingdom’s energy sector was targeted this past week amid heightened tensions in…
RMG sustainability council for better factory safety watch
Dhaka, May 19 (UNB) – Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has planned to establish a ‘RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) to ensure the full and independent national compliance monitoring system in Bangladesh. The RSC will be governed by BGMEA,…
AL’s youth associate Jubo League man shot dead in Rangamati
Rangamati, May 20 (UNB) – A local Jubo League leader was gunned down by armed terrorists at Naikhongchhora in Rajasthali upazila on Sunday night. The victim was identified as Kya Hla Ching Marma, president of Bangalhalia Ward unit of Jubo…
India documents the first underground snakehead fish, Gollum
Sahana Ghosh on 15 May 2019 The first snakehead fish with an underground lifestyle was hiding in the aquifers of Kerala until a chance encounter, social media and the historic floods of Kerala in 2018 thrust the species into the…
Dhaka concerned at attacks on oil facilities in Gulf region
Dhaka, May 19 (UNB)— Bangladesh says it has observed with “deep concern” the secret drone attacks on oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Equally disconcerting is the news of attacks on Saudi and Emirati oil tankers in the…
One killed, two hurt in Sherpur nor’wester
A man was killed while his wife and son were injured as a nor’wester hit Shibbari and other three villages in Nakla upazila here on early Sunday. The deceased was identified as Billal Hossain, 42, son of Azgor Ali of…
Obaidul Quader calls it his second innings
Dhaka, May 19 (UNB) – Joining office four days after his return from Singapore, Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday said he is starting the second innings of his life. “Now, the major challenges are – reducing traffic jam,…
BNP takes 2-day plan on fair pady price, jute workers’ dues
Dhaka, May 19 (UNB) – BNP on Sunday announced a two-day programme demanding that the government ensure fair prices of paddy and clear all the arrears of jute mill workers. As part of the programmes, the party will submit memorandums…
Jabbar, Tajul, 3 jr ministers’ charges in cabinet reshuffled
Dhaka, May 19 (UNB) –In the first reshuffle in the cabinet since its formation on January 7, 2019, two ministers and three state ministers have been given new charges. The Cabinet division issued a notification in this regardon Sunday. According…
84 Rohingyas rescued in drives; 5 traffickers arrested
Cox’s Bazar, May 18 (UNB)- Law-enforcers rescued 84 Rohingyas from Pekua of Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf upazila on Saturday while they were waiting to board boats heading to Malaysia. The rescued Rohingya comprise 31 men, 38 women and 15 children.…