“India will not fear terror,” we hear the flag-waving strongman say, as he leads followers and soldiers in the snowy terrain of Kashmir before they come under a hail of bullets from militants. “Terror will fear India.” The man portrayed…
Author: Lutfun Nahar
Launch united movement to ‘restore’ democracy: Dr Kamal
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – Stating that an impossible thing can be made possible through unity, Jatiya Oikyafront convener Dr Kamal Hossain on Sunday urged people to launch a united movement to ‘restore’ democracy in the country. “It’s mentioned in…
Rainstorm hits south Nepal; PM says 25 dead, hundreds hurt
Nepal, Apr 1 (AP/UNB) — Rescuers are struggling to reach villages in southern Nepal that were cut off by a rainstorm that has killed 25 people and injured hundreds more. The rainstorm swept through villages in a farming region of…
Highrise fire likely from electric short circuit: Probe body
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – The probe committee formed by the Home and Disaster Management and Relief Ministries suspected that the fire at FR Tower originated from an electric short-circuit on the 7th floor of the building that killed 26…
Cities go dark for Earth Hour, bring light to climate change
New York, Mar 31 (AP/UNB) — Cities around the world marked Earth Hour on Saturday by turning off lights at 8:30 p.m. local time in a call for global action on climate change. Earth Hour, spearheaded by the World Wildlife…
World Bank support to help improve livability in Dhaka
Washington, Mar 31 (UNB)— The World Bank has approved $100.5 million to improve public spaces and urban services in four neighbourhoods under the Dhaka South City Corporation. The Dhaka City Neighborhood Upgrading Project will benefit about a million residents. It…
Lightning kills four in BD as volatile transition to summer begins
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – Four people, including two minor sisters, were killed in separate incidents of lightning strikes in Habiganj, Kishoreganj and Moulvibazar districts on Sunday. In Moulvibazar, two minor sisters died after a thunderbolt struck them at Patanushar…
HSC & equivalent examinations begin Monday
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations will begin across the country on Monday. This year, a total of 13,51,309 students are expected to sit for the exams. The examinations will end on…
Dhaka highrise fire: BNP accuses govt of shifting blame
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday alleged their leader Tasvir Ul Islam was arrested in connection with the FR Tower fire as the government is trying to shift its blame onto…
Bank loan interest rate to be brought down: PM
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – Expressing here government’s firm stance to bring down the interest rate of bank loan to a single digit, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the government will take measures again to reduce the interest…
Nor’wester kills 3, causes traffic chaos in BD capital Dhaka
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – At least three people were killed as a nor’wester coupled with hailstorm and rain swept the capital on Sunday evening. The victims were identified as Md Hanif, 50, a tea vendor of Paltan crossing, Mili…
Dhaka highrise fire: Arrested building owners on remand
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – A court here on Sunday placed Faruk Hossain, land owner and Tasvir Ul Islam , owner of the extended portion of FR Tower, on a seven-day remand each, in connection with a case filed over…
SC stays Khaleda’s bail in Comilla arson case
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – The Appellate Division on Sunday stayed the High Court order that had granted bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a case filed over the deaths of eight people in an arson attack in Cumilla…
Liberal upstart Caputova1st Slovak female president
Slovakia, Mar 31 (AP/UNB) — An liberal environmental activist has been elected as the first female president of Slovakia. Relative newcomer Zuzana Caputova had 58 percent of the vote with almost 95 percent of returns counted in Saturday’s runoff election,…
Britain faces calls for unity govt amid Brexit impasse
London, Mar 31 (AP/UNB) — The U.K. may be forced to create a national unity government to end the impasse over Britain leaving the European Union, as Prime Minister Theresa May clings to the Brexit divorce agreement that Parliament has…
Owner of fire disaster-hit Dhaka-highrise held
Dhaka, Mar 30 (UNB) – Detectives detained BNP leader Tasveer Ul Islam, owner of the extended portion of Faruk Rupayan (FR) Tower, from his Baridhara residence on Saturday night. Members of Detective Branch (DB) of Police arrested Tasveer around 10:45…
66 pc buildings in BD capital Dhaka unplanned: Minister
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – Around 66 percent buildings in capital Dhaka and its adjoining areas under the jurisdiction of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) have been constructed in an unplanned way, said Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim. “Of…
Rising inequalities in Asia-Pacific a major obstacle to progress
BANGKOK, Thailand, Mar 28 2019 (IPS) – 2019 will be a defining year for the 2030 Agenda; and the regional forums will pave the way for our first stocktaking on the SDGs in the General Assembly in September. Asia-Pacific is a…
Bridging the gaps for the disabled
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 29 2019 (IPS) – People with disabilities are being left behind, and steps must be taken to ensure their inclusion in the world of education and work. Approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, or an estimated one…
First city fully ravaged by climate change tries to rebuild
MAPUTO, Mar 29 2019 (IPS) – The city of Dondo, about 30 kilometres from Beira, central Mozambique, didn’t escape the strong winds of Cyclone Idai. It is estimated that more than 17,000 families were displaced and more than a dozen schools…
Dhaka highrise fire death toll climbs to 25
Dhaka, Mar 29 (UNB) – The death toll from the devastating fire at FR Tower in the city’s Banani area rose to 25 as six more bodies were recovered from the spot on Friday morning. Talking to reporters at the…
Dr Kamal for national commission to ensure building safety
Dhaka, Mar 29 (UNB) – Jatiya Oikyafront convener Dr Kamal Hossain on Friday suggested formation of a national commission to find out whether there is any lack of law in ensuring safe construction of high-rise buildings in the country. “We…
It’s no accident, but killing: BD minister about highrise fire
Dhaka, Mar 29 (UNB) – Terming the Banani fire a killing incident not any accident, Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim on Friday promised that stern actions will be taken against those responsible for it, no matter how…
Govt acting like a puppet: Fakhrul
Dhaka, Mar 29 (UNB) – Describing the Awami League-led government as a ‘puppet-one’, BNP on Friday alleged that bureaucrats are now ruling the country. “We all know who did what in the (December-30) election. Now, the state is being run…
French New Wave director Agnes Varda dies aged 90
Paris, Mar 29 (AP/UNB) — Filmmaker Agnes Varda, a trailblazer of the French New Wave and feminist activist who later won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, has died. She was 90. Her production company Cine Tamaris confirmed…
Dhaka highrise fire survivors narrate tales of horror
Dhaka, Mar 29 (UNB) – It was not possible to see anything as there was a dark wall of smoke everywhere. Within 10 minutes the smoke spread throughout the building making it difficult for people to escape. Exhausted and terrified, Hasina…
French court finds “bone tests” flawed, but constitutional
France’s highest court recently ruled that controversial bone tests to assess the age of unaccompanied migrant children are flawed, but nevertheless comply with France’s Constitution. The Constitutional Council acknowledged that such tests contain a “significant margin of error”. They have been the…
Only a national government can prevent “no deal” Brexit
At the time of writing it seems unlikely that the Withdrawal Agreement will be accepted by Parliament on 29th March, the day originally set for the UK to leave the EU. Parliament has decided that in these circumstances it will hold…
Safe menstrual practices important for progress
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 28 2019 (IPS) – As menstruation continues to be shamed in many communities, one organisation is rising up to the challenge to ensure “safe menstruation for all women of Bangladesh.” Half of the approximately four billion women around…
‘Don’t tell my husband I have leprosy’
MAJURO, Mar 28 2019 (IPS) – Meretha Pierson has been a nurse for the past seven years, working in the government-run leprosy clinic in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. Her patients come in all ages, from different economic backgrounds…