Some 2,977 people have perished in the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, with people dying at a rate of around 20 a day since March.The benchmark of nearly 3,000 was reached faster this year than in any previous year…
Author: Lutfun Nahar
Indian Air Force plane with 29 on board missing
The Indian air force Friday lost contact with a transport plane carrying 29 people to islands in the Bay of Bengal, the defense ministry said.The air force, navy and coast guard were using ships, planes and helicopters to conduct a…
Multinational companies under NBR tax scanner
The Transfer Pricing Cell, formed three years back to prevent tax evasion cases by multinational companies through misuse of transfer pricing system, is going to start work in January next.”We’ve collected reports of multinational companies. We’ll start the auditing in…
Indonesia rejects ruling on 1960s mass killing
Officials in Jakarta rejected the findings of an international panel of judges that declared Indonesia committed crimes against humanity in anti-communist purges in the 1960s, when at least 500,000 people perished.The international people’s tribunal formed at The Hague said on…
Russia fails to overturn athlete ban in Olympic Games
Russian track and field athletes will remain banned from the Olympics following claims the country ran a state-sponsored doping programme.The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and 68 Russian athletes attempted to overturn the suspension, implemented by the body that governs world…
Tarique verdict was meant to please government, BNP says
The High Court has reversed the lower court’s verdict on Tarique Rahman’s money laundering case to ‘please the government’, says the BNP.”He was not involved in any way with money laundering , there was no evidence to back those charges,”…
Trial judge influenced to acquit Tarique: Law minister
The trial court judge, whose verdict had found BNP leader Tarique Rahman innocent of money laundering charges, was ‘influenced’, Law Minister Anisul Huq has said.“The judge fled to Malaysia with his family two days after delivering the verdict. He has…
Biodiversity, GMOs, Gene Drives and the Militarised Mind
A recent report from the National Academy of Science of The United States, titled Gene Drives on the Horizon : Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values”, warns:“One possible goal of release of a gene-drive modified organism…
Implementing the SDGs: The sooner the better
The first 1000 days after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals are critical, according to a report published last week, urging UN member states to take action quickly.“It’s a little bit like a pension,” Elizabeth Stuart of the Overseas…
‘Monster’ El Niño Subsides, La Niña Hitting Soon
As if human-made armed conflicts, wickedness, rights abuse, gender violence, cruel inequality and climate catastrophes were not enough, now the saying “God Always Forgives, Men Sometimes, Nature Never” appear to be more true than ever. See what happens.Now that the…
Tarique to be brought back through Interpol: Minister
Law Minister Anisul Haq on Thursday said Tarique Rahman will be brought back home through the Interpol for executing the High Court verdict pronounced against him.“If it’s not possible than a new agreement will be signed between the two countries…
Hasina, Modi open integrated Benapole-Petrapole check post
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the second Integrated Check Post (ICP) along the Benapole-Petrapole part of Bangladesh-India border on Thursday, aiming to facilitate easy movement of goods and passengers across the border.The prime…
Solo art exhibition by Bitap Shavan at Alliance Francaise
Alliance Française de Dhaka requests the pleasure of your company on the occasion of a solo painting exhibition titled: Life We Desire; Life We Gain* by artist Bitap Shavan Bachhar at its La Galerie. The inaugural ceremony of this exhibition…
New HIV vaccine to be trialled in South Africa
A vaccine against HIV will be trialed in South Africa later this year after meeting the criteria needed to prove it could help fight the epidemic in Africa.In 2015, 2.1 million new infections were reported — two-thirds of which occurred…
Roadmap to promote ecotourism in Sundarbans, Saint Martin on card
Aiming to minimize the adverse impacts on nature as well as fascinate both local and foreign tourists, the government has put emphasis on promoting ecotourism in all tourist spots especially in Sundarbans and Saint Martin.To this end, the government has…
Bangladesh to attain self-sufficiency in fish production within 3 yrs
Bangladesh is expected to attain self-sufficiency in fresh water fish production within next three years with a target to meet the annual demand of 42 lakh tonnes fishes, the major protein source of the people.”In 2008-09, country’s fish production stood…
Russia Suspends Deputy Sports Minister Nagornykh Over Doping Cover-Up
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suspended Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh, who was named in a report on the doping of Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.Medvedev’s press secretary Natalia Timakov said on July 18 that the suspension will…
Earth experiences hottest June ever recorded
The heat wave continues.Last month was the hottest June ever recorded, according to both NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This marks the 14th month in a row that global heat records have been broken. It’s the…
Bar Council bans 3 lawyers for professional misconduct
Bangladesh Bar Council today took punitive actions against three of its members for professional misconducts.Of the three, advocate Abul Hasnat, a member of Dhaka Bar Council, has been banned from practicing for life. Advocates Shahjalal Chowdhury and Tobaraka Hossain have…
N. Korea says missile tests simulated nuclear strike on South
North Korea said Wednesday its latest ballistic missile tests trialled detonation devices for possible nuclear strikes on US targets in South Korea and were personally monitored by supreme leader Kim Jong-Un.Tuesday’s test firing of three missiles in violation of existing…
Govt may evict 13,000 businesses from residential areas
The government has sent notices to 12,957 commercial establishments located in residential areas or buildings in cities across Bangladesh.The responses will be studied before deciding whether to evict them.It has also been decided not to renew their trade licences or…
Undemocratic rule encouraged terrorism: PM’s security adviser
The prime minister’s security affairs adviser has blamed a long spell of “undemocratic rules” for the current terrorist threat.Tarique Ahmed Siddique, a retired major general, said, “national interest varied at different times (during such rules) causing severe negative impact of…
Turkey coup: Charges against 99 generals, admirals
Turkey has formally charged 99 generals and admirals in connection with the weekend’s thwarted coup attempt – just under a third of the country’s 356 top military officers.President Erdogan is meeting with loyal commanders and his cabinet in Ankara.Authorities have…
Govt moves to extract sea resources within 5 yrs: PM
Terming the sea as a huge source of resources, including fisheries, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the government is taking initiatives to start the extraction of these resources within the next five years.”Or else, there’s a fear of…
Samples collected from Gulshan attackers’ bodies for stimulant test
Blood and hair samples have been collected from the bodies of ‘six’ Gulshan attackers to examine whether they took any stimulant or drug before storming the Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1.A team of the Forensic Medicine Department of Dhaka…
5 ‘ABT men’ indicted in blogger Babu killing case
A court here on Wednesday framed charges against five suspected members of banned militant outfit ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team’ in the blogger Washiqur Rahman Babu killing case.Judge of Additional Metropolitan Session Court-3 of Dhaka SM Ziaur Rahman framed the charges and…
Bus with Chinese tourists catches fire in Taiwan, killing 26
A tour bus carrying visitors from China burst into flames on a highway near Taiwan’s capital on Tuesday, burning to death all 26 people on board, officials said, in the deadliest incident involving Chinese tourism to the island.The accident took…
Rab video footage of 4 suspects in Gulshan café attack
The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Tuesday released the video footage of four suspects of the Gulshan café attack.Uploading the video footage on the Rab facebook page, the elite force urged people to inform to the nearest Rab Battalion or…
Stay alert against 1975-type incident: Ashraf
Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam on Tuesday called upon freedom fighters to remain alert to make sure that the incident of 1975 is not repeated.“We’ve achieved independence through the Liberation War. We failed to save the leader under whose…
Suicide bombers kill 5 Yemen soldiers
Suicide bombers on Monday attacked two army checkpoints in a former stronghold of Al-Qaeda in southeastern Yemen, killing five soldiers, an officer said.One bomber drove his vehicle into a checkpoint in the west of Mukalla while the second struck in…