Headlines

Health screening at land ports has been sloth against the widespread occurrence of swine flu infection in the country. Every day thousands of people are checking in and out through the country’s 16 land ports for business and other purposes. But the heedless health screening at the ports is making people more vulnerable and exposed ... Read more

Speakers stress at Roundtable discussion in city Underlining the importance of conducting a joint impact assessment on the proposed Tipaimukh Dam by the two neighbouring countries, speakers at a roundtable here Saturday said a national consensus is needed to resist India from constructing the dam. “Let’s get united… the matter should be discussed in parliament,” ... Read more

The big business houses though they are investing in our newspaper industry but their stories mostly are of disasters than of successes. In the 90s, the Beximco, the premier business conglomerate, launched six news organisations with a big bang but only two the Independent, an English daily, and an entertainment weekly Ananda Bhuban still survive. ... Read more

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Saturday said former Finance Minister M. Saifur Rahman had undertaken many economic reform measures, some of which are memorable and some others could be followed. “Some of his (Saifur) reform measures are still being pursued,” he told UNB in a telephonic interview hours after his predecessor died in a fatal ... Read more

Politicisation, anomalies rule rice distribution for poor Politicisation, mismanagement and the practice of graft marred the very purpose of providing the poor with free food under the government’s special vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme devised for the month of Ramadan. The special Ramadan VGF that kicked off on September 1 with a target of reaching ... Read more

Around 1.42 lakh buildings in the port city are under the threat of earthquake. Of them, 5,000 are at severe risk. Some 50,000 people are feared to die from the destruction of these buildings, which is likely to happen in tremors of 6 to 6.5 magnitude in Richter scale, according to a recent research conducted ... Read more

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has assured Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of continued support for further strengthening parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh. He also gave the assurance that the United Nations would give all necessary support to Bangladesh to cope with the challenges of global climate change. The assurances came when the Bangladesh Premier ... Read more

Sit almost idle for over 7 months since election; lawmakers, UNOs play major role in development Over seven months into being constituted through public elections, the upazila parishads have yet to start functioning, as the Awami League (AL)-led government is still allowing members of parliament (MPs) and the civil administration to carry out the parishads’ ... Read more

Tk 1,650cr deposited for Uttara, Purbachal plots; allotment not made in 10 months Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) is making profits out of over Tk 1,650 crore deposited by about 1.65 lakh people who applied for plots of Uttara Model Town (third phase) and Purbachal New Town Housing Project around nine months back. Rajuk sought applications ... Read more

The ongoing reform project of the Bangladesh Railway has hit snags because of resistance by officials of the communications ministry who are unwilling to approve the proposed new organogram of the loss-making state-run entity. Sources alleged that the communications ministry has kept the approval of the proposed BR organogram and the line of business pending ... Read more

The prices of essential commodities showed an upward trend in the city’s kitchen markets yesterday defying ongoing market monitoring and belying commitment by the government and businessmen to contain the price spiral during the month of Ramzan. The continued price escalations of sugar, lentil, garlic and ginger proved the failure of market mechanism by the ... Read more

Fish is no longer a favourite option for many city dwellers as selling formalin-treated fish has become a rampant practice in the city’s kitchen markets, endangering public health. “The next time you go to the fish market beware of those fresh-looking fish where even the flies don’t dare to get close… it could be treated ... Read more

The Eid shopping is gaining momentum in the capital as thousands of people throng shopping malls, arcades and markets everyday to purchase their Eid merchandises for near and dear ones. Market operators said good economic climate, improved by huge inward remittances by expatriate Bangladeshis and stable political situation boosted the spending spree of the confident ... Read more

Anti-gastric drugs are surprisingly ruling the country’s pharmaceutical market due mainly to consumption of adulterated foods and lack of discipline in eating habits, physicians and drug-makers said. The drugs for treatment of gastric and ulcer have occupied the top three positions in terms of sales turnover in fiscal 2008-09, according to IMS, a US-based drug ... Read more

Over 10 lakh anti-Swine flu capsules to be supplied to hospitals A total of 10.5 lakh Oseltamivir capsules are being supplied across the country for the treatment of the swine flow affected patients. One and a half lakh swine infected patients can be treated with this volume of supply, said SM Alamgir Hossain, Virologist of ... Read more

A septuagenarian woman was killed at her Central Road residence in the city’s Dhanmondi area yesterday allegedly by her domestic help who made off with gold ornaments and some other valuables. The deceased Sajeda Amin, 70, wife of a late physician, had no child and lived alone in her residence on the first floor of ... Read more

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought technological and financial supports from the international community, particularly resourceful developed countries, to combat the challenges of climate change as Bangladesh is considered one of the worst sufferers for the climatic disorders for no fault of its own.

Primitive signal system leads to frequent accidents; unsafe crossings make traffic movement in city risky Most routes of Bangladesh Railway are very dangerous for travelling at present as the railway still depends on obsolete and dilapidated manual and semi-manual signalling system installed as far back as 1927. Railway officials said use of the age-old route ... Read more

BDR Mutiny Trial 7 out of 10 jurists against army act Seven of the 10 amici curiae have given opinions against trying BDR personnel accused of different offences committed during the February 25-26 mutiny at the BDR headquarters under the army act. Advocate AF Hassan Ariff and advocate AFM Mesbahuddin were the last to tell ... Read more

Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka is likely to be made convener of Dhaka City unit of BNP, according to insiders. Sources said the Dhaka City convening committee along with two other committees, which are yet to be formed, might be finalised at the BNP Standing Committee meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow (Saturday). Begum ... Read more