An irritated govt withdraws request to review loan cancellation The government has finally decided not to take the World Bank’s loan for financing the Padma Bridge project as it has withdrawn its request to the donor agency to review the cancellation of a $1.2 billion credit, officials said. In a significant development, the government sent ... Read more
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ADB follows suit
Asian Development Bank, one of the co-financiers of the Padma Bridge project, has declined to go ahead with the ‘transaction’ following the discontinuation of the Padma Bridge funding by the World Bank. ‘…a discontinuation of funding by the World Bank means ADB is also unable to proceed with
PM pulls for Bangla
Opens Ekushey book fair Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday laid importance on translating the popular books of Bengali literature into other languages and vice versa to enrich Bangla. “There is a wrong perception in a section of people that Bangla language will face debacle if we give importance to other languages,” she said
Man kills daughter, himself
A man, apparently unable to bear abject poverty, committed suicide after killing his minor daughter at Dakkhin Khan in the capital yesterday. Bazlur Rashid, 45, an employee of a clearing and forwarding agency, allegedly killed his daughter Fatema Rashid Barnali, 8, a student of class-III when his wife
Rape victim kills herself
A rape victim who tried to commit suicide following the sexual assault ultimately lost her battle for life at Rangpur Medical College Hospital early morning yesterday. The 18-year old girl sustained severe burn injuries after she set herself on fire ten days ago on January 22 — two days after she was raped by a ... Read more
WB chief tags loan to assured fair probe
World Bank president Jim Yong Kim has said they cannot consider financing the Padma Bridge construction until being assured of a complete and fair investigation into the reported graft in the project. Kim spelled out the condition on Wednesday in a speech on ‘anticorruption’ at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, according ... Read more
Long-route bus fare hiked by 7pc
The government on Sunday announced a fresh increase in long-route bus fares by seven per cent to adjust the cost of operation after the latest increase in fuel oil prices. The bus fare hike comes into effect on Tuesday. Passengers of long-route buses will have to pay Tk 0.10 more for a kilometre from
HC orders police to arrest attacker in 48 hours
Acid Attack on Aakhi HC orders police to arrest attacker in 48 hours The High Court on Sunday asked the police to arrest in 48 hours Moniruddin, who reportedly threw acid on the girl, an Eden Girls’ College student, he loved after she had refused to marry him. The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury ... Read more
2nd phase ends with Akheri Munajat
The second phase of Bishwa Ijtema concluded Sunday with several million devotees coming from across the country and abroad offering Akheri Munajat or the final prayer. All roads led to Tongi since early Saturday, with people streaming in on all sorts of transport. Thousands of them had to make it on foot as vehicular movement ... Read more
Nat’l museum goes digital
Bangladesh National Museum takes on a digital look with the introduction of new galleries, multimedia displays, digitalised archives and modernised security system. Finance Minister AMA Muhith inaugurated the Tk 868.40 lakh project yesterday, as part of the government’s plan to preserve the nation’s centuries-old
BPL ticket prices slashed
Ticket prices for the second edition of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) have been reduced. The decision was taken at a meeting between the tournament’s governing council and Game On Sports Management yesterday. It came in the wake of a poor turnout at the stadiums. The new rates will come into effect from the seventh game of ... Read more
Decision unlikely by Jan
Outgoing WB country chief says govt free to go for alternative Padma funding; feels proud of anti-graft role World Bank Country Director Ellen Goldstein yesterday said she is unsure whether the bank’s decision on the financing of the Padma bridge project would come in a month. She also said the Bangladesh government is free to ... Read more
Minor girl found dead in city
Neighbours block road in protest The decomposed body of a minor girl was found in a toilet of a commercial building at Topkhana Road in the capital Saturday noon. Police arrested three people in this connection. Claiming that the victim was raped and later killed, neighbours and family members
Ijtema ends today
The second phase of Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims after hajj, concludes today with thousands of devotees expected to participate in the final supplication, Akheri Munajat, on the banks of Turag river in Tongi. The second phase passed its second day yesterday with tens of thousands of devotees from
Owners raise long-route bus fares
Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association decided to increase its long-route bus fares unilaterally using a price manipulation trick on the very day the government went for the latest fuel price hike and days ahead of January 20 set by the communication ministry for resetting the fares to adjust with the increased fuel
No pepper spray
Legal notice served on govt A Supreme Court lawyer yesterday served a legal notice on the government asking it to take measures within 24 hours for stopping use of pepper spray on people. Advocate Aklas Uddin Bhuiyan sent the notice to the home minister, secretary to the home ministry, inspector general of police, and the director ... Read more
2nd phase of Ijtema begins today
The second phase of Biswa Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation after the holy Hajj, is set to begin today on the banks of the Turag in Tongi. The rituals will start after Fazr prayers. Several million devotees from home and abroad will join the three-day Ijtema. A large number of people are expected to join ... Read more
Flop-show marks BPL beginning
A flop show marked the beginning of the second edition of the Bangladesh Premier League as the opening ceremony failed to live up to its hype and expectations at Mirpur on Thursday. The organisers had promised a glitzy programme featuring local and international artistes but some unscheduled intervals after each segment marred the entire
Safety nets mostly miss target groups
Reveals IFPRI survey Bangladesh now runs as many as 80 social safety net programmes, but many of them are missing the targets they have been designed for. For instance, the poorest 40 percent of the population, who are supposed to receive 100 percent primary school stipend from the government, get only 55 percent and the ... Read more
Beast lot better
Man pours acid on Eden girl, stabs her for refusing his marriage proposal Maybe it was one of the biggest “mistakes” Ankhi made in her life: She refused to accept a proposal of marriage yesterday. And it was a costly “mistake”. Refused, her proposer threw a bottle of acid on her face and then stabbed ... Read more