The Asian Development Bank has in principal agreed to provide financial support to Bangladesh for implementing a solar system project for generation of 500MW power. The assurance came from the top executives of the multilateral lending agency at its 3-day Asia Solar Energy Forum’s Conference in Bangkok that ended on June 1. A delegation led ... Read more
Other Headlines
Shut sewerage, waste lines to Buriganga
HC gives govt one year for the job The High Court yesterday directed the government to seal off all the sewage outlets into the Buriganga River within next year. In response to a writ petition, the HC also directed the authorities concerned to stop dumping waste into the river and declared their inaction in preventing ... Read more
Dhaka’s air most polluted in world
Air in Dhaka is among the most polluted compared with that in other megacities of the world and the air quality becomes the worst in winter exposing the health of about 15 million people to risk, environment ministry official, quoting a recent study, said. The World Health Organisation estimates that up to 10,000 premature deaths ... Read more
KSA restricts work visa
Many Bangladeshis working there for over 6 yrs might have to come back A few lakh Bangladeshis might have to return from Saudi Arabia, as the Middle East country is soon going to limit the stay of foreign workers to address its own unemployment. The labour minister of the Kingdom said on Sunday they would ... Read more
Environment victim of poor law enforcement: Prof Nishat
Powerful and rich people, including a section of politicians, defy law in various ways to grab forests and wetlands, and pollute environment, says Professor Ainun Nishat, vice-chancellor of BRAC University. The government, which has ‘good intentions’, is not enforcing the law against encroachers and polluters, he said in an exclusive interview with New Age on
15-yr-old girl kills herself
Family alleges foul play by teacher Rajshahi: A 15-year-old committed suicide hours after visiting her school headmaster in school during summer vacation in Tanore upazila yesterday. Why she killed herself is a mystery. Her family members suspect foul play by the headmaster while the teacher denied any wrongdoing
Food prices to double in 20yrs
Oxfam report reveals 925 million people go hungry every day Food prices could double in the next 20 years and demand in 2050 will be 70 percent higher than now, UK charity Oxfam said yesterday, warning of worsening hunger as the global food economy stumbles close to breakdown. “The food system is pretty well bust ... Read more
Mauritius comes to aid of victims
11 Expats Dead in Road Crash Mauritius comes to aid of victims The Mauritius government has displayed a rare example of care to the families of the 11 Bangladeshi workers killed in a road accident in the island nation on January 12 this year. On March 3, Mauritian labour minister Shakeel Ahmed travelled to Bangladesh ... Read more
Azam Khan on life support
Pop guru and freedom fighter Azam Khan has been on life support at the city’s Square Hospital since yesterday morning. Dr Kamruzzaman Chowdhury of the hospital told reporters that Azam’s condition is very critical as his lungs were not
Yunus worried about GB future
Tells The Daily Star it’s not wise to amend law to ensure govt control Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has warned that Grameen Bank could run into deep trouble if the government amends the law to take control of the microfinance bank founded by him. “If those amendments [proposed by the review committee] come and the ... Read more
Investors take to streets again as stocks plunge
Share market investors took to the streets in rowdy demonstrations again on Wednesday protesting at the free fall of share prices as the Dhaka stocks plunged by 151.74 points on the day. They shouted slogans demanding immediate resignation of the finance minister, the Bangladesh Bank governor and the Dhaka Stock Exchange
Students worried about errant private univ closure
Students of private universities now running without permanent campuses are worried about what would happen if the universities do not take steps to move to permanent campuses as required by law. They are concerned that it would be difficult for them to continue with their studies if they do not have any option to have ... Read more
Public transport goes haywire
Operators ignore new fare rate for city, keep charging extra Transport operators at their whim continue to charge extra fares from passengers on all routes in the capital, apparently due to lack of government control over the sector. Successive governments have failed to formulate a comprehensive policy for mass transport, facing opposition from powerful rackets ... Read more
Do not let go of GB ownership
Prof Yunus writes to members Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday urged the 83 lakh members of Grameen Bank to remain vigilant against any attempts to take away the microfinance bank from the majority shareholders. The caution came after his resignation as the bank’s managing director amid widespread speculation that his removal was part of ... Read more
Time will say who heads next caretaker govt: Justice Khairul
The immediate-past chief justice, ABM Khairul Haque, who had ruled against the caretaker government system, said on Tuesday that time would say who would head the caretaker government during the next general elections. As he made his last visit to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, he was asked by newsmen whether
Bill Gates keen to work with Bangladesh
Microsoft chairman and co-chair of Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation William H (Bill) Gates has expressed keen interest to work together with Bangladesh to help it attain the millennium development goals. Bill Gates expressed the interest when he paid a courtesy call on the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, at her hotel suite in the Swiss ... Read more
Man carries his twin’s embryo
Hospitalised for surgery Abdul Malek, who has been carrying the unborn embryo of his twin since his birth 40 years ago, has been admitted to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for surgery. Although not fully developed, the fetus (unborn offspring), is still alive and has grown up receiving nutrition from Malek’s body, doctors
Khaleda meets Tarique in London
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia met with her elder son Tarique Rahman in London on Saturday night after over two and a half years. The reunion took place at the Grosvenor Hotel in central London where Tarique’s wife Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman were also
Mozena new US envoy
The United States has nominated Dan W Mozena as next ambassador to Bangladesh, according to a White House announcement. Earlier, Mozena was political and economic counsellor in Dhaka from 1998-2001. He will succeed incumbent Ambassador James F Moriarty, who completed his three-year
220 Bangladesh workers detained in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi police detained about 220 Bangladeshi workers on charges of staying there without valid documents, Dubai GulfNews reported on Sunday. However, the foreign and expatriate welfare ministries in Dhaka did not have any information about the reported detention of the workers in