Other Headlines

Picnic Bus Death Mourning in all pry schools today The government declared mourning in all primary schools for today after seven schoolchildren on their way back home in a bus from a picnic died in traffic accident at Chaugachha in Jessore on Saturday night. The deceased schoolchildren were buried in graveyards at Benapole on Sunday ... Read more

At least seven schoolchildren died and 71 others became wounded as a picnic bus carrying them headed off the road into a ditch at Chaugachha in Jessore on Saturday night. The deceased were Akhi, 10, Suriya, 8, Shanta, 6, Mithila, 7, Shahanara, 9, Sabbir, 8 and Aakil, 7. They were student of the Gazipur Government ... Read more

In a major boost to conservation of natural waterways, the government has formed a five-member commission to save the country’s rivers as well as to ensure smooth navigation. The formation of the National River Protection Commission (NRPC) came seven months after Parliament passed an Act to this effect on July 14, 2013. Shipping minister Shajahan Khan

Assault on Female RMG worker in moving bus A Manikganj court yesterday convicted and sentenced a bus driver and its conductor each to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for life for raping a female garments worker in a running bus on the Dhaka-Aricha highway last year. The two convicted rapists are: bus driver Dipu Mia, 30, son of ... Read more

Mortar explodes during training Two army and four Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were killed and 10 others injured as a mortar shell exploded accidentally during an exercise at Ghatail Cantonment in Tangail yesterday. The deceased were identified as Manjur, senior warrant officer, and Parvez, a junior

The journalist community yesterday urged the government to solve the mystery behind the murders of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi and bring their killers to book. Sagar, news editor of Maasranga Television, and Runi, senior reporter of ATN Bangla, were brutally killed in their rented apartment in East Rajabazar on February 11, 2012. ... Read more

Fifteen eminent personalities, including journalist Golam Sarwar, have been named for the ‘Ekushey Padak-2014’ for their outstanding contributions to the society. The ministry of cultural affairs announced the names of the recipients in a media statement yesterday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to formally confer the honours at

2nd death anniv of Sagar & Runi Even though two years have passed, the police have made no headway in the Sagar-Runi murder case yet. This has sparked confusion and uncertainty among those who are seeking justice for the murder of the journalist couple in their rented apartment. So far, law enforcers have arrested eight ... Read more

A total of 6,778 students were absent in the Bangla first paper test on the first day of the Secondary School Certificate and equivalent Dakhil and vocational examinations on Sunday, the education ministry’s control room said. The control room also said nine students were expelled for adopting unfair meanson the day. Of the nine, six were ... Read more

The Secondary School Certificate and equivalent dakhil and vocational examinations begin today with students taking the Bangla first paper exams amid rumors of question papers being leaked. Guardians and students alleged that ‘questions’ for Sunday’s Bangla and others exams were making rounds on social networking sites and were being texted among examinees on

A child was burnt to death and more than 100 shanties were gutted in a fire that broke out at a densely populated slum at Madhubagh in the capital on Saturday morning. The victim was identified as Sabuj, a boy of two years and a half. Fire Service and Civil Defence deputy director Jahirul Islam ... Read more

Saturday’s fire in soap and plastic factories in densely populated Bangshal in Old Dhaka brought back haunting memories of the Nimtoli blaze. On June 3, 2010, a fire broke out in chemical warehouses and spread to houses claiming 124 lives. After the Nimtoli blaze, voices were raised from different quarters, urging relocation

465 beds against 12 lakh patients: study The facilities available for treatment of cancer in the country is widely disproportionate to the spread of the disease, say healthcare experts working in the field. According to them, the country is heavily short on treatment centers, radiation facilities, doctors and physicists, leaving the approximately 12 to 13 ... Read more

Emission of black smoke by unfit vehicles and brick kilns, and dust are causing severe air pollution in capital Dhaka, posing health hazards for millions of city people. A group of environmentalists expressing concern over the alarming air pollution yesterday demanded immediate government action to ensure

Consumers across the country are going to experience another spell of power hike by this month as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday endorsed the power and energy ministry’s proposal to rationalise the power tariff. “The prime minister has given her nod for rationalisation of power tariff,” Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, adviser to the prime minister, told

2013 SME Loans 65 per cent goes to unproductive sector SME loan disbursement by the banks and non-bank financial institutions increased by 22.32 per cent in 2013 from that of 2012 although major amount of the loans went to trade or unproductive sectors bypassing the manufacturing zone, according to BB data released on Thursday. Experts ... Read more

Telecoms ministry plans to check illegal VoIP trade The telecom ministry has taken a significant initiative to halve the call charge for the international incoming calls in a bid to whittle down the illegal VoIP business in the country. The post and telecommunications ministry yesterday sent a proposal to the finance ministry for slashing the ... Read more

Bangladesh, even 42 years after its independence, has neither been able to complete a land survey of the whole country nor finished undertaking a ‘revisional settlement’ survey, which was first launched in 1966 by the then Pakistan government. In the absence of an up-to-date and comprehensive

At least 11 people, including 5 children, were burnt to death and more than 40 were injured as a engine boat caught fire in Surma River at Chhatak upazila in Sunamganj on Monday night. Five more children remained missing till Tuesday afternoon, sources in the local administration said. Chhatak upazila police officer-in-charge Shahjalal Munsi said ... Read more

No central database of cancer has been maintained in the country so far, which is an essential part of any cancer control programme. But, the countries which have prepared the population-based cancer registry have achieved success in controlling the problem as the database contains statistics on the cases of cancer in