Bangladesh on right track of healthcare dev: WHO DG
Staff Corespondent
Political commitment and community people's participation are the effec
Tentative Mideast peace talks begin
Staff Corespondent
Palestinians and Israelis held their first indirect talks in more than a year in a tentative boost to the Middle East peace process, frozen since the Jewish state's devastating war on Gaza.
US State D
Over 500 killed in Nigeria violence
Agence France-Presse . Jos, Nigeria
The Vatican led a wave of revulsion on Monday at the slaughter of hundreds of Christians in Nigeria as survivors told of how the killers hacked victims to death after snaring them in animal traps.
Mass awareness about diabetes
News Time Report
DIABETES Awareness Day was observed in the country on Saturday through appropriate programmes intended to enlighten the masses on the malady and suggest ways and means of preventing and controlling it. Diabetes is a disease the incidence of which has been growing an
Hasina's son also rises
Staff Correspondent
IT WAS perhaps more a matter of ‘when’, rather than ‘if’, when it came to the question of prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, formally joining politics. Hence, it was hardly surprising when he was enrolled as a pr
PART V: KATRINA AND HAITI- 'Owning' the weather?
Rahnuma Ahmed
The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present—and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also
US to build two new nuclear power stations
BBC Online
President Barack Obama has announced more than $8bn (£5bn) of federal loan guarantees to begin building the first US nuclear power stations for 30 years.
Two new plants are to be constructed in the state of Georgia by US electricity firm Southern Company.
30 more Jamaat, Shibir men held
Staff Correspondent
cadres from the RU campus and different places of the city in the connection with RU incident. Three of the arrested were identified as Ashikur Rahman, Mizanur Rahman and Moni.
Our Staff Correspondent from Rajshahi reports: Professor Siddique Hossain, a Jam
28 Bangladeshi detainees to return from Thailand today
Staff Correspondent
Thailand today repatriates 28 Bangladeshis detained along with some 200 Rohingyas from the sea by Thai authorities over a year ago.
"When the Thai authorities came to know there were some Bangladeshis they approached the Bangladesh mission in Bangkok
BNP announces countrywide demo
Staff Correspondent
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday announced nationwide agitation programmes for Thursday in protest at the renaming of Zia International Airport and an attempt at ‘bomb attack’ on the party chief’s office.
The party
BNP stages walkout
Staff Correspondent
The lawmakers belonging to Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance staged two brief walkouts form the House on Tuesday protesting the government’s decision to rename the country’s main international airport after a 13th century Muslim sai
Top Taliban commander captured in Pakistan
News Time Dhaka
The top military commander of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has been captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in a secret raid by U.S. and Pakistani intelligence forces, The New York Times reported on Monday.
Citing U.S. government officials, the Ti
Iran moves closer to nuke warhead capacity
News Time International Desk
Iran pressed ahead Monday with plans that will increase its ability to make nuclear weapons as it formally informed the U.N. nuclear agency of its intention to enrich uranium to higher levels.
Alarmed world powers questioned the rationale beh
BNP wants constitutional govt to continue: Khaleda
Staff Correspondent
The BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, also leader of the opposition in parliament, on Monday said her party wanted the constitutional government to function and offered cooperation to the government for continuity of democracy.
‘We want the co
Sharmin wins Taekwondo gold
Staff Correspondent
Hot favorite Sharmin Farjana Rumi lived up to the top billing as she grabbed gold medal of Taekwondo winning the title of the females U-46 Kg event of the SA Games at the National Sports Council gymnasium here on Saturday.
Rumi was in her best from th
Indian PM backs UN climate panel
AFP, New DelhiIndian Premier Manmohan Singh on Friday lent his support to the beleaguered UN climate change panel, saying a glaring error in the body's key 2007 report did not change the science of global warming.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been under f
Councils of BNP’s 24 dist units to begin Jan 26
The council sessions of 24 organising districts of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will begin from January 26 as the party chairperson Khaleda Zia has asked its leaders to hold the councils by January 31.The councils of these districts cannot be held due to intra-party conflicts even th
Dhaka-Delhi to form body to combat int'l terrorism
Staff CorrespondentBangladesh and India will form a Coordination Committee with the representatives of law-enforcing agencies and intelligence wings of the two countries for coordinated action in the combat against international terrorism, organised crime and cross-bord
Nirupama sees visit as path breaking
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . New DelhiThe Indian foreign secretary, Nirupama Rao, has said the visit of Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina promises to be a path breaking one and ‘gives both countries a historic opportunity to build a new and forward looking relationsh
All issues will be discussed: PM
Staff CorrespondentPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said that her government does not forget about what should be demanded and what should be done during a crucial visit to another country as former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party did.
&nbs
Interim govt offenders should not get off scot-free: citizens
Staff CorrespondentEminent citizens on Sunday said the main players of the military-controlled interim government should be put on trial for imposing the worst form of martial law on the nation by violating the constitution and torturing people during the emergency after January 11, 2007.
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Rohingya refugees 'starve to death' in Bangladesh
Diplomatic Corespondent
Bangladesh is waging a campaign of arbitrary arrest, illegal expulsion and forced internment against Muslim refugees from neighbouring Myanmar, according to a report released Tuesday.
Equal rights, opportunities for women
Staff Coresspondent
Bangladesh is observing the 100th International Women's Day on Monday resolving to fight against social challenges.
The day's programme notably began in the morning with prime minister Sheikh H
Int'l Women's Day today
Staff Correspondent
The 100th anniversary of the International Women's Day will be observed in the country as elsewhere in the world today to underscore women's equal rights and opportunities worldwide along the march for a change. <
Agri input cards for farmers launched
Staff Correspondent
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged farmers to make Bangladesh self-sufficient in food as her government launched a new help line to assist the peasantry in cash and kind.
"Make best use of all facilities sponsored by our government. In
Thousands of city buildings lack fire safety system
Staff Correspondent
Thousands of Dhaka's high-rise buildings lack fire safety systems and owners continue to ignore official warnings despite a growing number of fatal fires in the capital, authorities tell The Independent.
Officials say the problem poses serious risks to res
Sahara warns opposition of tougher step
Staff Correspondent
Home minister Advocate Sahara Khatun yesterday warned the opposition that tough action will be taken against those who would try to create instability in the country over the government crackdown on Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS
Judge, prosecutors, agencies this month for war crimes trial
Staff Correspondent
The judge of special war crimes tribunal, prosecutors and investigating agencies are likely to be appointed within this month or in the first week of March for starting the process of trial of war criminals.
The concerned authorities have selected a retired
Govt Govt moves to release life-term prisoners to make room
M Rahman
The government has taken an initiative to release prisoners who were sentenced to life term and have already served 20 years in prison in order to reduce pressure on the stifling space in the 67 jails across the country.
Some prisoners who have been in jai
Bangladesh signs four treaties with Kuwait
News Time Report
Bangladesh and Kuwait signed four treaties after the official talks held between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace here on Monday night.
The two countries inked
Hasina visits Bangabandhu's grave at Tungipara: Efforts on to bring back other killers
Staff Correspondent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said her government would take all the initiatives to bring back rest of the killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and execute the court verdict.
"Our government is quite sincere about exec
Bill Clinton apologizes for slow Haiti aid effort
APFormer US president Bill Clinton pledged to try to get aid flowing as he was met by angry Haitians protesting the slow arrival of help since last month's quake.
Clinton said he was sorry that the aid efforts had been so slow, adding he also wanted to understand why more tha
Proper planning on traffic a must
Staff CorrespondentLong-term plans and proper implementation are necessary to ease the nagging traffic congestion of the capital, said speakers at a roundtable organised by the Daily Prothom Alo yesterday.
"There has always been a lack of proper planning to develop the city in
Dipu goes to Geneva today
Staff CorrespondentForeign minister Dipu Moni goes to Geneva this morning to attend the ongoing session of the Conference on Disarmament.
She will address the conference on January 26 to provide guidance to the work of the conference, which will continue throughout
Make quality films for children
Staff CorrespondentPrime minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged filmmakers to make at least one quality film for children every year, and announced cash incentives for such innocuous films that will inculcate values and vision of life into the children's mind.
She made the call whil
Myanmar raises accord hopes
Staff CorrespondentMyanmar's acceptance of the principles of both 'equity and equidistance' for demarcating sea boundary with Bangladesh, a long-standing dispute that threatened 17 of Bangladesh's gas and oil blocks in the Bay of Bengal, is expected to help resolve the dispute.
Brie
No way to detect heavy metal in Buriganga waste
Staff CorrespondentNobody knows how harmful the pieces of heavy metal mixed in the garbage that is now being lifted from the bed of the River Buriganga.
The department of environment has no modern equipment to test the component of heavy metal mixed in the garbage.
Haitians mourn their dead; another survivor found
Port-Au-Prince.APHundreds gathered for the funeral of the archbishop of Haiti's stricken capital Saturday, a rare formal ceremony that captured the collective mourning of a shattered nation where mass graves hold many of the dead.
Meanwhile, as the U.N. said
Akheri Munajat today
Staff CorrespondentTens of thousands of Muslims braving cold and fog are on way to join the Akheri Munajat today at the Biswa Ijtema ground on the bank of river Turag that has already turned into a human sea.
The three-day Biswa Ijtema will conclude with the offering of Akheri Munaj
NSF and BWF expect better performance
Sports CorrespondentNeither the National Shooting Federation (NSF) nor Bangladesh Weightlifting Federation (BWF) have boldly given any hopes of clinching gold in the upcoming South Asian Games when both the federations declared their squads for the regional extravaganza to be held from J
Tri-nation !dea Cup 2010 , Only pride to play for
Staff CorrespondentFor a team like Bangladesh it's always important to prove themselves no matter whether the game holds any consequences or not.
India's win against Sri Lanka on Sunday means today's game against India is nothing but a dead-rubber for the Tigers.
St
Tri-nation !dea Cup 2010
Sport CorrespondentMuch of the talk since the start of the Idea Cup has surrounded the high price of tickets and the consequent low turnout in the matches. One thing that was attributed earlier was the cold, but there hasn't been any significant improvement in crowd turnout, except for t
Half-yearly progress report on nat'l budget to be placed in JS
Sk. Mahmud A Riyat
The Business Advisory Committee on Monday decided that the current session of the ninth parliament would continue till April 6 to handle a number of pending issues, including placing of a half-yearly report on the progress of imp
Big pay-hike for president, PM, ministers, judges, MPs
Staff Correspondent
The Cabinet on Monday approved the raising of the salaries of the president, prime minister, speaker of the Parliament, chief justice, ministers, Supreme Court judges and lawmakers, by up to 83 per because of ‘the changed
Recipe for better use of aid: Bangladesh Development Forum comes to a close
Sk. Mahmud A Riyat
The Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) 2010 that concluded yesterday adopted a joint cooperation strategy and agreed to make an action plan as the next step on aid effectiveness.
The strategy prepared by 19 development partners will improve understandin
Literary : Notes To write, to publish
Farida Shaikh
FEBRUARY, the Bangla month of Falgun, is our precious month. It is our time of reckoning---recollecting the past and calculating the future; to renew our pledge for Bangla Bhasha.
This is a cherished month for publishers. The Ekushey Boi Mela is
Profile : Dr Maniruzzaman: Humble man of letters
Musrafizur Rahim
DR Maniruzzaman, a veteran linguist of the country, turns 70 on 15 February. A university professor, essayist, poet, folklorist and administrator, Dr Maniruzzaman has served at many institutions and performed many duties in fifty years of his working life. He has 18
Poetry . . . from SANGITA AHMED
Rain
Dusky skies make sweet love
To the parched brown earth
Showering her being
With tender moist kisses
Each leaf, each bud
Is soft with warm desire
She sighs for the rain
Never to end
As the luscious drops
Caress with slow deliberatio
Valentine Thoughts 'Every moment spent with you . . .'
Afroza Sultana
WHAT happens if one day you are caught cheating on your Valentine; what happens even if the heart is broken into a thousand pieces? Does it really matter? After a bomb blast, trees are uprooted; buildings blown sky high; and sounds of window panes breaking are heard
Reflections: The magic in literature
Selina Majumder
When Omar Khayyam wrote, "I desire a little ruby wine and a book of verses, just enough to keep me alive, and half a loaf is needful" in the eleventh century, he was pretty convinced that reading was one of the most important aspects in a person's happiness. After al
Directive to beef up security for VIPs, KPIs
Staff Correspondent
The home ministry has asked the law enforcement agencies to strengthen security measures for the very important persons (VIPs), including ministers and the key point installations (KPIs) like the secretariat complex, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, prime minister's resid
Knighthood conferred on Fazle Hasan Abed
Staff Correspondent
His cardinal goal is to eradicate poverty from Bangladesh, said BRAC chairperson Fazle Hasan Abed after being ceremonially conferred knighthood in Buckingham Palace, London, on Tuesday.
On behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles conferred the pre
Financial freedom for SC sought New chief justice sworn in
Staff Corespondent
The newly appointed chief justice, Mohammad Fazlul Karim, who was sworn in yesterday, said that to ensure independence of the judiciary, Supreme Court ought to have complete financial independence and a separate secretariat free from executive interference.
25 lakh urban poor to get rice at 'fair price'
Staff Correspondent
The government on Monday decided to expand its social safety net programme to urban areas in the form of rice sales to the ultra poor in Dhaka and other cities at a ‘fair price’.
The decision came at a meeting of the food planning an
Walmart CEO for setting up special apparel zone
Sk. Mahmud A RiyatA visiting top executive of Walmart, the world's largest retail chain, has suggested setting up of a comprehensive industrial zone for the apparel sector in Bangladesh for convenience of buyers and to attract greater foreign investment.
C. Douglas McMillon,
Another child killed in city road accident
Staff Correspondent
A six-year-old girl, who was standing beside her mother, was killed in a road accident in front of the Prime Minister’s Office Friday morning, two days after Willes Little Flower School and College student Hamim Sheikh, who was also standing with his mothe
25th anniversary of DMP: Accommodation, rationing inadequate
Staff CorrespondentAt least 20,000 police officials and constables of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), the largest police force in the country, had been deprived of residential and medical facilities.
The current total strength of DMP stands at 24,408 personnel and 41 pol
Bangladesh beat India, reach soccer final
Sport Correspondent A late goal by Touhidul Alam Sabuj guided host Bangladesh to the final of the South Asian Games Men's Football eliminating their giant neighbour India by a solitary goal in the first semifinal at the Bangabandhu National Stadium Friday.
With the feat, Bangladesh
Rice, sugar, garlic, soybean oil prices remain high
Sk. Mahmud A RiyatPrices of commodities have remained as same as in the previous week. Except some winter vegetables, the prices of rice, sugar, garlic, ginger and soybean oil remained high in the city's kitchen market yesterday.
The prices of garlic and ginger are yet to come dow
Tigers on the run
Staff CorrespondentThe Royal Bengal Tiger which entered Chandipur village in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district on Friday last and was beaten to death by the villagers, might have gone to the village either in search of food or a safe haven in the face of massive hunt for the big ca
A crucial meeting of the BNP's highest policymaking body, standing committee was held at the Gulshan office of the party on Sund
Staff Correspondent
A crucial meeting of the BNP's highest policymaking body, standing committee was held at the Gulshan office of the party on Sunday night with BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in the chair. The m