Not a single case of Bangladesh bloggers’ murder resolved so far || Perpetrators of blogger killings go unpunished

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The law enforcement agencies could not yet arrest the masterminds behind the gruesome killings of bloggers and freethinkers, although they repeatedly claimed that militant outfits had links with the murders.

With yesterday's murder of Niladri Chattopadhyay, four bloggers have been killed in a span of just seven months. However, investigators have yet to make any visible progress into the killings of bloggers -- Avijit Roy, Oyasiqur Rahman and Ananta Bijoy Das -- except the arrest of a handful of suspects.

Bangladesh’s child killing rate goes up alarmingly || 191 killed July 2015 year

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The rate of children being killed in the country had increased by 61 percent in 2014 than that of the previous year, according to a statistics of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) and it's not looking good at all for this year either.

Based on newspapers' reports, the BSAF said at least 191 children were killed till this July, 350 in 2014, 218 in 2013 and 209 in 2012.

The leading network of child rights organisation expressed concern, saying incidents of brutalities against children in different forms are increasing every year. At least 968 children were killed after brutal torture from 2012 to July 2015.

This year, incidents of murder, kidnap, human trafficking, rape, sexual harassment and violence against children are also on the rise, the BSAF noted.

PUBLIC EXAM QUESTIONS LEAK || TIB study finds involvement of govt officials in Bangladesh

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A section of government officials responsible for preparing, printing and distributing public exam question papers are involved in their leakage, a TIB study has found.

The leaked questions are then spread by some leaders of the ruling party's student wing, coaching centres, guidebook traders, people in photocopy shops, guardians, students and their relatives, according to the study.

Findings show all this is possible because between preparation and distribution there are too many steps -- 40 in all with 19 of them risky.

Leaked questions are sold for between Tk 20 and 20,000, the graft watchdog said yesterday, releasing the report at a press conference at its Dhanmondi office in the capital.

TERRIBLE TOILETS || Dhaka's public hospital washrooms simply living nightmare to patients, attendants

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Hospital is the byword for cleanliness and hygiene, or at least that is what you would think. Go to the toilets at the emergency block of Pangu Hospital and you would have your faith in hospital hygiene pretty much destroyed.

You would never want to go back in there.

The word unhygienic falls far short when you are trying to describe the toilet. It's dark, damp, filthy, and garbage is scattered everywhere.

And oh! the horrifying gut-wrenching stench from the toilets flooded with faeces.

Your inner organs would want to leap out with your vomit.

This is the state of the toilets The Daily Star correspondents found during a recent visit to National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics Rehabilitation, popularly known as Pangu Hospital.

Bangalees observe 74th death anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore today

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Rabindranath Tagore is not just a name in Bangla literature, he is the joy in our celebrations, hope in our plight and inspiration in our struggle for a better world.

The greatest of all Bangalee writers dealt with the subject of death in many of his poems, songs, plays and prose pieces, and pondered whether death was the ultimate truth of life.

He journeyed to the beyond on this day, 22nd Srabon in 1348 of the Bangla calendar or August 7, 1941.

But we all know how death has failed to separate him from us. Even 74 years after his death, he remains as ubiquitous in our lives as he was while alive. The vast body of his unsurpassable creations touches us in so many ways that we feel his ubiquity every so often. 

Shots fired at Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram's car

The cricketer was not hurt in the attack

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram's car has been fired at in Karachi, the country's commercial capital, police say.

The shooting took place near the National Stadium in Karachi's Karsaz area on Wednesday, reports said. The ex-bowler was not hurt in the attack.

Police said the incident appeared to be a case of road rage.

Gun violence is not uncommon in Karachi, with much of it linked to militant groups.

Wasim told the Express News channel: "A car hit mine, I stopped him and then his guy stepped out and fired at my car."

India extends $1b credit by $62m

Bogra Sangbad Desk : India today announced to increase the cash amount of the $1 billion credit line for Bangladesh that was given mostly to boost connectivity.

The country is providing $62 million more in the remaining $800 million tranche, said a press release of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

The decision was made based on further negotiations between the two countries to cater for rise in expenditure on the Khulna-Mongla and the Kulaura-Shahbazpur rail link, the media release said.

India's inter-linking of river project is devoid of legal basis

Bogra Sangbad Desk : It appears from recent newspaper reportings in India and Bangladesh that India has not deviated from her decades old plan of massive inter-linking of river plan to divert substantial amount of water from Brahmaputra to her South West region. It is learnt that our Ministry of Water Resources has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the Indian Government to know her position and also to let India know our position on the issue. We are yet to know whether such communication has at all taken place, and what is the outcome of any communication if it has taken place.

BASIC BANK SCAM || Mr Commission stays untouched

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Import-export firm AVIATE International was in desperate need of Tk 15 crore loans since the start of 2012 to keep its business afloat.

Its owner somehow came to know that Sheikh Shariar Panna, younger brother of the then BASIC Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu, could arrange a quick loan for the firm.

Sirajul Amin, elder son of AVIATE's owner Nurul Amin, then contacted Panna through some middlemen, who assured him of managing loans double the amount the firm needed.

On May 25, 2012, Panna had BASIC Bank's Bashundhara branch approve a loan of Tk 8.3 crore for the firm, and demanded Tk 4.8 crore in “consultancy fees” -- 16 percent of the promised loans of Tk 30 crore.

Ex-enclave citizens to get farm loans, CSR funds

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The new Bangladeshi citizens from the former enclaves will get farm loans and corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets from the scheduled banks operating in the country.

The central bank today issued two separate circulars in this regard, two days after the exchange of enclaves between Bangladesh and India.

The decision regarding the farm loans was made to expand agricultural activities in these areas, says one of the circulars.

Bangladesh to purchase modern surveillance equipment || Tk 200cr proposal to intensify watch on phone calls, social network activities

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The government has decided to purchase modern equipment worth more than Tk 200 crore to step up mobile phone, email and social network surveillance.

The home ministry has recently sent a proposal to the cabinet committee on economic affairs, seeking relaxation of Public Procurement Regulations (PPR) for direct purchase of the equipment, ministry officials said.

More modern equipment is required to assume more control over obstructing or recording users' telephonic or online communications so that intelligence activities could be conducted more smoothly, they informed.

High yield yet little joy for growers

Wholesalers buy the luscious fruits from there and transport them to different places of the country. Photo: Arifur Rahman

Bogra Sangbad Desk : As the only floating guava market in Jhalakathi, Vimruli attracts orchardists keen to sell their daily harvest from across the district.

Buyers from all over the country are similarly drawn to the market with a view to transporting the fruit to cities and towns. Every day 15 large trawlers arrive to load guavas. But these days prices offered to growers are a pittance.

Cheers!

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Ratan Miah and his neighbours in Banshkata had good reasons to be happy yesterday. They not only became citizens of Bangladesh, after the enclave exchange, but Ratan also got to marry the girl of his dreams.

Ratan's bride Nurfa Begum, 19, had turned down the marriage proposal because Ratan, 26, was a citizen of an Indian enclave. She did not want an Indian husband.

But, all that changed yesterday and wedding was held.

Banshkata is one of the 111 enclaves India exchanged with Bangladesh in the four northern districts yesterday.  

Bangladesh Bank awards top remitters

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Bangladesh Bank today honoured 31 non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) for sending the highest amount of remittances last year to encourage the expatriates to send money home through legal channels.

Two exchange houses that transfer money have also been awarded by the BB for the first time.

Myanmar floods: President declares state of emergency

Apartments buildings in Chin state collapsed following a landslide

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Myanmar's president has declared a state of emergency in four regions after heavy floods left 27 people dead.

Monsoon rains over many weeks have led to flooding in most of the country (also known as Burma).

Myanmar's President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in four regions - Chin, Magwe, Sagaing and Rakhine.

Thousands of people are sheltering in monasteries, but one report said people from the Rohingya Muslim minority were turned away from some shelters.

The Myanmar Times said security forces turned away Rohingya Muslims from abandoned schools and community centres in the western Rakhine state.

Enclaves swapped in landmark India-Bangladesh border deal

The enclaves, a legacy of colonial times, have been a contentious issue for decades

Bogra Sangbad Desk : India and Bangladesh have swapped control of some 160 small pockets of land on each other's territory.

The enclaves, home to some 50,000 people, were created through local peace treaties in the 18th Century.

New national flags were to be hoisted as a landmark accord between the two countries came into effect at midnight local time on Friday.

Residents were asked to choose where they wanted to live and which nationality they would prefer.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to become a father

The couple posted a picture to accompany Zuckerberg's announcement.

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are expecting a baby girl.

The couple made the announcement with a post on Zuckerberg's Facebook page.

"Priscilla and I have some exciting news: we're expecting a baby girl!" he wrote to his 33 million followers.

In his post, the 31-year-old revealed that they had suffered three miscarriages previously, but added that the risk of miscarrying at this stage of the pregnancy was low.

FREE, finally || Enclaves fall, dwellers erupt into celebration

Two men in their 90s in Banshpachai enclave of Lalmonirhat embrace on the eve of the exchange of enclaves between Bangladesh and India. The two neighbours were not on talking terms for 30 years over a dispute on a piece of land. The exchange of enclaves put an end to their longstanding feud yesterday. Photo: S Dilip Roy

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The clock struck 12:00am.

It was the moment when around 52,000 inhabitants of 162 enclaves inside Bangladesh and India got the taste of freedom for the first time in 68 years, officially becoming citizens either of the two countries.

It was also the moment when the tiny pockets of land -- or enclaves -- in each other's territories got merged with the respective countries, bringing an end to one of the most complicated and confusing border disputes in the world.

Separated again 68 years after

Mrinal Chandra Barman, left, and others at Indian enclave Dashiarchhara in Phulbari of Kurigram. They want to become Indian nationals. Photo: Zahed Khan

Bogra Sangbad Desk : It is nothing compared to the greatest migration in history when people moved like ants to cross borders into Bengal and Punjab. There will be no violence and death stalking them at every footstep. And yet there will be many similarities.

Second time in the history of this sub-continent, a mass migration, however small may be the number – 979 to be exact and only one way from this side to India– will take place anytime soon once the enclaves will no longer exist from midnight today.

Monetary policy rates remain unchanged

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The central bank today announced its monetary policy for the first half of the current fiscal year, keeping policy rates unchanged.

The repo and reverse repo rates remain at 7.25 percent and 5.25 percent respectively as they were in the previous monetary policy. 

The monetary programme for the new financial year is designed to contain credit growth within limits consistent with real sector output growth, said Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman, while announcing the policy for July-December period.  

“[But] BB will have no hesitation in considering easing of the repo and reverse repo policy interest rates to appropriate extent immediately as headline point-to-point and core CPI inflation assume clear downward edging  turn,” he said at a programme at his office.

The Lost Panorama

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Many major cities in the world boast a flowing river by its side. And it is the river that greatly contributes to the beauty or development of these cities. London has the Thames. New York has the Hudson River. Paris is blessed with the Seine. Dhaka, too, has a river it owes a lot to: the Buriganga.

Along the Buriganga, Dhaka once grew to become one of the most flourishing cities. The view from the river would have portrayed that, if we simply cared about its frontline, which features grand palaces, mosques and so on. Instead, we abuse the river and with it, we also abuse its banks.

Bangladesh to set up fund for sustainable production of hilsa || Govt hopes to see increased production in next seasons

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The government is going to set up “Hilsa Development Trust Fund” for sustainable production of hilsa in the country. 

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque said this at a press conference held at the Matshya Bhaban conference room marking the start of National Fisheries Week yesterday.

The minister, however, did not give any details regarding the trust fund for the national fish of the country.

"The production of the Hilsa has now reached 3.85 lakh tonnes which is worth Tk 17,000 crore. Necessary programmes will be taken to raise the production of the Hilsa further,” the minister said.

9.4m migrants send back $15b || Women migrant workers rising centering UAE

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A total of 9.4 million Bangladeshi migrants are toiling in various parts of the globe and sending their hard-earned money back home.

The fruits of their hard-work are paying off as an incredible $15.31 billion in remittance was received in fiscal 2015 - the highest in the country’s history.

Although total migration has declined by 30% in 2014 compared to 2012, the number of Bangladeshi female migrants has been on the rise despite global economic slump.

One country which stands out in terms of employment of female workers is UAE. According to BMET statistics of June 2015, UAE is the home to 27% of total female migrants of Bangladesh.

Apple fake factory 'caught in China'

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A factory which had made up to 41,000 fake Apple iPhones has been caught in China leading to nine arrests.

The operation reportedly involved "hundreds" of workers repackaging second hand smartphone parts as new iPhones for export, with the counterfeit phones produced worth 120m yuan ($19m).

The factory was discovered on 14 May but was revealed on social media by Beijing's public security bureau on Sunday, according to reports.

The operation was set up in January.

Abdul Kalam: People's president, extraordinary Indian

Dr Kalam was one of the most popular Indian presidents. Photo: AFP

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen (APJ) Abdul Kalam, India's 11th president, who collapsed and died aged 83, on Monday evening while doing what he loved - addressing students - was an extraordinary Indian.

Born in humble circumstances in a Muslim family in rural Tamil Nadu, a young boy who sold newspapers as a boy to help his family make ends meet rose to the highest office in the land. And he did so not through the conventional route of a political career but through the dint of hard work as a scientist in government service.

RISKY BILLBOARDS || Safety totally unwatched || DCCs' jobs restricted to occasional drives only

All over the city, hundreds of similar billboards present a high risk of collapse as their entire weight is supported by a single pole.

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Several thousand risky billboards and signposts set up legally and illegally across the capital pose a constant death threat to the city dwellers, in the absence of an effective oversight by the city authorities to ensure public safety.

Only 100 tigers found in Sundarbans

A rescued tigress swims in the Sundarikati river after being released by forestry officials at Sunderbans in February 2008. AFP Photo/Deshakalyan Chowdhury

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Bangladesh has only about 100 tigers living in the world's largest mangrove forest, far fewer of the endangered animals than previously thought, following a recent survey, a top forestry official said Monday.

Floating vegetable farm in Bangladesh || Lalmonirhat farmers cultivate on abandoned water bodies

A farmer harvests from his floating vegetables bed in Kutripar village of Aditmari upazila, Lalmonirhat. Photo: Star

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Vegetable cultivation on floating beds prepared on abandoned water bodies has been a boon to several hundred landless farmers of around 25 villages in Lalmonirhat.

More than 400 farmers in the Lalmonirhat Sadar, Aditmari and Hatibandha upazilas are profiting from the unique farming in the Teesta and Dharla river basin areas.

40,000 marooned as floods hit different districts in Bangladesh || Floods engulf vast areas in Bandarban, Cox's Bazar, Feni as rivers swell

People wade through knee-deep water on Bandarban-Chittagong link road. Photo: Star

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Rain and onrush of water from upstream caused the flooding to worsen in the hilly district of Bandarban, and Feni and Cox's Bazar yesterday.

This is the second time floods have affected these places this year.

Around 40,000 people in Bandarban were marooned and road communications between the district and other parts of the country remained snapped for the second consecutive day yesterday, reports our correspondent there citing local public representatives. 

Catman of West Bengal (video)

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Inspired by the show on Discovery channel ‘Man vs Wild’, Rajkumar Biswas of West Bengal changed his eating habits to things that are raw and bizarre.

The youth from Basirhat area of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal relishes on insects, lizards and other animals that are far from being included in a ‘normal diet’.

Rajkumar, the son of a local barber, quit school in order to help his father with the shop. Despite working hard, he was an avid television freak and managed to have a peek during his breaks, particularly watching the Discovery Channel, his favourite.

Stop further distribution of Brazil wheat: SC

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The apex court today ordered a stop on further distribution of the wheat imported from Brazil in the backdrop of questions regarding its quality.

The remaining wheat will not be distributed to any organisation or department until further order of the Supreme Court.

Furthermore, the four-member Appellate Division bench extended a stay on a High Court verdict that ordered government to take back Brazil wheat from an organisation if it is willing to return it.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, came up with the order during a hearing on a petition moved by the government seeking a stay on the High Court order.

Mob murder or planned killing? || Victim's family claims of manpower tout's plot; imam held over 'use of mike to incite people'

Family of Monir who was branded as a robber and beaten dead by some people in Comilla. Photo: TV Grab

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Confusion reigns over the lynching of Monir as a “robber” in Comilla 11 days ago with the family members alleging it was a planned murder.

Monir's father Moslem Uddin Sarkar, a former officer of agriculture extension department, claimed his son had fallen victim to a travel agent's trap.

adict Moslem's claim, according to police.

World's largest flower blooms in Tokyo park

The rare bloom is on display at the Jindai botanical gardens in Tokyo.

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A giant flower, said to be one of the world's oldest and largest species, has bloomed at a Tokyo park for the first time in five years, it's reported.

The 2-metre-high (6.5 feet) Titan arum rarely flowers and is notoriously difficult to propagate. The Jindai botanical gardens in the city of Chofu have extended their opening hours especially to allow hundreds of visitors to see the flower, which only blooms for one or two days, Japan's Kyodo News Service reports.

Buy your own boat for as low as Tk 3,000 (video)

Bogra Sangbad Desk : One can get nearly anything from the supershops nowadays, but to get a boat and maybe spend the next holidays on rivers can still prove farfetched – until now.

Stretched across a small piece of land at the banks of Brahmaputra lies the place of a 200-year-old haat that has one other specialty besides having a history through the British era.

In monsoon, this Kaikkertek in Sonargaon of Narayanganj plays host to a market of small boats that one can get in as low amount as Tk 3,000.

Nepal quake: To live on after the disaster (video) || China Daily Asia

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Three months since Nepal was rocked by a devastating earthquake, life is returning to normal for some. But thousands of Nepalis still have no home and a means to make a living. China Daily met with one family struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Source : The Daily Star

BRUTAL KILLING OF RAJON || Probe finds negligence of police in arresting killers of Sylhet boy

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A police probe committee has found negligence of law enforcers in arresting the killers of 13-year-old Samiul Alam Rajon, and political influence in letting one perpetrator flee the country.

Based on the committee report, the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) closed an officer-in-charge and suspended two sub-inspectors of Jalalabad Police Station yesterday.

Rahmat Ullah, additional deputy commissioner of the SMP, confirmed to The Daily Star that the action was taken against OC (investigation) Alamgir Hossain and sub-inspectors Aminul Islam and Zakir Hossain.

Earlier on July 14, SI Aminul Islam was withdrawn allegedly for cutting a deal with accused Kamrul Islam and helping him flee to Saudi Arabia after the killing.

"Police failed to arrest Rajon's murderers due to their negligence and there was a political interference to save them," SMP Additional Commissioner SM Rokun Uddin, who headed the probe body, told this correspondent yesterday.

A father's struggle || Cheated by manpower brokers, Sirajganj farmer toils in Malaysia

Bogra Sangbad Desk : In the midst of a busy Eid shopping day in the bustling island city of Penang, Musa Sheikh, 53, was selling tabiz, amulets thought to bring good luck and protect people from diseases. This is how he tries to earn a few extra ringgits in Malaysia.

“People here don't care for tabiz. Only some Bangladeshis buy them once in a while. Whatever I get is my income,” said Musa, who looks much older than his age.

His tabiz for good luck does not seem to help him much. He does not have a valid work permit in Malaysia. Even if he had one, employers would be unlikely to hire him for work given his age and weak physique. He stays without any work for almost half a month. In his spare time, he sells his good luck tabiz.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING LINK || Thai general, 71 others indicted

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Thai prosecutors have indicted 72 people, including politicians and an army general, over the trafficking of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Arrest warrants have been issued for more than 30 others, the attorney general's office said yesterday.

The investigation follows the discovery of mass graves, believed to contain the bodies of refugees, in jungle camps near the Thai-Malaysian border in May.

Many migrants endured arduous sea journeys before arriving in Thailand.

Boat of dreams

Children exiting a boat school at a Baniachong haor in Habiganj. Photo: Star

Bogra Sangbad Desk : “Bhai re [Brother], I could not attend school. And now, I have to toil from dawn to dusk to eke out a living. Even at night, I go to bed with my head full of worries. No, I don't want my son to grow up to be someone like me. I want him to be educated and become an officer ... a big service holder.”

This is how 40-year-old day labourer Idris Mia was describing his dream for his son to this correspondent, sitting on the roof of a boat in Batiparar Beel, a wetland at Kagapasha village in Habiganj district's Baniachong.

Thailand indicts 72 people over human trafficking

Migrants were taken to shelters after being rescued from the sea. Photo: Reuters

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Thai prosecutors have indicted 72 people, including politicians and an army general, over the trafficking of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Arrest warrants have been issued for more than 30 others, the attorney general's office said.

The investigation follows the discovery of mass graves, believed to contain the bodies of refugees, in jungle camps near the Thai-Malaysian border in May.

Many migrants endured arduous sea journeys before arriving in Thailand.

Rajon killing: Probe finds cops' negligence, political influence

Another suspect in Rajon killing case has been arrested on Wednesday.

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A police probe body, formed to investigate the killing of Samiul Alam Rajon, found negligence of law enforcers in arresting the killers and political influence in letting the perpetrators flee.

“Police failed to arrest Rajon’s murderers due to their negligence and there was a political interference to save them,” said SM Rokon Uddin, additional commissioner of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) and also head of the probe body.

SM Rokon Uddin along with two members of the investigation committee submitted the reports to the SMP Commissioner Kamrul Ahsan around 11:00pm last night, reports our Moulvibazar correspondent.

US to help Bangladesh to mitigate global warming

Bogra Sangbad Desk : The US expressed its firm willingness to stand beside Bangladesh for mitigation and adaptation of the adverse effect of the global warming on Thursday according to a press release from the Embassy of Bangladesh, Washington DC.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Mohammad Ziauddin met Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) at the Capitol Hill on July 23 when they discussed, among others, adverse impacts of climate change on Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Ambassador in the meeting said that climate change, a fact of life of the people of Bangladesh, is hardly of their own making. Bangladesh being one of the least emitters of CO2 (with only 0.3 metric ton per capita emission) is the most vulnerable to the adverse impact of the changing climate. 

Indo-Bangla officials discuss land issue

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Enclave dwellers have to sell land before migrating to India. Enclave people who opted for relocating to India will have to sell their properties in Bangladesh territory on their own beforehand.

The decision came at a meeting of the Bangladesh-India joint boundary working committee to implement the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).

The two-day meeting opened yesterday at a city hotel to discuss various issues regarding exchange of enclaves between the two countries.

A total of 979 dwellers in Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh territory have expressed willingness to move to India. But the question arose how their property-related problems would be resolved, officials said.

Abductors on the prowl

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Rights bodies find law enforcers' link to many incidents; law enforcers blame criminals in guise of police in most cases.

On the morning of July 12, all the hustle and bustle of the busy Eid market at the capital's Science Laboratory intersection came to a standstill, at least for a few minutes. Five armed men jumped out of a white microbus and forced two men into the vehicle. It was around 10:30.

The flower of a single day

Bogra Sangbad Desk : As the summer sets in, I keep a watchful eye on the Padauk rows in the capital's High Court and Hare Road areas lest I should miss a treat.

They, of course, have not betrayed the flower-lovers over the past few decades. Quite a few trees were in flower this year, a little sporadically though. This is typical of Padauk.

The flowers stay for a day only but blossom in different trees on different days. If one is lucky enough, he might see flowers in a couple of trees close together.

Earth-like planet among new Kepler telescope haul

Earth-like planet Kepler-452b orbits at a very similar distance from its star, although its radius is 60% larger. Photo taken from BBC

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A haul of planets from Nasa's Kepler telescope includes a world sharing many characteristics with Earth.

Kepler-452b orbits at a very similar distance from its star, although its radius is 60% larger.

Its sun is of similar size and brightness to our own, but much older.

Such worlds are of interest to astronomers because they might be small and cool enough to host liquid water on their surface - and might therefore be hospitable to life.

Zuckerberg moves closer to become world's richest person

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has moved a step closer to becoming the richest person in the world.

Zuckerberg is now on the ninth place in Bloomberg's Billionaire list as of July 22.

The 31-year-old has a fortune worth $42.5 billion, a rise of $8 billion in the year so far.

He is followed by Swedish business magnate Ingvar Kamprad who is only $0.4 billion behind the Facebook founder.

Jaywalkers top railway deaths

Bogra Sangbad Desk : It was a morning like any other when Sabbir Hossain was going to take tuition at a coaching centre. With headphones tightly pressed in his ears, he was listening to his favorite music and casually walking on the rail-tracks.

As a train approached him from behind, locals at the scene started to shout out to warn him; sadly he could not hear and the train ran over the teenage boy.  

This unfortunately is a very common scenario in Bangladesh. The idea of strolling, sitting and setting up shops on rail tracks is not uncommon. 

Liberians 'pressured to sell land' for palm oil plantations

Communities in Liberia are being pressured to sign away their land to make way for palm oil plantations, according to a campaign group. AFP PHOTO / SIA KAMBOU

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Communities in Liberia are being pressured to sign away their land to make way for palm oil plantations, according to a campaign group.

Global Witness says Liberians have been beaten and arrested for refusing, and wants a government investigation.

INHUMAN || 2 children tortured over trifling matter

Nasim, 9, and Yasin, 8, tied and chained to a tree for removing a fence blocking a road at Joynagar of Shyamnagar in Satkhira on July 16. This photo was published in Patradoot, a local newspaper, yesterday. Photo: Collected

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Their scantily lungi-clad young bodies bear the hallmark of unimaginable cruelty.

The two minors were tied to a tree, their bodies coiled with ropes. And as if that were not enough, their tormentor tied their hands separately with ropes and their feet with iron shackles.

One of oldest 'Quran scripts' found in UK

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A Quran manuscript has been carbon dated to close to the time of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), making it one of the oldest in the world, a British university said yesterday.

The two leaves of parchment, filled with "surprisingly legible" text from Islam's holy book, have been dated to around the early seventh century, the University of Birmingham said.

Water not safe for urban people

Bogra Sangbad Desk : Fifty-five percent of urban households surveyed across the country use water that contains risky levels of hazardous bacteria E. coli at source, according to the findings of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Though Bangladesh has set a parameter that no E. coli should be found in a 100-millilitre sample of drinking water, the bacteria has been found from 1 to more than 100 colony forming units (cfu) per 100-ml sample of water, says the BBS. 

155 trafficking victims brought back from Myanmar

Border Guard Bangladesh members near the Myanmar border in Coxs Bazar ahead of BGB flag meeting to repatriate 155 Bangladeshi nationals on July 22, 2015. Photo: TV grab

Bogra Sangbad Desk : A total of 155 Bangladeshi trafficking victims who were rescued by Myanmar from the sea were repatriated home today.

Myanmar’s immigration department and Border Guard Police (BGP) handed over them to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) this afternoon.