Of queues and chaos

A total of 312 Bangladeshis, who were stranded in Coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka yesterday morning.

China faced deepening isolation over its coronavirus epidemic yesterday as the death toll soared to 259, with the United States and Australia leading a growing list of nations to impose extraordinary Chinese travel bans.

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists seemed to have taken Awami League presidium member Abdur Rahman’s instruction of “occupying and controlling” polling centres seriously, as members of the ruling party’s student wing were seen in large numbers at seven centres inside Dhaka University (DU) campus.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday said polling agents should have the strength to stay put at polling centres.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka for Rome on Tuesday on a four-day visit to hold talks with her Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte.

Whether voters needed help or not, polling agents of the ruling party insisted on being by their sides at all times -- even inside the sacred area of the polling booth where nobody save the EVM machine is supposed to be a witness.

The United Kingdom left the European Union yesterday for an uncertain Brexit future, the most significant change to its place in the world since the loss of empire and a blow to 70 years of efforts to forge European unity from the ruins of war.

In a meeting with government officials, Bangabandhu urges them to dedicate themselves to the service of the people. He reminds them that they are not masters but servants of the people.

The BNP yesterday alleged that the government made all preparations for influencing the Dhaka city polls to ensure victories for the Awami League candidates.

Mexico will not tolerate the presence of Central American migrants who intend to enter the country violently or with an aim to cause trouble, the foreign minister warned Thursday.

Violent attacks in Afghanistan’s war jumped to record levels in the last quarter of 2019, a US government watchdog said yesterday, underscoring the conflict’s continued toll despite a relative calm in Kabul.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday hit out at the Damascus regime’s “cruelty”, warning Turkey was prepared to use “military force” again in Syria.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday Washington’s support for Ukraine was unwavering during a delicate visit to the country at the heart of the US impeachment process.

American women are catching up to men, at least in terms of wages, according to a study published Thursday showing the pay gap between the sexes has narrowed considerably since 1980.

President Donald Trump’s hopes for a speedy acquittal by the Senate received a boost on Thursday as Democrats suffered a setback in their efforts to introduce new witnesses at his impeachment trial.

A Rohingya man suspected of drug peddling was killed in what officials said was a gunfight with Rab in Cox’s Bazar early yesterday.

Bangladesh had a mixed record on human rights in 2019 as the country hosted a million refugees and achieved a little progress in realising economic and social rights while some freedoms remained under attack, says a report published by Amnesty International.

A teenage quarry worker died in the line of duty as a chunk of stone came crashing down on him at an illegal quarry in Shah Arefin Tila area of Sylhet’s Companiganj upazila on Thursday.

Dhaka District police suspended seven members of its Detective Branch (DB) for their alleged involvement in extorting Tk 4.5 lakh from a trader after ‘threatening to kill him in crossfire’.