Contradicting Rab claim that the Ghoraghat UNO and her father were attacked by a local Jubo League leader, police in Dinajpur yesterday said they arrested a suspended government staffer for his alleged involvement in the incident.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) yesterday eased the restrictions on carriers over how many passengers an aircraft could carry on domestic routes effective today.

The constantly evolving narcotics rackets in Cox’s Bazar have been opening up new fronts to smuggle yaba pills into Bangladesh from Myanmar, largely avoiding Teknaf due to increased vigilance by law enforcers there.

For the last one month, Akbar Hossain has been torn between two difficult choices: send his wife and children to the village or reduce the amount of money he sends his elderly parents.

Six months on since declaring a pandemic, the WHO chief said on Thursday the lack of solidarity and leadership among world powers was “what worries me most” in the fight against Covid-19.

Malaysia’s decision to lift the travel ban on Bangladesh and 22 other countries will reduce the hurdles for many Bangladeshis returning to their workplaces in that country.

India and China said yesterday they had agreed to de-escalate renewed tensions on their contested Himalayan border and take steps to restore “peace and tranquillity” following a high-level diplomatic meeting in Moscow.

OC Amirul Islam was withdrawn from Ghoraghat Police Station yesterday, eight days after UNO Wahida Khanam came under attack at her official residence in the upazila town.

The intimidating atmosphere in their areas, disputes with local ruling party men, and on top of this, brutal attacks on two UNOs over the years have given rise to a sense of unease among government officials working in Dinajpur.

So where have they gone? Despite 76,000 children being born in the camps in the last three years, the number of Rohingya refugees in all camps of Ukhiya and Teknaf has actually decreased to 8.60 lakh as of July this year.

Fifty-three Supreme Court lawyers yesterday collectively sent a legal notice to the government, requesting it to constitute an independent commission to investigate the allegations against law enforcers of committing crimes.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government was not sparing anyone involved in extrajudicial killings.

The police probe has found involvement of 19 people in the killing of Taslima Begum Renu in the capital’s Badda last year.

Three more men injured in the Narayanganj mosque fire died yesterday, raising the toll to 31.

For years, India has been promising to bring the killing of Bangladeshis along the Indo-Bangla border down to zero.

Drugs giant AstraZeneca yesterday said a Covid-19 vaccine could still be available by as early as the end of the year, despite a randomised clinical trial being paused.

Already trailing behind in the race to get a potential Covid-19 vaccine, Bangladesh is all set to start the much-talked-about clinical trial of the Chinese shot by the end of this month.

The High Court yesterday directed Titas Gas Ltd to give Tk 5 lakh as initial costs in seven days to each family of the victims, who died and suffered burn injuries in the Narayanganj mosque blast.

Safety of a prospective Covid-19 vaccine comes “first and foremost”, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said yesterday, as a trial of a leading candidate from AstraZeneca was paused due to concerns over side effects.

Eminent jurists and rights activists yesterday welcomed the first ever verdict in a case filed under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act 2013 and said it will encourage people to come forward to file cases under this act.