MNA National Desk: Police on Thursday submitted the charge sheet against Faizul Hasan Foyez, his four other family members and one of his friends in connection with the attack on renowned writer Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal. Jalalabad Police Station OC Shafiqul Islam said Amulya Kumar Chowdhury, assistant police commissioner (prosecution), submitted the 353- page charge sheet with the court of Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Haridas Pal around 11:45am. The other charge-sheeted accused are Faizul’s father Hafez Maulana Atiqur Rahman, mother Minara Begum, brother Enamul Hasan, maternal uncle Md Fazlur Rahman and friend Sohagh Miah. Faizul had planned to kill Prof Zafar ...

MNA Sports Desk: Shimron Hetmyer scored a superb century as Bangladesh stumbled in the final over to hand the West Indies a series-levelling victory in their one-day game on Wednesday. The hosts made it 1-1 in the best-of-three series after Bangladesh failed to score eight runs off their final over for what would have been a series win. Shimron Hetmyer blazed 125 off 93 balls to pace the home side to a competitive 271 all out batting first. Bangladesh were left stranded on 268 for six after their 50 overs as West Indies held on for a three-run win. West ...

MNA International Desk: Pakistani authorities said on Thursday full results of a general election would be delayed as cricket hero-turned-politician Imran Khan led in a partial count that opponents said was rigged, reported news agency. The party of Khan’s jailed chief rival, ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, called the count an assault on democracy in the nuclear-armed, Muslim country which has a history of military rule. Any potential delays in forming a government would be worrisome, as Pakistan faces a mounting economic crisis that is likely to require a bailout by the International Monetary Fund and worsening relations with on-off ...

MNA Business Desk: The United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that US has agreed to work towards lowering trade barriers with the European Union. Trump made this comment after a meeting with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. The two would work for zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers, and zero subsidies on non-auto goods, he said. They also agreed to increase trade in services and agriculture, including greater US soy bean exports to the EU, reported news agency. The agreements come amid heightened tensions between the US and EU. The two leaders defused what had threatened to become a ...

MNA Science Desk: Using a radar instrument on an orbiting spacecraft, scientists have spotted what they said on Wednesday appears to be a sizable salt-laden lake under ice on the southern polar plain of Mars, a body of water they called a possible habitat for microbial life. The reservoir they detected — roughly 12 miles (20 km) in diameter, shaped like a rounded triangle and located about a mile (1.5 km) beneath the ice surface — represents the first stable body of liquid water ever found on Mars. The researchers said it could take years to verify whether something is ...

MNA Education Desk: The Primary Education Completion (PEC) and Ebtedayee Examinations for class V students will begin on November 18, reported news agency. The exam schedule was fixed on Wednesday at a secretariat meeting, headed by Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman, said Rabindranath Roy, the information and public relations officer of the Primary and Mass Education Ministry. The PEC exam schedule: English on November 18, Bangladesh and World Introduction on November 20, Primary Science on November 22, Mathematics on November 25, and Religion and Moral Education on November 26. The Ebtedayee exam schedule: English on November 18, Bangla ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: US pop singer Demi Lovato, who has spoken openly about her history of drug and alcohol abuse, is awake after she was taken to a Los Angeles hospital on Tuesday suffering from a suspected overdose, according to media reports. Lovato, 25, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, was “okay and stable, reported People magazine, quoting an unidentified source. “Demi is awake and with her family who want to express thanks to everyone for the love, prayers, and support,” Lovato’s representative told entertainment magazine in a statement. Representatives for Lovato did not respond to a request for comment. Entertainment news ...

MNA National Desk: Five people including four members of a family were killed and four others injured in separate incidents of landslide, triggered by incessant rainfall for the last couple of days in Sadar and Ramu upazilas of the district on Wednesday, reported news agency. The deceased were identified as Marjina Akhter, 16, Kafia Akhter, 14, Abul Khayer, 8, and Khairunnesa, 6, four children of Jamal Hossain of the area. All of the family members were asleep then, the locals added. Locals, according to the witnesses, rescued the injured and sent them to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital where doctors declared ...

MNA International Desk: Pakistanis began voting on Wednesday in a knife-edge general election pitting cricket hero Imran Khan against the party of jailed ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, with the prospect of neither winning a clear majority amid a looming currency crisis. A decade after Pakistan was last ruled by a military government, the election has been plagued by allegations the powerful armed forces have been trying to tilt the race in Khan’s favour after falling out with the outgoing ruling party of Sharif, who was jailed on corruption charges this month. Khan has emerged as a slight favourite in national ...

MNA Business Desk: Leaders of the BRICS emerging economies-Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa-will gather in Johannesburg on Wednesday for a three-day meeting focused on the threat of a US-led global trade war. US president Donald Trump’s hardening stance has compounded fears of an all-out trade war after he slapped levies on goods from China worth tens of billions of dollars and imposed tariffs on other international imports. China’s president Xi Jinping, Russian president Vladimir Putin, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian president Michel Temer will attend the annual summit, along with several African leaders invited as guests. ...

MNA Sports Desk: The 20-team Shahjalal Islami Bank Faraaz Gold Cup Inter-University Football Tournament’ 2018, is set to begin at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the capital on Wednesday. State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder will inaugurate the tournament at 4:30pm Wednesday, reported news agency. Participating teams are: Group 1: State University, Presidency University and Independent University (IUB) Group 2: Daffodil University and BUBT Group 3: Bangladesh University, Atish Dipankar University and Shanto-Mariam University Group 4: Uttara University, East West University and Southern University Group 5: Prime University and City University Group 6: Northern University and Gono Bishwabidyalay. ...

MNA Feature Desk: Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, a versatile writer- television presenter, stepped into the 80th year today. He is mainly an educationist and literary. He is also a television presenter, organizer, and activist. Creating `Bishwo Shahitto Kendro` that promotes the study of literature, reading habits and a progressive idea is his greatest achievement. Through this center, he is constantly working to deliver the hidden light to the people. Today is his 79th birth anniversary. He was born on July 25, 1939, in Park Circus, Kolkata. His paternal home was in Kamargati village under Kachua thana of Bagerhat district. As ...

MNA Tech Desk: Samsung has launched a brand new smartphone styled Galaxy J8, the latest addition to its most popular range of J series smartphones in Bangladesh, reported news agency. The world’s leading smartphone manufacturer came up with the new brand with the aim “to bring amazing flagship features within midrange”. “Its design has been engineered to offer improved durability and comfortable grip, without compromising on style,” the company said in a news release issued in Dhaka on Tuesday. The Samsung Galaxy J8 has a 16MP and 5MP dual rear camera setup. “The phone is ideal for low light photography ...

MNA Sports Desk: Shakib Al Hasan feels the spinner-friendly pitch in Providence presents Bangladesh a great chance of winning the series against the Windies with one game left to play. Bangladesh lead the three-match one-day international series after winning the first match by 48 runs, reports media. ‘We have the best chance in Guyana,’ Hasan told reporters ahead of the second ODI, to be played on Wednesday, 25 July. ‘This is perhaps the only wicket in West Indies that is known for assisting the spinners and we have got a good track record here.’ ‘We will try to wrap the ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Coke Studio Pakistan’s eleventh edition has just taken a step towards inclusivity of the marginalised community. It’s quite a historic move. The show that features live studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists recently dropped a promo with Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s legendary nazm ‘Hum Dekhenge’—a rendition performed by a lineup of singers who will be taking the stage in the upcoming season, reports news agency. While the promo gave the audience a glimpse of well-known singers such as Momina Mustehsan, Ali Azmat, Abida Parveen, Jawad Ahmed, Ahad Raza Mir, it is the inclusion of transgender artistes ...

MNA National Desk: Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at many places across the country in the next 24 hours tomorrow, reported news agency. “Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places in Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at some places across the country in the next 24 hours commencing at 9:00am today,” said a Met bulletin issued here this morning. The highest rainfall in the last 24-hour ...

MNA International Desk: An “unprecedented” heatwave in Japan has killed at least 65 people in one week, government officials said Tuesday, with the weather agency now classifying the record-breaking weather as a “natural disaster.” In the week to Sunday at least 65 people died of heat stroke while 22,647 people were hospitalised, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a statement. Both figures are “the worst-ever for any week during summer” since the agency began recording fatalities resulting from heat stroke in July 2008, an agency spokesman told news agency. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday that ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Bangladesh Bank, the central bank and apex regulatory body for the country’s monetary and financial system, is turning out to be a mysterious organization day by day. In recent years, this esteemed organization of the country has been under severe question due to its relation to several scams. We have even seen removal of its governor based on some allegations of negligence towards his duty. But still its image is under serious threats due to more and more wrong incidents. Being one of the controlling and regulatory authority of the whole banking and financial sectors of Bangladesh, ...

MNA Sports Desk: The German Football Association (DFB) on Monday rejected accusations that it was racist after star midfielder Mesut Ozil said on Sunday he would no longer play for the national team because he faced “racism and disrespect” due to his Turkish roots, reported news agency. “We emphatically reject the DFB being linked to racism,” the DFB said in a statement. “The DFB has been very involved in integration work in Germany for many years.” Ozil, who plays for English club Arsenal, said DFB president Reinhard Grindel had blamed him for Germany’s poor performance at this year’s World Cup, ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The UN Security Council urged Myanmar’s government on Monday to step up efforts to create conditions that will allow Rohingya Muslims who fled a violent crackdown to safely return to the country from neighbouring Bangladesh. The council stressed in a statement following closed briefings that progress is also needed by Myanmar on implementing agreements on relations with the UN refugee and development agencies and with Bangladesh on returning Rohingya, reported news agency. Security Council members again stressed “the importance of undertaking transparent and independent investigations in allegations of human rights abuses and violations.” The new UN special ...

MNA Feature Desk: Today is the 39th death anniversary of the legendary Bengali film actor Uttam Kumar. To observe the day in a befitting manner, different socio-cultural organizations have chalked out elaborate programmes. Uttam Kumar is admired as the iconic superstar of Bengali cinema of all time. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and classic actors of Indian cinema and known as Mahanayak. Uttam earned fame through producing at least seven films alongside worked as singer, composer and director in another six films during his lifetime. Uttam Kumar was born as Arun Kumar Chatterjee at his ancestral ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is battling President Donald Trump in court over their alleged sexual encounter a decade ago, and her husband plan to divorce, her lawyer announced Monday. Daniels, 39, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, married Glendon Crain, 41, in 2010. Crain is a heavy metal musician and pornographic movie actor, featuring in adult films under the name Brendon Miller. Daniels, who was married twice previously, gave birth to a daughter in 2011. Daniels is suing Trump to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from discussing their alleged 2006 sexual encounter. Daniels ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday asked the public servants to do the work for the people’s benifit, abstaining the ‘red tape culture’. “There’ll be complexities in every work…once there was a red tape culture; now we’re using white tape (in public office files), but it doesn’t imply that the work will be getting quicker for using the white tape as the red tape (culture) still exists,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating National Public Service Day 2018 and distributing Public Administration Award 2018 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, reported news agency. She ...

MNA National Desk: Police have submitted a charge sheet against eight suspects believed to be involved in the militant attack on Gulshan’s Holey Artisan Bakery, which led to the deaths of 20 hostages, reported news agency. The charge sheet has been sent after all formalities were completed, Police Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit Chief Monirul Islam, whose unit led the investigation, said at a press conference at Minto Road on Monday. Six suspects are currently in prison while two are absconding, he said. The investigation did not find the involvement of former North South University teacher Hasnat Karim, who ...

MNA International Desk: Fourteen people, including a young girl, were shot near downtown Toronto, police in Canada’s biggest city said on Sunday, with one person killed and the gunman also dead, reported news agency. The young girl was in a critical condition, Toronto police chief Mark Saunders said. “We are looking at all possible motives… and not closing any doors,” Saunders told reporters at the site of the shooting. Paramedics, firefighters and police converged on the shooting in Toronto’s east end, which has many popular restaurants, cafes and shops. Police said the gunman had used a handgun. Earlier reports said ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: A key member of an international advisory panel on Myanmar’s crisis-hit Rakhine state has resigned, telling news agency that the Aung San Suu Kyi-appointed board risks becoming “part of the problem” in a conflict that forced 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee. Retired Thai lawmaker and ambassador Kobsak Chutikul was secretary for the panel hand-picked by civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to advise her government on how to handle the aftermath of a military campaign that drove the minority out of the country. Kobsak Chutikul said his position became untenable ahead of a second full meeting of ...

MNA Business Desk: European finance leaders called for progress on global rules to tax the digital economy at a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in Argentina on Sunday, putting them at odds with US counterparts. The final communique reaffirmed a commitment to address the impacts of the shift to a digital economy on the international tax system by 2020, without giving more details. The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, proposed rules earlier this year to make digital companies pay more tax, with US tech giants such as Alphabet’s Google, Facebook and Amazon set ...