Bailout package for recession-hit next week

Export-oriented industries to get Tk 2,500-3,000cr in cash subsidy, says minister The government may allocate Tk 2,500-3,000 crore cash subsidy to affected export-oriented industries in the recession package it is going to announce next week to tackle the fallout of global meltdown."Only the affected exporters will be given bailout assistance from the package, and it may be...

HSC, equivalent exams begin

Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations began across the country today with a total of 618,308 candidates from 7,237 educational institutions registered for the examinations.The HSC and HSC-equivalent exams are being held in 1919 centers under eight general education boards, one technical and one Madrasha education boards.The highest...

India kicks off marathon elections

Indian voters queue to cast their vote in Varanasi on April 16, 2009. India kicked off month-long elections, with all signs pointing to a splintered result and government by an unsteady coalition that would struggle to see out a full term. India kicked off month-long elections today, with all signs pointing to a splintered result and government...

SC grants two-week parole to Varun Gandhi

The Supreme Court has granted two-week parole to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Varun Gandhi. The apex court has asked Varun to give a new undertaking to the Superintendent of Police at Etah. The Supreme Court was slated to decide on the leader's release from Etah jail on Thursday. Varun had challenged his detention under National Security...

Naxals strike as voting begins for Lok Sabha polls

Polling for the first phase of elections to Lok Sabha began on a violent note with Naxals striking in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Voters line up to cast their votes as security personnel stand guard at a polling booth in Madangundi village, about 150 km from Ranchi. (Reuters Photo)More Pictures Bihar killing nine people even as voters trickled...

In-form Arsenal too strong for Villarreal * Story Highlights * Arsenal through to semifinals of Champions League after 3-0 win over Villarre

Arsenal continued their impressive run of form with a 3-0 home victory over Villarreal to reach the Champions League semifinals 4-1 on aggregate on Wednesday. ...

Indians begin voting in epic elections

India begins voting Thursday to choose a new government in a mammoth exercise covering more than three million square kilometers of the planet in scattered polling until next month. ...

Saudi official moves to regulate child marriages

Days after a Saudi judge upheld the marriage of an 8-year-old girl to a man 39 years her senior and blocked a divorce, the kingdom's justice minister said he plans to enact a law that will protect young girls from such marriages, according to local media reports. The law will place restrictions on the practice to preserve the rights of children and prevent abuses, Justice Minister Mohammed...

U.N. official: Sri Lanka ceasefire 'inadequate'

The United Nations humanitarian chief Wednesday criticized a two-day pause in the fighting between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil Tiger rebels as "inadequate." ...

China: Economic growth falls to 6.1 percent

China's economy grew 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009, down from 6.8 percent last quarter and from 10.6 percent year-on-year, state media reported on Thursday. ...

Obama and Bernanke see signs of recovery but US markets fall

President shows audacity of economic hope Tom Baldwin in Washington and Gary Duncan, Economics Editor div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } President Obama said yesterday that he could detect bright "signs of economic progress" on a dark horizon while warning that there was "much more work to be done" before America was safe from the storm...

Skype talks with eBay run into trouble

The founders of the internet-based telephone service want it back but talks with present owner eBay have stalled div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } Ebay, the internet auction site, effectively hoisted the “For Sale” sign on Skype last night when it announced plans to spin off the revolutionary internet calls business in an initial public...

Thousands greet Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra at Festival Hall rehearsal

div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } The Royal Festival Hall has never seen anything quite like it: thousands swarming through its doors to listen to a rehearsal — and one by an amateur orchestra at that. Yet as its fanatical supporters would testify, the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (SBYO)...

Benítez gamble nearly pays off after Liverpool come up shy in eight-goal feast

Chelsea 4 Liverpool 4 (Chelsea win 7-5 on agg) !-- Remove following to not show photographer information -->!-- Remove following to not show image description -->!-- Remove following to not show enlarge option -->!-- --> Patrick Barclay, Chief Football Commentator div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited...

We’re sick of war: a Taleban leader risks his life to point out a new route to peace

!-- Remove following to not show photographer information -->!-- Remove following to not show image description -->!-- Remove following to not show enlarge option --> Tom Coghlan in Kabul div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } Facing another bloody summer of fighting in Helmand province,...

Bogus foreign students free to flout new laws

Home Office fails to vet hundreds of colleges !-- Remove following to not show photographer information -->!-- Remove following to not show image description -->Colleges clustered in suburban Manchester actively seek overseas students!-- Remove following to not show enlarge option --> Richard Ford and Andrew Norfolk div#related-article-links...

Will Penguins' evolution continue?

And so the talent-laden Pittsburgh Penguins begin a journey that history insists cannot be completed.Taking in the familiar sounds and smells of the Penguins' dressing room -- having been on hand for each of their 25 postseason games since the end of the lockout -- there's a distinct impression we are at the crossroads of evolution and reality.Paging Dr. Charles Darwin ... please report...

Carnival of millions rings in New Year

Millions rang in Pahela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year 1416, on Tuesday in the capital Dhaka and across the country with colour and verve despite a heatwave. Men in traditional punjabi and pyjama, women in white and red sari and children dressed in all hues thronged Ramna Batamul and the traditional Baishakhi Mela from dawn in celebration...

Flower favourite for England role

Andy Flower: on the verge of England appointment © Getty Images Andy Flower is widely expected to be unveiled on Wednesday as England's new full-time director of cricket, having overseen the team's fortunes in an interim capacity during the recent tour of the West Indies. Flower, 40, stepped up from...

Botha reported for suspect action

Johan Botha will have to undergo tests for an illegal bowling action once again © Getty Images South African offspinner Johan Botha has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action by match officials after the fourth ODI against Australia in Port Elizabeth. Botha will...

Behave or face jail term: Hasina tells BCL

In a bid to deter recurrent trouble on the campus, prime minister Sheikh Hasina has warned Bangladesh Chhatra League leadership of a possible five years in jail for creating trouble. She issued the warning when the leaders of beleaguered student front of the ruling Awami League that she heads went to her official residence at noon Tuesday to greet her on Bengali New Year, a BCL joint secretary,...