A file photo shows Bangladesh officials and players celebrate with Syque Caesar (3rd from right) after he won a gold medal in the Central South Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Dhaka in December 30, 2011. — New Age photo

Guests attend a news conference on the recent landslides in Chittagong at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday. — New Age photo

Pakistani protesters stand beside a burning NATO flag during a demonstration against the reopening of the NATO supply route from Pakistan to Afghanistan, in Multan on Wednesday. Pakistan confirmed that it had decided to reopen vital NATO supply routes into Afghanistan which have been closed since November, a government spokesman said. — AFP photo

Sheikh Hasina

Narsingdi mayor Kamruzzaman Kamrul addresses a press conference in the town on Wednesday, demanding cancellation of charge sheet submitted in the Lokman murder case. — New Age photo

In this handout picture made available by the Egyptian presidency, Egypt’s Islamist president-elect Mohamed Morsi arrives to address tens of thousands of Egyptians in Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square on June 29.— AFP photo

World Bank, Bangladesh lead country economist Sanjay Kathuria speaks while presenting a new World Bank report titled ‘Consolidating and Accelerating Exports in Bangladesh’ in Dhaka on Wednesday. CPD executive director Mustafizur Rahman and Institute of Microfinance and Economic Research Group chairman Wahiduddin Mahmud are also seen. — New Age photo

Ghum Nei staged on Wednesday at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Shilpakala Academy.

Dhaka Bank chairman Reshadur Rahman (R) hands over a cheque of Tk 25 lakh to Bangladesh Football Federation president (C) Kazi Salahuddin as a contribution to the development of Bangladeshi football on Wednesday. — New Age photo

A file photo shows the logo of the Bank of America atop the Bank of America building in downtown Los Angeles. — Reuters photo

Former Indian president APJ Abul Kalam calls on the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, at her office at Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka on Wednesday.— New Age photo

Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka is joyous after her women’s singles quarter-final victory over Austria’s Tamira Paszek on day eight of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships in London on Tuesday. — AFP photo

MAIN NEWS

PM asks who’ll look into WB corruption

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Wednesday lambasted the World Bank for stigmatising Bangladesh with unfounded claims and asked who would look into the corruption of the Bretton Woods institution. The World Bank recently cancelled a... Full story

HRW tells govt to disband RAB

The Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged the government to disband the Rapid Action Battalion and set up a non-military unit within the police or set up a new institution to combat... Full story

Fresh flooding affects several lakh people

Several lakh people have been stranded by fresh flooding triggered by sea tides in the country’s coastal districts in the last 24 hours, whilst flooding in the north has started to improve after taking a heavy toll. Full story

Human haulers still on highways flouting govt directive

Unregistered vehicles such as easy bikes and shallow engine-run human haulers locally called ‘nasimon or ‘karimon’ keep plying highways flouting government directives, adding... Full story

NATIONAL

Lokman’s family term chargesheet ‘false’, ‘fabricated’

The family members of slain Narsingdi mayor Lokman Hossain on Wednesday termed the chargesheet of the Loman killing case as ‘false’ and ‘fabricated’ saying that the investigation officer concerned had not talked with them properly. Full story

ACC quizzes three high officials of BBA

METRO

Punishment of people behind Ctg landslides demanded

Right activists on Wednesday urged the government to punish the corrupt political leaders and government officials engaged in setting up dwellings on hill slopes, which caused deaths of so many people in landslides. Full story

2 Ctg railway employees suspended

BUSINESS

$7.95b trade deficit in 11 months

The country’s trade deficit in July-May of financial year 2011-12 increased to $ 7.95 billion, which is 6.12 per cent higher compared with that of the same period of the FY 2010-11. The trade deficit slightly narrowed... Full story

WB suggests addressing bottlenecks to accelerate export growth

INTERNATIONAL

US says sorry to Pakistan

Pakistan agreed to reopen key supply routes into Afghanistan Tuesday, ending a bitter stand-off after the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said she was sorry for the loss of life in a botched air raid. A US official said that as part of the deal Washington will release... Full story

Malians hold sit-in in protest at Islamists

SPORTS

From Bangladesh in Olympics through Michigan

For Syque Caesar, life has a different meaning since April 18, 2012. It was an email from the Bangladesh Olympic Association that took his career to a new height as he was told to have been selected to represent the country in the London Olympics. Full story

Foreigners make merry yet again

EDITORIAL

Govt needs to create condition for WB decision review

WHEN the World Bank announced its decision to cancel its $1.2 billion... Full story

Health minister under fire, again

OP-ED

Bangladesh needs to assess long-term Tipaimukh impact on its own

BANGLADESH needs to conduct an independent study on its own to assess the long-term impacts of the Tipaimukh Dam that India plans to construct on the river Barak, which provides water to the Meghna, a major river system here, says Professor M Munsur... Full story

Egypt at a crossroads

TIMEOUT

Shahnaz shares her experiences with Mehdi Hassan

Shahnaz Rahmatullah believes her mentor Mehdi Hassan was one of the best three Ghazal singers in the world, along with Jagjit Singh and Gholam Ali. Shahnaz Rahmatullah claims she had the rare opportunity to learn ghazal from Mehdi Hassan, in the early... Full story