Singers of Surtirtha perform at the auditorium of National Museum on Friday. — New Age photo

US soldiers inspect the site of a suicide bombing in Samangan province north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday. — AP Photo

Barisal based theatre troupe Natyam stages Tilak at the Experimental Theatre Hall.— New Age photo

A file photo shows labourers carrying sacks of paddy at Ashuganj in Brahmanbaria. Import bill payment growth slowed down in July–May of the 2011–12 financial year to 10.93 per cent year-on-year compared with the 40.54 per cent growth in the same period of the 2010–11 financial year because of lower import of food grains, capital machinery and industrial raw materials. — New Age photo

International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh president Mahbubur Rahman attends as chief guest a workshop on treasury management organised by ICCB with the support of Standard Chartered Bank in a city hotel on Saturday. — New Age photo

A file photo, taken on June 30, 2012, shows the Victory Park in the Olympic Village, built for the London 2012 Olympic Games, in Stratford, east London. — Reuters photo

BUET teachers, students, officials and employees rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Saturday, demanding resignation of the vice-chancellor and the pro-vice-chancellor. — Sanaul Haque

The Communist Party of Bangladesh and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh hold a rally in front of the National Press Club on Saturday aiming at forging a third force in politics. — New Age photo

Ruling party men beat pickets during a strike enforced by local BNP at Kamrangirchar in Dhaka on Saturday in protest at the arrest of its leader. — New Age photo

Isdair Rabeya Hossain High School players celebrate after beating Kathirhut High School 4-3 in penalty shootout in the National School Football final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Saturday. — New Age photo

Soldiers of the Ground Self Defence Force and other workers repair a collapsed bank of the Koura River in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Saturday. About 400,000 people were ordered or advised to leave their homes in southwest Japan as heavy rain pounded the area for a third day leaving 29 dead or missing, officials and media said. — AFP photo

US athlete Chaunte Lowe competes in the women’s high jump competition at the 2012 Diamond League at Crystal Palace in London on Friday. — AFP photo

Shanghai Shenhua FC fans shout after former Chelsea football star Didier Drogba arrived at Pudong international airport in Shanghai on Saturday. — AFP photo

MAIN NEWS

Diversion of full funds to hamper railway reforms

Dhaka can have access to about $300 million from the Indian $1 billion credit line to Bangladesh as a dozen of projects involving about $654 million are in final stages of implementation, Economic Relations Division officials said. Full story

PDB won’t realise PG, LD from proposed JV co

The Power Development Board will not realise the performance guarantee and liquidated damages from the proposed joint venture company Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company which will set up a 1,320MW... Full story

BUET crisis drags on

The crisis in the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology took a new turn with the teachers, students and employees vowing on Saturday to continue their movement for removal of the vice-chancellor and pro-vice-chancellor and a group of... Full story

253 BDR Hospital medical assistants get jail terms, 2 acquitted

A special court at BGB Durbar Hall on Saturday sentenced 253 medical assistants of the then Bangladesh Rifles Hospital and attached battalions to rigorous imprisonment ranging from four months to seven years... Full story

NATIONAL

Thousands still marooned in north

Tens of thousands of people in the northern districts still remained marooned by floodwaters while erosion continued to devour farmlands and homesteads with rain-fed rivers rising again. Full story

DLA announces protests at govt failures

METRO

Locals lay siege to Sylhet hospital as patient dies

Locals formed a huge human chain on Saturday in front of Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital in protest at the death of a female primary school teacher allegedly from wrong treatment. Full story

JU students block highway for power

BUSINESS

NBR to allow debit cards issued by any bank from Aug

The National Board of Revenue is going to allow the debit cards issued by any bank operating in the country in paying taxes online from the next month. ‘Taxpayers having bank accounts with the state-owned, commercial... Full story

Import payment growth slows down to 11pc in 11 months

INTERNATIONAL

Afghan wedding party suicide attack kills top MP, 16 others

A suicide bomber killed a prominent Afghan lawmaker and 16 other people at his daughter’s wedding party in the north of the country on Saturday, officials said. The attacker embraced MP Ahmad Khan, a former militia commander, in front of wedding... Full story

Libya militias hold thousands: HRW

SPORTS

BPL II could see seventh franchise

When the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association is constantly raising concerns over the fate of the Bangladesh Premier League, the BPL’s governing council is thinking of making it even a bigger... Full story

Shoaib pays tribute to pace rival Lee

EDITORIAL

Govt needs to take steps to end auto-rickshaw strike

AS THE compressed natural gas-run auto-rickshaw drivers appear... Full story

City’s drainage system needs to be fixed

OP-ED

Time to take population policy seriously

IT IS terrifying that we are involved in resolving social problems such as poverty, dowry system, child labour, corruption, crime, power outage, traffic congestion, water scarcity and food shortage but neglect the mother of all these — population. This is a topic... Full story

Degradation of science and technology in Bangladesh

TIMEOUT

Unique evening of Tagore songs held

It was a unique musical evening featuring Tagore songs having influences of different genres of music including classical and western on Friday at the Bangladesh National Museum auditorium. Singers of cultural organisation Surtirtha led by eminent... Full story

National theatre festival on liberation war ends

LETTERS

Iran may use its nuclear weapons for other purpose

I AM writing with reference to ‘Beyond nuclear denial’ by William D Hartung (July 11). Hartung might have missed the real picture when he says: ‘Although none of these scenarios, including a terrorist nuclear attack... Full story