The Central Intelligence Agency has assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic is “more likely” to have emerged from a lab rather than from nature, an agency spokesperson said on Saturday, reports AP. The agency had for years said it could not conclude whether COVID-19 was the result of a lab incident or it originated in nature. But in the final weeks ...

Nizam Uddin Ahmed, Business Editor at The Daily Observer, passed away at a private hospital in the capital early Wednesday. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raziun. He was 71. He breathed his last around 5:50AM while undergoing treatment at Aurora Specialized Hospital. He left behind wife, two sons and a host of relatives and well-wisher to mourn his death. The ...

London Office : Abida Islam officially has joined the assumed charge as Bangladesh’s Additional and Plenipotentiary High Commissioner to the UK and Northern Ireland on January 27. She was previously appointed as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Mexico. Before that, she served as Ambassador to South Korea. Abida Islam joined the Foreign Service cadre in the 15th BCS. As a professional diplomat, ...

Barrister Zaima Rahman, daughter of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, will attend the ‘National Prayer Breakfast’ event in the United States on February 5-6. “Acting Chairman of the party, Tarique Rahman, will not be attending the ‘National Prayer Breakfast’ to be held in Washington, DC, United States on February 5 and 6. However, Tarique Rahman’s daughter Zaima ...

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday said the European Union (EU) has put emphasis on reform and assured all sorts of assistance ahead of the next general election. “They (EU) are ready to provide all sorts of assistance. They want a democratic transition to take place. They (EC) assured us of all kinds of support and they ...

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said that they didn’t announce dearness allowance for the government officials and employees. “We didn’t make any announcement of giving dearness allowance to the government officials and employees. I don’t know who has made the announcement of giving dearness allowance to the government employees,” he told reporters responding to a question about the ...

Bangladesh Railway’s running staff have gone into work abstention across the country since 12midnight on Monday. They said they will continue the work stoppage until their demands to restore mileage facilities and resolving the issues of pension and gratuity based on mileage by increasing the running allowance with their basic salaries are not met. The strike caused significant inconvenience to ...

The key indices of both the Dhaka and Chattogram stock exchanges witnessed gains during the first hour of trading on Tuesday (28 January), reflecting an upward trend in the country’s capital market. Share prices of most companies also increased during this period. At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark index DSEX rose by 14 points within the first hour ...

India and China have agreed to resume direct air services after nearly five years, India’s foreign ministry said on Monday, signalling a thaw in relations between the neighbours after a deadly 2020 military clash on their disputed Himalayan border. Both sides will negotiate a framework on the flights in a meeting that will be held at an “early date”, the ...

Classic German Streuselkuchen is a lush, fine-crumbed, yeasted cake topped with a remarkably hefty amount of buttery-crisp streusel. It’s the perfect coffee cake for breakfast, brunch or a casual dessert. In this recipe from our cookbook, “ Milk Street Bakes,” we add a pop of colour with a layer of fresh blueberries. Their fruity tartness is a perfect foil for ...