A new study has found that plastic toys and products for children contain potentially hazardous toxic substances derived from recycled plastic. According to the XRF (X-ray fluorescence) study, all 160 analysed samples had at least one hazardous chemical, such as lead, mercury, bromine, cadmium, arsenic, and other dangerous materials like heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The research team ...

Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela on Lionel Messi’s return as Brazil got their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Chile on Thursday. Messi, who missed Argentina’s last round of fixtures in September due to injury, looked to have put the world champions on course for victory after his ...

Bangladesh’s top Islamist politician says he supports the extradition of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina to face trial for crimes against humanity in the same tribunal that convicted his colleagues. Shafiqur Rahman is the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, whose members were hounded, driven underground and sentenced to death during Hasina’s autocratic 15-year rule. Her government justified the crackdown on the nation’s largest ...

Two market monitoring teams under the Ministry of Commerce on Friday fined several business establishments Tk4,500 during separate drives in the city. A team led by Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Fuara Khatun conducted a drive at Mirpur Shah Ali City Corporation Market Kacha Bazar and fined several traders Tk1,500 for not hanging the price lists properly ...

Mehedy Hasan, an employee of a private company, stepped into a Dhaka kitchen market on Thursday with plans to buy small quantities of yardlong bean, green papaya, and green banana with Tk150 to prepare a mixed vegetable dish. However, his plan to include brinjal in a fish curry was quickly dashed when he discovered its staggering price of Tk160 per ...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an invisible killer, which is directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths and a contributing factor to five million other fatalities every year. Everyone seems to have had a family member or friend who has either gotten seriously ill or died due to acquiring an infection that did not respond to prescribed medicines, and the underlying reason ...

Spinner Jack Leach grabbed four wickets to help England beat Pakistan by and innings and 47 runs in the first Test in Multan on Friday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Pakistan, resuming on the fifth and final day at 152-6 batted for 96 minutes before they were dismissed for 220, with Leach leading England’s attack with 4-30. ...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday lodged a protest with the Government of Myanmar over the killing of a Bangladeshi fisherman by the Myanmar Navy on Wednesday. The victim was Usman, 60, who hailed from Kona Para at Shah Porir Dwip in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar. In a diplomatic note sent to the Embassy of Myanmar in Dhaka, ...

In recent years, vaping has caught the attention of nouveau riche youngsters of Dhaka, in contrast to smoking. According to Statistica, the revenue generated in the e-cigarette market in Bangladesh will amount to US$99.4 million in 2024. Interestingly, vaping is marketed as a safer option. They are portraying traditional cigarettes as this harmful, doomed choice. But is it the truth? ...

After a torrid few weeks, Labour now has the opportunity to get on the front foot, and deliver on a major election pledge. The government will fulfil their promise to bring forward legislation on workers’ rights within 100 days. But in some cases employees will have to wait nearer to 1,000 days to enjoy new rights. The new Employment Bill, ...