Defaulted loans crept up last year despite the government’s attempts to subdue them -- by hook or by crook.

The Supreme Court yesterday said the High Court cannot deliver any verdict with inexecutable directives.

Mentioning that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has not yet appealed for parole, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday said the government would consider it if she admitted guilt and apologised.

The Department of Environment yesterday disconnected utility connections of 23 dyeing factories and steel re-rolling mills in the capital’s Kadamtali and Shyampur for polluting the Buriganga river and the air.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved a masterplan to free all major rivers in and around Dhaka and Chattogram cities from encroachment and pollution by 2030.

Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader will ask the ACC to investigate the allegations of human trafficking against Laxmipur-2 MP Quazi Shaheed Islam alias Papul.

A government probe committee has found five officials of National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital to have been negligent in preserving and protecting hospital equipment, including intensive care unit ventilators, said a report submitted to the High Court yesterday.

There were rumours in political circles over the last week that Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin would not get the Awami League ticket to contest the upcoming Chattogram City Corporation election.

The number of new cases from China’s coronavirus epidemic dropped for a third consecutive day yesterday, as an official claimed the strict restrictions that Beijing imposed on affected regions were beginning to show results.

The capital dredging work in the Karnaphuli has slowed down due to a deep layer of polythene in the riverbed.

The UGC head believes that while issues might arise with the introduction of something new, such fears should not stop them from taking the initiative. On the other hand, the two distinguished educationists have strongly stated that a sensitive matter like admission in public universities must not go through a “trial and error” approach.

The government is going to set up seven special tribunals for speedy trials in human trafficking cases as Bangladesh faces risks of US sanctions for not doing enough in combatting the heinous crime.

One more Bangladeshi in Singapore has been infected with the novel coronavirus, Singapore’s Ministry of Health said yesterday.

Airlines operating flights between Bangladesh and China have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.

Awami League last night chose Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, joint general secretary of the party’s Chattogram city unit, instead of incumbent mayor AJM Nasir Uddin to contest the Chittagong City Corporation mayoral election.

Five women drowned as an overcrowded tourist boat overturned in Rangamati’s Kaptai Lake yesterday noon.

The government has slashed interest rates on postal savings by half as part of its efforts to reduce interest rates on bank loans and deposits, and promote investment in private sector.

The BNP and Khaleda Zia’s family members have launched a fresh move to get her released from imprisonment, saying that her health is rapidly deteriorating.

The new coronavirus has infected 1,700 Chinese health workers and killed six, authorities said yesterday, as businesses struggled to balance containment measures with a return from an extended post-holiday break.

It’s not wise to put all your eggs in one basket, goes the age-old saying. And this saying could not be more pertinent given the jittery state of global supply chain following the outbreak of coronavirus in China.