Your Evening Brief - 7 Bangladeshis in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2023 list

A total of seven Bangladeshis made it to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2023 as Forbes announced the list today. The list features 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblasers across the Asia-Pacific region, all under the age of 30, who are effecting positive change and driving innovation amid global economic uncertainty and a challenging environment. Read more

Among a number of incidents taking place on Thursday (18 May), take a quick look at some of the most important news items The Business Standard has compiled for you…

Met office forecasts storm on coastal districts

The met office today issued a warning signal no 2 in a scale of 4 for the six districts along the southern coastlines fearing a locally brewed storm to lash the region by this evening. The met office also issued a local cautionary signal no 1 for the other areas predicting a countrywide stormy weather accompanied by rains. Read more

Metro rail to run from 8am to 8pm from 31 May

In response to the growing demand and popularity, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has decided to run Dhaka metro rail from 8am to 8pm, six days a week, from 31 May. As per the new schedule, the weekly closure of the service will be Friday, instead of Tuesday, DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique confirmed. Read more

PM expresses satisfaction over community clinic's global recognition

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed satisfaction over getting global recognition for her brainchild community clinic reaching healthcare services to every doorstep across the country. "I even didn't know when the proposal (on community clinic) was placed to the United Nations (UN). The PR (Bangladesh's Permanent Resident in the UN) informed me after the resolution was passed unanimously," she said. Read more

Pakistan's anti-graft agency summons Imran Khan for questioning

Pakistan's powerful anti-corruption agency has summoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan for questioning on Thursday (18 May) into the graft charges that led to his arrest on 9 May. A spokesman for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which has in the past investigated, put on trial and jailed all those who served as prime minister since 2008, said Khan was expected at the agency's Rawalpindi headquarters, near Islamabad. Read more

India considers policy change after cough syrup deaths

India is considering a change to its pharmaceutical industry policy after cough syrups made in the country were linked to the deaths of children overseas, according to a document from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office, which noted that "important things" about the industry had been "overlooked". A brainstorming session was held in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad "to find a solution to exported cough syrups that killed children," Modi's office said in the document dated 15 May and reviewed by Reuters. Read more

Visiting Ukraine, China's envoy urged all sides to create space for peace talks

Beijing's special envoy noted there was no panacea to the war in Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv earlier this week, but urged all parties to create conditions for peace talks, China's foreign ministry said on Thursday (18 May). Special envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visited Kyiv on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he exchanged views with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian foreign minister and other state leaders on ways to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict through a political settlement, the foreign ministry statement said. Read more