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Heavy rainfall and tidal surge influenced by the low in the Bay of Bengal have inundated many districts and chars in the coastal belt. Heavy to very heavy rainfall from Tuesday lashed the coastal region and some other parts of the country, Dhaka Met office reported

The government is planning to put in place a strong population and households database for development planning and implementation through the 5th national census of population and households beginning from March 15. The minister for planning, AK Khandaker, at an exchange of views with the chiefs of

The government lifted on Thursday the ‘red alert’ on anthrax it had issued a month back in the backdrop of an outbreak infecting cattle and human beings. The government withdrew the alert to remove ‘unnecessary fear’ of the disease among the people, the minister for fisheries and livestock, Abdul Latif Biswas, told a news briefing

Hajj flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines begin tonight with a Boeing-747 carrying 477 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The flight is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Jeddah at 10:40pm. About 94,000 pilgrims from Bangladesh are likely to perform hajj this year, Biman officials said. Around 55,000 Bangladeshis performed hajj last

Storing Chemicals 5 warehouses fined, asked to shift Two mobile courts yesterday fined five warehouses Tk 9.4 lakh for storing inflammable chemicals at Tipu Sultan Road, Lalbagh and Bangabandhu Avenue in the city without obtaining licence from the fire brigade. The courts realised the fine instantly and ordered the owners to shift their warehouses from ... Read more

The Wednesday’s chemical factory fire in Dakkhin (South) Jatrabari claimed two more lives. Rimu Begum, 26, and Sheuli, 21, succumbed to their injuries at the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital early yesterday. With this the death toll in the fire incident rose to nine. Injured Aminur Begum, 25, and Bishu ... Read more

Row Over Power Plant Tender Chinese firm now denies complaint A Chinese company that lodged a formal compliant against another Chinese company in a power plant tender, dramatically in a letter to the government on Tuesday denied filing of any such allegation. Shandong Electric Power last month filed a complaint with the Central Procurement Technical ... Read more

Output to decline by 8-32pc in 40 years Feeding the people of Bangladesh will be a major problem the next 40 years since production of rice will decrease by at least eight percent and wheat 32 percent by 2050 due to climate change while the population will go up by 50-75 million over the existing ... Read more

The High Court on Wednesday allowed the government six more months to remove all structures beside and inside the rivers Balu, Turag, Buriganga and Sitalakhya which surround Dhaka city. The bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Gobinda Chandra Thakur asked the deputy commissioners of Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Gazipur to report to

A high priority development scheme of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC)– improvement of damaged roads, drains and footpaths– widely known as ‘Umbrella Project’ is now hanging in balance due to the bureaucratic tangle, official sources confirmed. The project has been taken by the DCC for the development of some important roads and

The government will lift the ‘red alert’ on anthrax spread today, which was issued last month by the Livestock Department as the disease was spreading alarmingly throughout the country, ministry suspected interest group, who were engaged in recent hike in poultry prices by spreading rumors, propaganda and negative publicity. “The red alert may be lifted ... Read more

Noted singer and freedom fighter Abdul Jabbar, who inspired freedom fighters as well as the nation during the Liberation War with his spirited songs, was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on Monday with several health complications. Md Muad Jabbar, son of the veteran singer, said he was admitted with chest pain and

A government official was crushed to death under the wheels of a speeding microbus in the capital’s Agargaon early yesterday. The deceased was identified as Assistant Chief Agriculture Marketing Officer Humayun Kabir, 43. Reaz Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Police Station, said a microbus ran over

The government plans to begin construction of the long-awaited Ganges Barrage in Rajbari district in December 2012 to preserve the river water during monsoon and release it during lean period. The barrage will facilitate irrigation of about 19 lakh hectares of arable land in greater Kushtia, Faridpur, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, Pabna and Rajshahi districts, Water ... Read more

Sakib al Hasan displayed a fine all-round performance to steer Bangladesh to a pulsating nine-run victory over New Zealand in the first one-day international of the five-match series in Dhaka on Tuesday. Sakib struck the only half-century for Bangladesh, 58 off 51 balls, leading them to 228 all out before his 4-41 helped the home ... Read more

Power outage every alternate hour amid sweltering heat has strained the life of city residents. Power officials said the gap between demand and supply of electricity had increased further in two days because of extreme heat and decline in power generation. Residents of almost all parts of the city have faced power outages for 10 ... Read more

Dhaka River Grabbing Govt now tries to save jetties The government has filed a petition with the High Court to protect the jetties set up for commercial purposes on the four rivers around the capital. It apparently marks a change in the government’s stance on the four rivers–Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Shitalakhya

With the sweltering summer heat back just when it usually starts to decline, frequent power cuts have wrecked havoc on normal life, as it triggered a domino effect on water supply. Although the government claims improvement of overall power situation, the city dwellers are experiencing repeated load shedding lashing with full weight for the last ... Read more

Severe traffic congestion in the capital causes a loss of Taka 20 thousand crore per annum, specially in the road transport sector, sources said. Traffic jam also causes negative impact on human life. It has also been increasing environmental pollution in the city, sources added. The experts have specified some major reasons for traffic

The High Court (HC) yesterday ruled that no man or woman can be forced to wear or put off any religious dress, including burqa (veil) and cap, against his or her wish in the territory of Bangladesh. “Bangladesh is now a secular country,” the HC ruled, adding that nobody can be compelled to wear a ... Read more