Seven Bangladeshi expatriates have died in a fire at a sofa factory in Madina of Saudi Arabia. The identities of the victims could not be known immediately but Bangladesh embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed that all the victims were from Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.  The fire broke out early Thursday at a sofa factory in the Madina Al-Khalil area near Mount Uhud in the country's holy city…

Bangladesh Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed held important meetings with UN Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare. During the meetings General Aziz Ahmed reiterated Bangladesh’s steadfast commitment and continued support to the UN peace operations. The army chief also requested for appointing more Bangladeshi…

Four senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officers holding the rank of joint commissioner were given new postings on Tuesday. An office order signed by DMP Commissioner Mohammad Shafiqul Islam was issued in this regard. According to it, Joint Commissioner Protection and Diplomatic Security Mohammad Abdul Malek, who was earlier given additional charge of Joint Commissioner, had been transferred as…

Bangladesh and the Maldives on Tuesday emphasised the need for stronger ties between the two countries and further improve the fraternal relations by exploring new avenues of cooperation. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and his visiting Maldives counterpart Abdullah Shahid after delegation-level official talks at state guesthouse Padma told reporters that they reaffirmed the desire of the two countries…

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued directives to the concerned authorities to increase range of vaccination programme. She said, “Health Minister and Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) have been instructed over vaccine registration.” The premier made said this while presiding over a regular cabinet meeting on Monday (February 8). She attended the meeting…

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has decided to issue permits for as many as 4,000 new CNG-run auto-rickshaws in Chattogram once it completes scrapping an equal number of old three-wheeler public transport vehicles that provide last-mile connectivity in the port city. BRTA resumed scrapping 15-year-old CNG-run auto-rickshaws in Chattogram on November 16 last year, after a gap of nearly eight…

Both the cost and time of a project to construct the first terminal and necessary facilities at Payra Seaport are set to go up amid slow progress of the important scheme. The Ministry of Shipping has proposed the revision to the project, seeking a cost hike by Tk 5.35 billion or 13.43 per cent and an extension of time by one and half years, said sources at the Planning Commission. In favour of its…

A total of 31,160 people received Covid-19 vaccine jabs on the first day of the nationwide mass vaccination on Sunday. Of them, 23,857 were male and 7,303 female, said the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) in a press release. Only 21 of them developed simple side effects like fever, red colour at the place of vaccination etc. The press release signed by Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman, director…

Bashundhara Bitumen Plant, a concern of Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company Ltd, has gone into commercial operation with a view to contributing to the development in communications sector. Ten renowned dealers were supplied quality bitumen from the plant at Pangaon of Keraniganj in Dhaka Sunday morning. Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir’s son Ahmed Walid Sobhan inaugurated the…

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said the construction of the railway line from Dohazari to Cox’s Bazar will be completed by December 2022. He said this while inaugurating, as chief guest, two new pairs of Demu trains on Chattogram-Dohazari and Chattogram-Patiya routes on the Dohazari railway station premises this noon. The minister said Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina…

The Covid-19 vaccination programme began this morning (Feb 7) across the country with a target to inoculate 3.5 million people in the first phase. Health Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the vaccination campaign through video conferencing from the health directorate in the morning. Some 2,400 teams are working in 1,005 hospitals under the vaccination programme, DGHS said. A total of 204 teams are…

The relationship between India and Bangladesh has withstood the test of time and both countries have charted a unique model for regional cooperation that is quite unparalleled in South Asia, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Friday. He said both the countries have been blessed with history, culture, language and above all an ardent belief in freedom, justice and pluralism, and described…

Twenty-one eminent personalities will get the Ekushey Padak, this year in recognition of their contributions to various fields. The Cultural Affairs Ministry announced the names on Thursday. Motahar Hossain Talukdar (posthumous), Shamsul Haque (posthumous), and Advocate Afsar Uddin Ahmed (posthumous) have been selected for their roles in the Language Movement. Begum Papia Sarowar is being recognised…