With the last day of Bangla month Poush being over officially on Sunday, the residents of Old Dhaka are all set to engage in flying kites and lanterns, and firework display to celebrate Poush Shankranti, also known as Shakrain, on Monday. Poush Shankranti which marks the end of Bengali month Poush is celebrated through the Shakrain festival. Dates of the event vary according to different localities.…

The government will soon initiate a process to export surplus electricity to neighbouring country Nepal in the winter when Bangladesh sees a drop in domestic consumption.  According to official sources at the Power Ministry, the electricity export to Nepal will take place under the cross-border power trade where a tripartite agreement among the three neighbouring nations -- Bangladesh, India…

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold fresh dialogues with the political parties that joined talks at Ganobhaban before the December-30 election. "The Prime Minister had talks with 75 political parties, including those in Jatiya Oikyafront and the Juktafront, before the 11th parliamentary elections... at a joint meeting of our advisory…

The United Nations has said it stands ready to work with the new government of Bangladesh and other national stakeholders to further efforts towards a peaceful and inclusive society, good governance and the rule of law in line with the 2030 Agenda, notably SDG 16. "We look forward to Bangladesh implementing its human rights commitments arising from the Universal Periodic Review and international…

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today paid rich tributes to the martyred members of Bangladesh Armed Forces on the occasion of the assumption of her office as the premier for the fourth time. The prime minister paid the homage by placing a wreath at the Shikha Anirban (flame eternal) in Dhaka Cantonment this morning. After laying the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound…

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee is set to arrive in Bangladesh on January 19 for a six-day visit to Dhaka and the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. Yanghee Lee also plans to visit the island of Bhashan Char. Lee will hold a news conference on 24 January at 5 pm at the Ascott Residence Hotel in Dhaka. Access to the press conference is strictly limited…

Newly appointed Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Tuesday (jan 8) said the main challenge of her ministry is to tackle the perennial problem of question paper leakage. The Education Minister came up with the remark while talking to reporters after joining office at the Secretariat for the first time after taking the oath of office. ‘People have elected the government by casting their votes…

Some 13,000 students from Cumilla Education Board applied for the re-scrutiny of this year’s Junior School Certificate (JSC) examination results. Sources said  2,904 students applied for re-scrutiny of English, 2,560 of Bangladesh and Global studies and 2,335 of Mathematics while the other applications were submitted for other subjects. The application for re-scrutiny was accepted through…

Bangladesh has ranked 97th in the updated Henley Passport Index, gaining three notches up from its previous ranking. With visa-free access to 41 countries, Bangladesh is holding the 97th position jointly with Lebanon, Libya and South Sudan, according to the index released on Wednesday. As for the neighbouring countries, Pakistan ranked 102nd (visa-free access to 33 countries), while India 79th (61…

The first session of the 11th parliament will begin at 3:00 pm on January 30. A parliament secretariat release confirmed the matter. President Abdul Hamid summoned the session today exercising the power bestowed upon him as per clause (1) of article 72 of the constitution, the release said. President Hamid will deliver his speech on the first day of the session as this will be the first session of…

Popular Bangla daily Kaler Kantho has started celebrating its ninth founding anniversary. The daily will step into the tenth year Thursday (Jan 10). The celebration program has been launched through cutting a cake at its office in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area Wednesday (Jan 9) evening. Bashundhara Group and East West Media Group Ltd (EWMGL) Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir and his…

The new cabinet members are on the way to Tungipara to pay homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. They left for Tungipara from Jatiya Sangsad around 7am today. The ministers are traveling to Tungipara by four buses to avoid traffic. Water Resources minister AKM Enamul Haque Shamim has confirmed the news. The ministers will offer special prayers at Bangabandhu's mazar in Tungipara.  …

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday paid homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War on the occasion of forming her government for the third consecutive term. Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the martyrs by placing a wreath at the altar of the National Memorial at Savar this morning. After laying the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories…