special
2,291 MW power added to national grid in 2019
The government commissioned 19 power generation units under 15 power plants in the outgoing year that added about 2,291 MW electricity to the national grid from January to November.
Ministers who grabbed public attention in 2019
A number of ministers either drew public attention or came under fire hitting headlines in 2019 for various reasons, including onion price hike, fatal train crash or unprecedented dengue outbreak.
The highs and lows of Bangladesh football in 2019
The year 2019 was tumultuous year for Bangladesh football, which witnessed its fair share of highs and lows over the past 12 months. Overall though, it has to be said that under Englishman Jamie Day, the men’s national team seem to be on to a good thing for the first time in years. It remains to be seen how much further the team can progress under his tutelage. Before turning the page to 2020, let's look back at the year that was for Bangladesh football.
Slight improvement in FIFA rankings
The Bangladesh Men’s National football team started the year 2019 ranked a dismal 192nd out of 210 nations in the FIFA rankings. They moved to 188th slot in April and then jumped up five place to move 183rd in June and then 182nd in July. That would remain the peak for the year however, as they again slipped down to 184th in October and finally ended the year at 187th with 915 points – so not all that much better in the end, but certainly not worse.
Expired gas cylinder use in Laxmipur vehicles goes unabated
The widespread use of expired gas cylinders in vehicles ignoring official directives is leading to a high number of accidents across the district but the administration is doing little to address the problem, locals alleged.
There were 15 gas cylinder-related accidents in the district last year.
Local sources said gas cylinders are being used in around 15,000 vehicles in the district and most them are well beyond their expiry dates. Gas cylinders are supposed to be examined after five years but owners and drivers of the vehicle are not following the rules.
Most of the drivers are unaware about the rules and lifespan of cylinders. They accused the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) of handing out fitness certificates in exchange for money instead of checking the vehicles. But BRTA officials rejected the allegation.
Fresh water ATM booth set to be launched in Ctg on Jan 1
An ATM booth has been installed in the city’s Khulshi area from which people will be able to collect fresh water from January 1 by punching in their prepaid cards.
Narayanganj jail crammed with 1,800 inmates
‘Overcrowded’ will likely be an understatement for the district jail which is currently housing inmates six times higher than its capacity.
Another year gone, BNP fails to find any miracle
BNP started 2019 with a bad note - a drubbing in the national election. Now Khaleda Zia’s party is going to step into the New Year without showing any sign that it can make a turnaround anytime soon.
Untimely Padma erosion jolts Goalanda people
An unanticipated dry-season bank erosion by the Padma River is wreaking havoc with the inhabitants of two unions here, taking away over 100 bighas of arable land in the last two weeks and creating panic among them, especially the farmers.
2019 in Review: A shaky year for Bangladesh cricket
With the beginning of a new decade just around the corner, the time has come to look back on 2019 - a year when Bangladesh cricket endured a number of ups and downs, with the downs perhaps steeper than the ups.
Rohingya issue globalized; repatriation talks to get focus in New Year
Bangladesh has been able to “successfully internationalise” the Rohingya issue in the outgoing year and will keep focusing on having a sustainable solution to the problem capitalising on the mounting global pressure on Myanmar on accountability front, officials say.