Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Bangladesh is now happier than before! At a time when the country is gripped by panic over coronavirus pandemic, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has published its World Happiness Report 2020.

The government must scale up its efforts to trace and quarantine all the people who might have come in contact with the coronavirus patients to contain the spread of the virus, say experts.

As the coronavirus outbreak threatens to turn into a grave crisis, the government moves to procure testing kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), both very critical in the fight against the virus.

Trees planted in parks and along the streets of Dhaka city are mostly covered with layers of dust, giving a hint to what the world’s most polluted air can be like.

Bangladeshi expatriates in some European counties, especially in Italy, find themselves in a precarious situation amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, with many of them left with no jobs and stuck at home without adequate supply of daily essentials.

Security at the capital’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is at risk due to a shortage of fire-fighting equipment, floodlights, and poor CCTV camera coverage at night, a key point installation (KPI) survey team found.

At a time when people are grappling with high prices of many daily essentials, the government has hiked electricity prices.

Air quality in Bangladesh was the worst in the world last year and Dhaka was the 21st most polluted city, according to 2019 World Air Quality Report.

The walls scorched black. A thin film of soot covering the burnt-out pillars and roofs. A smell of burnt remnants still wafting through the air around it.

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority has proposed hiking water prices by 80 percent for residential and commercial uses.

The BNP and Khaleda Zia’s family members have launched a fresh move to get her released from imprisonment, saying that her health is rapidly deteriorating.

Two years after BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia landed in jail, many activists and leaders of the party are losing hope of getting her released through legal and political means.

After its mayor candidates’ defeat in the February 1 city corporation elections, the BNP has launched an investigation to find out the reasons behind it.

The BNP says it has found two future leaders in Tabith Awal and Ishraque Hossain despite their heavy defeats in Saturday’s Dhaka city polls.

The BNP’s organisational weaknesses were exposed once again as the party leaders and activists failed to show up at the polling centres on Saturday, said party insiders.

But isn’t it the responsibility of the Election Commission to create a congenial atmosphere for holding a free and fair election?

Ever since Dhaka got the status of municipal corporation from pourashava in late ‘70s, the city saw incredible growth and rapid development.

On the last day of polls campaign, mayor candidates of both the Awami League and the BNP yesterday accused each other of attempting to harm the election atmosphere.

Riding on a rented bus, BNP-nominated mayoral candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation Tabith Awal arrived in Karail Slum area to start his campaign around 10:30am yesterday.

The election manifestos of the two BNP mayor candidates are likely to highlight the introduction of an “effective city government” to build a modern and liveable Dhaka city.