The world is getting hit by another wave of Covid-19 and this time it’s the Omicron variant. Nearly 1 million people tested positive for Covid-19 in the USA on 3rd of January, which by far is the highest since the start of the pandemic. Our next door neighbour India is also suffering badly. Curfew has been placed in West Bengal, and restrictions imposed in almost all the states. In the past week in Bangladesh, the infection rate has doubled.

The DU administration has initiated a 15-year master plan to bring changes to the infrastructure of the university. When executed, the current look of the hundred-year-old campus will be drastically altered by this plan. The reason behind this plan is to accommodate the growing number of students, teachers, and officials to the now aesthetically pleasing, green campus.

Bangladeshi militant group Ansar Al Islam is working on major plans like using the Rohingyas in militancy; attacking atheists, people of different religions and from foreign missions, even taking control of the Indian subcontinent! Although no attack is imminent, the militant group is planning to recruit and train new members in Indo-Bangladesh border areas, according to the counter terrorism unit of the police.

Like every year, a gathering of Baul singers was arranged in Manikganj.

Road safety has become an elusive dream. According to the Road Safety Foundation, 418 were killed and 497 injured in 383 road accidents in December alone. In November, 423 people died in 379 such incidents.

In November 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the Sundarbans free of robbers. However, within four years, there has been an increase in robbery cases in the forest. The robbers are taking away fishermen's income. The robbers have set up new hideouts in the coastal area of ​​Barguna as the law enforcers are active in the Sundarbans, said the fishermen of the region.

National politics is picking up at snail's pace. On the one hand, the Awami League and the opposition candidates of the ruling party have become prominent around the Union Parishad elections. On the other hand, BNP, BSD, and CPB have boycotted the president's dialogue on the formation of the Election Commission. What is the message being sent out about the upcoming national elections?

Dr. Tasnim Jara is a familiar face on social media. She became a social media influencer by presenting medical information and guidelines that are easy to understand.

Free textbooks were distributed at primary schools countrywide on the first day of the year.

Experts say that precautions should be taken to curb the spread of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron. The Health Ministry is claiming that they’re much better equipped now to deal with Covid-19. But is the government ready to handle the possible increasing number of hospitalisations again as in last two years? How far has the country come to tackle the coronavirus?

A fire broke out in MV Abhiyan-10 launch on Sugandha river in Jhalakathi on December 24. After hearing about the fire, around 3pm, ignoring the cold and thick fog of winter, 6-7 fishermen took their boats and tried their best to rescue the burn victims.

Daily Star Books brings out book reviews, recommendations and essays every thursday.

2021 -- Bangladesh marks its half-century as an eventful year full of crisis, struggle, and achievements. On the one hand, the biggest challenges of recent times -- the two terrible waves of Covid-19, Rohingya crisis, communal violence, accidents, deaths. On the other hand, Bangladesh as a nation this year has started a new journey, towards a new era.

BNP has officially stated that it will not join the dialogue with the president over the formation of the next Election Commission. Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) have also declined to join the ongoing dialogue. Why exactly has the BNP decided to abstain from the dialogue? How credible would this dialogue be without one of the major political parties in the country?

The results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams of this year were published today. An average of 93.58 percent of students passed the exam. The result of Mainuddin Islam, who was killed by a reckless bus at capital's Rampura, was also published. But this result could not bring any joy to his grieving family.

In 1971, after being tortured by the Pakistani army, people of Joydebpur and surrounding areas fled and took shelter in Bhawalbaria village of Gazipur. The Pakistani military entered the Hindu majority village of Bhawalbaria with Razakars and Al-Badr on a Friday afternoon, May 14.

During the pandemic, some banks cut the pay of its officials and workers on the basis of "economic downturn". However, some of the banks on the salary cut list have seen their senior executives' pay increase during the same time. The earnings of the two banks on this list, like that of many of the country's banks, climbed last year.

The fruit market in Old Dhaka’s Badamtoli is considered to be one of the largest such markets for wholesale in the country, where fruits worth crores are sold and bought every day through auctions.  

Tobacco cultivation can be seen in every direction in the villages of Lalmonirhat. On one hand, the land is losing its fertility due to tobacco farming, and on the other hand, the farmer and his family are facing health risks from tobacco production and processing.

MV Abhijan-10 burned almost for an hour with hundreds of people inside, on the Sugandha river, leaving at least 41 dead. Now we know about the unauthorised engine swap of the launch, and that the crew had no fire-safety drills. The helpless victims did not receive help by calling 999 either. Are the launch owners the only ones responsible for this tragic incident?