Bangladesh could achieve only a little more than half of the targets set by the World Bank Group for 84 projects and programmes in the last four years, says a draft performance review report of the World Bank Group.

The High Court yesterday directed the government to form a commission within 30 days under the law ministry to stop rape and violence against women.

The Election Commission last night shifted the Dhaka city corporation polls date to February 1 in the face of mounting pressure from various quarters as the previous date, January 30, coincided with Saraswati Puja.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced a 15-member squad, featuring the uncapped right-arm pacer Hasan Mahmud, for the T20I series against Pakistan which will begin on January 24 in Lahore.

Amnesty International South Asia yesterday said Bangladesh authorities must ensure that the legal proceedings against 10 people, including Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, follow due process.

China and Myanmar yesterday inked dozens of deals related to Belt and Road Initiative to speed up infrastructure projects in the Southeast Asian nation, as Beijing seeks to cement its hold over a neighbour increasingly isolated by the West.

Tabith Awal, BNP’s mayoral candidate for the DNCC polls, says if elected, he will work for a facelift of the capital and give his best to improve the city’s environment and air quality.

Md Atiqul Islam, who stepped down as the DNCC mayor last month to run for the post in this election, pledges to use digital technology to curb corruption and solve civic problems in the capital’s northern areas.

Forty-seven noted citizens yesterday protested and condemned the filing of a case against Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman and nine others over the death of Naimul Abrar Rahat, a student of Dhaka Residential Model College.

The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur erupted with fireworks last night moments after Rajshahi Royals skipper Andre Russell erupted with a roar. He had bowled the last ball of the match, and in the process ensured that he became the first foreign captain to get his hands on a Bangladesh Premier League trophy in the tournament’s seventh edition.

The High Court has stressed the need for preventing financial scams in the banking sector.

The Election Commission will spend around Tk 40 crore for holding the Dhaka city polls on January 30, almost double the amount spent in the previous elections in 2015.

Amid growing pressure on the Election Commission to shift the January 30 Dhaka city elections, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said his party or the government had no objection to changing the polls date.

When the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority introduced what is popularly known as digital number plate in 2012, it made promises of gaining the ability to track vehicles that have been stolen or used in criminal activities.

Traffic came to a near standstill in some areas of the capital after several hundred garment workers blocked Mirpur Road in Shyamoli yesterday morning.

Majnu, the lone suspect in the rape of a Dhaka University student in the capital’s Kurmitola area, yesterday confessed he committed the crime, court sources said.

A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman, Deputy Editor Anisul Hoque and eight others in a case filed over the death of Naimul Abrar Rahat, a student of Dhaka Residential Model College.

The Election Commission is under mounting pressure to shift the January 30 Dhaka city election with an Awami League mayoral candidate and the BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront joining the call for its deferral.

Bangabandhu’s arrival on January 10, 1972, truly completed Bangladesh’s struggle for freedom, and the state building efforts of the new-born country got momentum. Bangabandhu in his 10 January speech at Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan) outlined the guiding principles of Bangladesh as a nation-state: democracy, socialism and secularism.

After a battle between seven sides spanning more than a month, the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BBPL) will come to a climax today with Khulna Tigers taking on Rajshahi Royals in the all-important final under lights at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.