Bangladesh geologists are basically screaming that Dhaka might be cooked after a bunch of quakes hit the area since late last month. A retired professor from Dhaka University, Syed Humayun Akhtar, explained that the Indian Plate is subducting beneath the Burma Plate in a subduction zone, and all that locked-up energy wants out. The strongest tremor clocked in at 5.7 magnitude, with its center near Narsingdi, and experts think a magnitude 7 or 8 monster could drop at any time from next week to decades from now.
The city sits in the worst possible spot for earthquake damage because of sketchy buildings, wild population density, and basically zero prep work. RAJUK only checked 3,252 structures out of 2.1 million buildings around Dhaka and...
Khaleda Zia got a tiny bit better while posted up at Evercare Hospital getting treatment for whatever's been knocking her down. The BNP boss has been stuck under heavy monitoring, and doctors noticed she actually responds when people call her name, which is better than the past few sessions, where she wasn't really acknowledging anybody.
A whole squad of local and international medical specialists keeps tabs on her around the clock, and Tarique Rahman checks in constantly about how everything's going. Party insiders say her condition hasn't really moved the needle much overall, but she's at least reacting to whatever treatments they're throwing at her.
BNP's senior leadership told reporters her health stayed stable without getting...
India's top navy guy, Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, still thinks Bangladesh counts as a friend despite all the chaos after Sheikh Hasina got booted out last August. The former prime minister bounced to India and caught a death sentence from a tribunal back home, and Bangladesh wants her sent back.
Tripathi told people to chill since elections haven't happened yet, and he thinks the whole mess might just be temporary. He talked about training Bangladeshi cadets and how his first chief visit was supposed to go there instead of some fancier capital. The admiral stayed optimistic that things will flip around eventually.
He also addressed Pakistan testing some new hypersonic missile by saying Indian scientists are grinding on the same tech with...
Nepal's election commission says 120 political parties want to compete in the lower house race that's happening next year. The commission verified applications from groups trying to grab seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, and about a third of these parties are brand-new to the game.
KP Sharma Oli quit as prime minister after protests turned deadly in Kathmandu, and the whole country's political setup is getting reshuffled through these elections. Officials expect the final party count might shift a bit after they finish checking everything, but the numbers should lock in within the week.
Bangladesh and Ireland players were getting ready for their final T20 match in Chattogram while the BPL auction went down back in Dhaka. Rangpur Riders captain Nurul Hasan Sohan hopped on a flight after playing the previous game, and he suited up for franchise duties alongside Mohammad Ashraful. Most of the squad stayed put at the hotel, though, streaming the whole thing online while roasting each other about who got expensive bids and who tanked.
Some national team guys were busy playing first-class cricket matches around the country, but they still tuned in after stumps to watch the money get thrown around. The Ireland squad apparently gave zero craps about their potential BPL contracts, and they just watched soccer instead of...
Bangladesh Bank just tacked on another five years to their 8,000-crore taka Islamic bond that was supposed to wrap up at the end of this month. The Sukuk got issued for a clean water project, and regulators decided to push the deadline out to 2030 after their Shariah committee signed off on keeping everything halal.
Bondholders can either ride it out or cash in their chips on the original due date if they want out. The government will fork over 3,804 crore in rental payments for using the leased assets during the extension, with payouts hitting twice a year at a 4.69% effective rate. People who want to bail can hit up their banks to process the withdrawal through Bangladesh Bank's Islamic Securities crew.
Bangladesh just bumped up fuel costs by 2 taka across the board for all the different types. The government dropped a notice saying diesel went from 102 to 104 per liter, petrol climbed from 118 to 120, octane moved from 122 to 124, and kerosene jumped from 114 to 116.
The Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources explained they tweak prices every month based on what's happening with global markets and some automated formula they run. The new rates kicked in at the start of the month.
The BPL auction wrapped up with all six teams locking down their rosters through a mix of direct grabs and bidding wars. Chattogram Royals dropped the fattest bag on Mohammad Naim Sheikh at 1.1 crore taka, making him the priciest local pickup this season.
Rangpur Riders snagged Mahmudullah Riyad and brought back Mustafizur Rahman, while Dhaka Capitals built around Taskin Ahmed and locked in Alex Hales from overseas. Sylhet Titans went heavy with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and pulled in Mohammad Amir for their bowling attack. Rajshahi Warriors centered their squad on Najmul Hossain Shanto and grabbed Mushfiqur Rahim at his base price after he went unsold initially.
Noakhali Express picked up Hasan Mahmud and paired him with international guys...
Bangladesh threw a ceramics showcase at the Bashundhara Convention Center, and the manufacturers' association brought in exhibitors from 25 different countries for their annual trade show. Foreign Adviser Towhid Hossain showed up to hand out trophies and mentioned how the ceramics game went from total import dependency to actually shipping stuff overseas.
BCMEA President Moynul Islam basically said ceramics could become the country's second-biggest export hustle if they get the right support structures in place. The whole shindig featured 300 brands with 135 companies showing off their gear, plus they ran seminars and job fairs on the side. HLT-DLT helped organize the expo alongside the ceramics association.
