Taufiq Hossain Mobin

Tensions are rising in Dinajpur’s Phulbari after the BNP government indicated plans to extract coal through open-pit mining, reviving a debate settled by a two-decade-old agreement. Protests have already erupted, with local residents warning of resistance if the government moves ahead with the plan. The Democratic Rights Committee has announced a “campaign journey” from Dhaka to Phulbari on 24 August and a mass rally on 26 August.

Worsening gas shortage left CNG drivers stranded for hours, households struggling to cook and factories shut on Friday as disruptions at the country’s two LNG terminals in Moheshkhali sharply reduced supplies. The crisis spread across Dhaka and other parts of the country, with long queues forming at CNG stations and gas pressure falling sharply.

Dhaka has been brought into the load-shedding cycle as the government seeks to reduce prolonged power cuts in other parts of the country amid a gas supply crisis that has hit electricity generation. Power Grid data showed around 500MW of load-shedding in the capital during the peak evening period at around 9pm on Wednesday. Residents in several areas reported outages after 9pm, with some experiencing cuts lasting an hour or more.