The mild cold cave sweeping across the nation may abate soon according to meteorologists. The weather department has predicted drizzles in parts of the country till 9:00am tomorrow. And here's everything you need to know about what's happening all around. 

Biswa Ijtema: 4 devotees die; death toll now 7

The first phase of Ijtema — the annual gathering of Muslims in Tongi by the banks of Turag river — will end tomorrow with Akheri Munajat (final prayers). So far, seven devotees have died at the Ijtema venue, reports our Gazipur correspondent. Four more devotees died due to old age complications at the Ijtema venue in Tongi between last night and this morning.

On the other hand, movement of vehicles on some roads in Gazipur will remain suspended for around six hours due to the ongoing Biswa Ijtema.

1.7m students dropped out during the pandemic

Education in Bangladesh took a major hit during the Covid-19 pandemic: 17.62 lakh students dropped out of institutions. A total of 2,49,159 university students discontinued studies between 2020 and 2021. While 62,104 secondary school students and 14,50,719 primary school-level students dropped out in the same period. 

According to experts, financial hurdles faced by families played a key factor in the backdrop. "Many parents married their daughters off during the pandemic. Some of them [students] left the country as migrant workers," said Prof MA Mannan,  former chairman of University Grants Commission. 

Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary: UP chairman's men plundering it for years

For years, under the nose of the Forest Department and the local administration, a syndicate led by a local union parishad chairman has been razing hillocks and tearing down trees at Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary in Chattogram's Lohagara upazila. Our correspondent spoke to local labour workers who were seen shoveling sand from razing hills.

Chunati, the first ever wildlife sanctuary in Bangladesh was once celebrated for its conservation efforts. Now, corruption threatens its very existence to protect the environment. Compared to other Asian countries, Bangladesh has less designated forestry -- only 17 percent of its total area -- according to FAO. Various research studies have warned against continuous degradation of the hill forest of the Chunati beat. Yet still action against perpetrators remain to be taken. 

DCCI Chairman says recent tariff hike will hurt private sector 

On January 8, BERC recommended raising retail electricity price by 15 percent. This hike, will ultimately create an additional economic burden on the smooth operations of the private sector and power intensive industries, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Barrister Md Sameer Sattar said.

The DCCI president said he the government will continue to adjust the tariff rationally in order to minimise the adverse impact on the private sector and local industries. "it is important that a predictable price hike policy is put into place so that the private sector can make necessary planning for their businesses ahead," he said. 

Asaduzzaman Noor returns to stage with 'Remand'

Eminent actor and Member of Parliament, Asaduzzaman Noor will return to the theatre stage, in play "Remand," performed by theatre troupe Hridmoncho. Noor will be playing the role of a writer, who gets embroiled in controversy. The mysterious writer falls into custody of the police and is interrogated. The whole story revolves around the incidents that take place in the interrogation room.

The play will be staged at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, on January 22, as part of the theatre festival 'Notuner Utshob'.