Milestones in 2018

8 Feb:
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia leaves a Dhaka court on her way to the old jail on Dhaka's Nazimuddin Road after being sentenced to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

19 Mar:
A prayer service is underway at the Army Stadium in Dhaka for 23 Bangladeshis killed in a US-Bangla plane crash in Nepal. There were 28 Bangladeshis among the 51 passengers and crew members killed in the accident.

11 Apr:
Students from private universities took to the streets in Dhaka's Progati Swarani area to demand reforms to the quota system for government jobs.

31 Jul:
Students campaign for road safety at Dhaka's Farmgate.

7 Jan:
Construction proceeds on the fourlane highway between Dhaka and Mawa, which also features a U-loop.

12 Jan:
RAB personnel guard the street leading to a militant hideout in Dhaka's Nakhalpara, where three suspects were killed in a predawn raid.

13 Jan:
Teachers of Ebtedayee madrasas continue a hunger strike to demand the nationalisation of the educational institutions.

16 Jan:
Waste from a tannery is dumped into the Dhaleshwari River in Savar.

16 Jan:
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia appears in court for a hearing in a graft case in Dhaka.

16 Jan:
Suspects are detained during an anti-drug raid by the police in the Dholpur area of Dhaka.

6 Feb:
Swiss President Alain Berset poses with a group of children at a UNICEF-operated education centre for Rohingyas at Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

8 Feb:
BNP activists clash with police in Dhaka's Kakrail before Khaleda Zia's motorcade passes the area on its way to court.

8 Feb:
Police clash with BNP activists in Chattogram.

24 Feb:
Police fire water cannons at BNP activists during a demonstration in front of the party's headquarters in Dhaka's Naya Paltan.

5 Mar:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits writer Prof Muhammed Zafar Iqbal at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka in the aftermath of an extremist attack.

7 Mar:
The Awami League holds a rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan to commemorate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic speech of 1971.

8 Mar:
Departed freedom fighter Ferdousi Priyabhashini is given a 'Guard of Honour' at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka.

8 Mar:
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other leaders are caught in the melee during a BNP protest in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka.19 Mar: The body of photographer and USBangla flight crash victim FH Priok is lifted onto a hearse. Priok, his wife Almun Nahar Annie and their daughter had been on their way to Nepal for a visit when their plane crashed. Only Annie survived.

19 Mar:
The body of photographer and USBangla flight crash victim FH Priok is lifted onto a hearse. Priok, his wife Almun Nahar Annie and their daughter had been on their way to Nepal for a visit when their plane crashed. Only Annie survived.

9 Apr:
The home of the Dhaka University vice-chancellor is vandalised amid protests calling for reforms to quotas in government jobs. Clashes broke out between protesters and police overnight across the university campus. The vice-chancellor's residence was vandalised by attackers.

14 May:
Stray shoes are strewn across an area in Chattogram's Satkania where nine people died in a stampede during the distribution of iftar packages.

27 May:
A train passes through an illegally constructed market in Dhaka's Jurain. The market sprang up around the tracks and often covers them in waste. The trains pass dangerously close to the vendors and their stalls.

18 May:
Iftar stalls at Old Dhaka's Chawkbazar are doing brisk business on the first day of Ramadan as vendors display delicacies for eager customers.

16 Jun:
The Eid-ul-Fitr prayer service is held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka.

19 Jun:
A rusty local bus takes the Twenty20 Asia Cup-winning Bangladesh women cricketers from a hotel in Chattogram to Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium for practice. Despite securing their first international trophy for the country, female cricketers have not received the same respect or access to resources as their male counterparts.

21 Jun:
Ministers, diplomats, artists and others celebrate the International Day of Yoga at an event organised by the High Commission of India at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.

29 Jun:
The fifth span of the Padma Bridge is laid between pillars 41 and 42 in Munshiganj.

1 Jul:
People pay their respects to the victims of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack on its second anniversary. Seventeen of the victims were foreign nationals.

3 Jul:
Firefighters attempt to put out a blaze at a foam factory in the Barobari area of Dhaka's Tongi.

17 Jul:
Hindu women pray to the deity Bipodtarini Devi to help them overcome their troubles at an annual puja.

27 Jul:
Quota reform campaigner Nurul Haq Nur is attacked at Dhaka University. Nur would later be elected vice-president of the Dhaka University Central Students Union.

2 Aug:
A student protester campaigning for road safety checks a driver's licence at Dhaka's Mohakhali.

5 Aug:
Freelance photojournalist Rahat Karim comes under attack while covering a campaign for road safety in Dhaka's Dhanmondi.

6 Aug:
Photographer and activist Shahidul Alam is brought barefoot to the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court over a case filed under the ICT law. He had been detained in the early hours of the morning from his home on charges of making "false claims" on Facebook during a road safety campaign.

13 Aug:
Five people are sentenced to death for murder, rape and other crimes against humanity in Patuakhali during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.

19 Aug:
Biman's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane, named 'Akashbina', arrives at the Dhaka airport to a water salute.

20 Aug:
Despite warnings on the dangers of overcrowded vessels, nearly every launch that sets off from Dhaka's Sadarghat around Eid is packed beyond capacity.

21 Aug:
Desperate to make it home for the Eid, a man fits himself into the gap above the connecting line between train carriages. Many travellers take similar risks to see their loved ones during the holidays.

27 Aug:
Four children were killed and 22 others hospitalised in a measles outbreak in Chattogram's Hathazari.

6 Sept:
A Royal Bengal tiger couple at the Chattogram Zoo give birth to two children, one of whom is albino. The disorder, which affects pigmentation in hair, skin and eyes, is rare among the species.

13 Sept:
A portion of the Naria Upazila Health Complex has collapsed into the Padma River due to bank erosion.

19 Sept:
Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad and his erstwhile ally ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader attend a party event at the Dhaka International Convention Centre. In a shock move, Howlader was replaced as Jatiya Party general secretary by party Presidium member Md Mashiur Rahman Ranga in the run-up to the parliamentary election.

22 Sept:
Gono Forum President Kamal Hossain and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir speak at a rally in Dhaka's Gulistan. The political leaders had come together to press for a list of demands, including a nonpartisan election-time government, ahead of the parliamentary polls. Their parties would eventually come together to form the major opposition to the Awami League in the election.

30 Sept:
The BNP holds a rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka to demand the release of Khaleda Zia, the withdrawal of the cases against her son Tarique Rahman and an election under a nonpartisan government.

10 Oct:
Convicts are taken to Kashimpur jail after the announcement of the verdict in a case involving grenade attacks on an Awami League rally on 21 Aug, 2004.

19 Oct:
The first funeral service for departed Bangladeshi rock singer Ayub Bachchu is held at the National Eidgah.

29 Oct:
Transport workers smear a driver with engine oil in Dhaka's Keraniganj amid a labour strike.

29 Oct:
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is serving prison time for graft, is taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for medical tests.

4 Nov:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Hefazat-e-Islam chief Shah Ahmad Shafi attend a rally organised by the Islamist organisation to celebrate the government's recognition of the Qawmi madrasas' highest certification as equivalent to a postgraduate degree.

5 Nov:
The construction of the 20km metro rail line from Uttara to Motijheel is underway in Dhaka's Diyabari.

7 Nov:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir meet for the second round of election-time talks between the government and the Jatiya Oikya Front opposition alliance at the Ganabhaban.

11 Nov:
Bangladesh ODI cricket captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza buys an Awami League nomination form for the 11th parliamentary election from General Secretary Obaidul Quader at the party's headquarters in Dhanmondi.

14 Nov:
Men in motorcycle helmets vandalise and set fire to police vehicles during clashes at Naya Paltan in Dhaka.

18 Nov:
BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman takes part in interviews with prospective party candidates for the 11th parliamentary election at the BNP's offices in Dhaka's Gulshan via videoconferencing from London.

20 Nov:
Photographer Shahidul Alam was released from jail in Keraniganj, three months after he was arrested under the ICT Act on charges of making false allegations during a road safety campaign.

26 Nov:
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir breaks down in tears while distributing the party's nomination certificates for the parliamentary elections after recalling the incarceration of party chief Khaleda Zia.

1 Dec:
As waters recede at the start of winter, the pollution level of the Shitalakshya River continues to rise.

1 Dec:
Two factions of Tabligh Jamaat block the road from the Dhaka airport to Tongi and engage in clashes throughout the day, cutting off access to a main thoroughfare into the capital.

3 Dec:
Suspects in the case over the Holey Artisan Bakery attack are taken back to prison after a hearing at a Dhaka tribunal.

5 Dec:
Students at Viqarunnisa School and College hold a second day of protests to demand justice following the suicide of student Aritry Adhikary, whose parents were called to the school and insulted.

10 Dec:
Despite a ban on campaign graffiti, the walls of Dhaka University buildings are adorned with slogans for the Awami League.

25 Dec:
An army team patrols the Tejgaon area in Dhaka ahead of the 11th parliamentary election.

28 Dec:
Election officials are busy organising the materials for the 11th parliamentary election.

30 Dec:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina casts her ballot in the 11th parliamentary election at the Dhaka City College polling centre.