Dhaka - Bangladesh on Wednesday slapped a ban on fishing Hilsha on the Bay of Bengal to help increase the population of the widely consumed fish.

The ban will remain effective for 10 days until October 24, the main breeding period of the fish, over 7,000-square kilometres on the coast and estuaries to ensure safe spawning of Hilsha, an official at the fisheries and livestock ministry said.

Dhaka - The electoral talks between Bangladesh's military-backed government and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ended inconclusive Tuesday with both sides stressing for further talks to settle their disagreements.

Both sides underscored the need to holding the December 18 election in a free, fair and credible manner, but failed to make any consensus on condition that the party proposed for a competitive election, including lifting of the state of emergency.

Dhaka - Bangladesh's military forces on Tuesday handed over a list of more than 80 million voters with photographs to the Election Commission to be used in the country's stalled parliamentary polls now scheduled for December 18.

Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda received the copy of the voters roll, prepared for the first time in Bangladesh under a donor supported scheme supervised by the armed forces.

Dhaka - Authorities in Bangladesh have given the nod to launch a feasibility study for constructing a 60-kilometre subway system for Dhaka to ease the capital's nagging traffic congestion, officials said Tuesday.

The military-backed interim government, led by Fakhruddin Ahmed, on Monday asked an inter-ministry panel to launch the study by December, officials at the Ministry of Communications said.

Dhaka - Bangladesh's Election Commission on Mo