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The game-changing policies of PM Hasina

Today is birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Her party, Bangladesh Awami League, has drawn plans to make the day historic. The government has set a target of inoculating 80 lakh people across the country marking the day. The Prime Minister is now in the USA as she went there to join the 76th U...

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Unique Covid response in Bangladesh

As the world is learning from the most successful strategies for containing Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh has something to show.With calculative decision-making when it comes to imposing lockdowns, increasing the capacity of testing as well as quarantine, mask use campaign, vaccination, strengthenin...

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Don’t forget NCDs in pandemic

The pandemic has disrupted the health services for the people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the world despite the fact that they are more vulnerable to develop severe forms of Covid-19 than any other.“Management of NCDs requires repeated interactions with the health syste...

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Dhaka rejects WB proposal

Bangladesh has rejected outright the World Bank’s proposal to integrate the Rohingya population into the country.“In our county we don’t have refugees. Rohingyas are not refugees. They are displaced people temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh. We did not sign the refugee convention....

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3.6m Covid jabs arrive by tomorrow

Bangladesh will get 3.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine by tomorrow (Saturday) in a major development as the government is intensifying its nationwide inoculation drive due to the worsening situation of the coronavirus infection.Health Minister Zahid Maleque would receive the first consignment of ...

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BIMSTEC leaders pledge cooperation against pandemic

The heads of the member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) have pledged to cooperate with each other in the fight against the pandemic and overcome its consequences.They also wished for peace and prosperity of the region in separate...

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EU takes interest in Indo-Pacific, but against creating rival blocs

The European Union takes interest in the Indo-Pacific region, but does not aim “to create rival blocs or force countries to take sides”.“We want to deepen our cooperation with democratic, like-minded partners,” EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said a lectur...

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‘We missed a chance to reform health sector’

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Thursday in the proposed budget for 2021-22 did not make any significant allocation to the much-talked about health sector. There is no visible plan to turnaround the sector as expected by many.He proposed Tk 32,731 crore which is less than 1 percent (only 0.95 ...

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Asthma still a taboo topic

Asma Akter (not her real name) was diagnosed with asthma five years ago at the age of 39. Her doctor prescribed her corticosteroid inhaler to take the puff round the year. But she does not take it as she believes her condition is not that severe. She, however, said that every winter she suffers a lo...

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Black fungus comes to a head as one suspect dies

Doctors in Bangladesh on Tuesday rushed in a meeting to formulate guidelines for the management of ‘black fungus’ disease along with Covid-19 following the death of a patient at Birdem Hospital in Dhaka.Health Minister Zahid Maleque, however, urged people not to be panicked as the diseas...

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World military spending rises despite pandemic

The global military expenditure increased to $1981 billion last year, despite Covid-19 pandemic that ravaged the world economy.According to new data published on Sunday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the total global military expenditure witnessed an increase of 2.6...

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‘Made in Bangladesh’ vaccine hope still alive: India

India on Saturday informed the government that the hope to produce Covaxin against Covid-19 in Bangladesh is ‘still not lost’.Bangladesh’s icddr,b and India’s Bharat Biotech  entered into an agreement in December for the Phase-III clinical trials of the Covaxin, but the ...

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New global TB vaccine roadmap launched

Inspired by the extraordinary pace of the development of Covid-19 jab, a global TB vaccine R&D roadmap has been launched at an international conference to replace the century old BCG TB vaccine.The EDCTP and the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD) on Tuesday announced t...

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Don’t deny Covid, see doctor, wear mask: Expert

Ensuring mask use at all levels can be a key measure to slow down the Covid-19 spread in Bangladesh since strict lockdown is not ‘feasible’ in the country context, an expert says. “But first of all we have to accept that yes I can get Covid-19 and then take steps accordingly,&...

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KOICA to assist Bangladesh in smooth graduation

KOICA Country Director Young-Ah Doh on Sunday said that the Korean development agency would assist Bangladesh to graduate “smoothly” from the LDC by 2026 and help the country to achieve the SDGs by 2030.She said KOICA is also committed to assist the government of Bangladesh to accomplish...

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Tough steps to curb Covid

The government has taken strict measures along with vaccination to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Bangladesh.The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh on Thursday imposed a 16-day ban on entry of passengers from all European nations except the UK and 12 other countries - Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil,...

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Bangladesh celebrations boost South Asia connectivity

Bangladesh’s twin celebrations - Bangabandhu’s birth centenary and the golden jubilee of independence – have given the South Asian connectivity a boost with the regional leaders attending the mega-event despite Covid-19 pandemic.They also promised to expand their ties by opening up...

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Hasina, Modi talk economic integration

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have discussed the ways of enhancing connectivity between the countries and with their neighbours Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand for facilitating regional economic integration for the benefit of all.They expressed satisfactio...

Special Supplement

Hasina and Modi – The Golden Chapter

A friend who helps at a difficult time is a friend who you can really rely on. Covid-19 has proved that type of friendship between Bangladesh and India again.This pandemic is an unprecedented event of our time. It is a crisis that we have never faced before. It’s a war, but the enemy virus is ...

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Bangladesh-Bhutan, a friendship to celebrate

The visit of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering to Bangladesh is like his return to the second home. He spent 11 years in Bangladesh to study MBBS at Mymensingh Medical College and later for postgraduate training in Dhaka. So he knows much about Bangladesh.Again he came back to Dhaka as a Prime...