BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has tested positive for Covid-19, family sources and the party said yesterday.

He planned to travel to India and take charge of the JMB wing of the neighboring country.

Three Rab and one air force members, who have been arrested in the capital on charges of abducting a man and demanding ransom for his release, were hired by a woman for the job.

With no directive about the two days between the “lockdowns”, many said they were confused as to what would happen on April 12 and 13.

Exactly one month ago, the number of people dying of Covid-19 per day was around seven. The public thought the pandemic was at an ebb and they carried on with a semblance of a normal life.

The ruins of a Sultanate-era building have been found inside the old central jail compound in the Chawkbazar area of Dhaka.

Gaibandha police has allegedly handed over a trader to a ruling party leader for his failure to pay debt. The leader allegedly kept him confined to his house, and almost a month later, the man was found dead there.

At least 17 thanas in the capital are at high risk of Covid-19 transmission, says government data.

Police arrested four Rab members in the capital’s Hatirjheel yesterday on charges of abducting, torturing, and demanding ransom from a man.

Prince Philip, the longest serving royal consort in British history who was a constant presence at Queen Elizabeth II’s side for decades, died yesterday aged 99, Buckingham Palace announced.

The World Health Organization yesterday condemned the chasm between rich and poor nations in accessing coronavirus vaccines, saying more than a dozen countries were still completely unprotected.

More young adults getting infected with coronavirus has been a worrying sign in recent weeks, experts said.

Bangladesh yesterday recorded more than 7,000 Covid-19 cases for the fifth time in six days even as the country undergoes a weeklong lockdown to contain the virus transmission.

Having returned to the Paris Agreement after assuming office in January, US President Joe Biden is eager to work with Bangladesh as part of a new global partnership to fight climate change and protect future generations.

The country will be put under a complete lockdown for a week from April 14, the government announced yesterday amid a worsening coronavirus situation as the ongoing restrictions have apparently proved to be ineffective to contain the spread of the virus.

The dominance of the South African variant of coronavirus in Dhaka is a reason for concern, but experts said mass inoculation should go on although early studies suggested that the available vaccines are less effective against the variant.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) yesterday wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office, urging it to toughen restrictions in order to curb the transmission of Covid-19.

Observing the recent surge of coronavirus cases, it was assumed that a new Covid-19 strain had spread in Bangladesh.

The government yesterday started administering the second dose of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine amid a steep rise in deaths and infections.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government would take tougher steps to save lives of people amid the massive surge in the Covid-19 infection and deaths in the last few days.