India and Thailand reported record daily coronavirus cases yesterday, as a new wave of infections, combined with a shortage of hospital beds and vaccines, threatens to slow Asia’s recovery from the pandemic.

A foreman of a shipyard died after a piece of iron sheet fell on him in Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila on Monday.

India yesterday said it will fast-track emergency approvals for Covid-19 vaccines that have been authorised by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna shots.

Maulana Abdullah Mohammad Hasan, a nayeb-e-ameer of Hefajat-e-Islam, has resigned from the Qawmi madrasa-based organisation, alleging that the Islamist group has turned into a platform that materialises personal agendas of some controversial Hefajat leaders.

Sirajganj police in October 2019 had recovered the decomposed body in Sadar thana area.

The first cabinet meeting of the provincial government of Bangladesh today laid down a seven-point programme for smooth functioning of the administration as far as practicable under the prevailing situation.

Saying that around 20,000 to 25,000 expatriate workers will face uncertainty about reaching their workplaces abroad, Baira and Atab yesterday demanded to keep international flight operation out of the purview of weeklong lockdown begins from this morning.

Twenty years on from the 2001 Ramna Batamul bomb blasts which killed ten people at Pahela Baishakh celebrations, justice is yet to be delivered to the family members of the victims as the appeals and death reference in connection with the carnage case are still pending with the High Court.

Confusion and complacency in addressing Covid-19 means the pandemic is a long way from over, but it can be brought under control in months with proven public health measures, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday.

SM Nasif Shams, son of Pabna-1 lawmaker Samsul Haque Tuku, has sent a rejoinder to a report run by The Daily Star on March 15 under the headline “Land grabbing in Pabna: District admin to probe allegation against MP’s son”.

With the government announcing restrictions on businesses and people’s movements to curb the spike in coronavirus cases and deaths, speakers at a discussion yesterday urged for a balance between saving lives and protecting livelihoods.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s physical condition is stable and she is asymptomatic, her doctor said yesterday, following news of her testing positive on Sunday. Her medical team said they were ready to hospitalise her if the situation arises.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, for the first time, fixed the retail prices of liquefied petroleum gas yesterday disappointing consumers.

A six-member war cabinet headed by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was formed today.

India’s Election Commission yesterday banned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in the state assembly election for 24 hours for violating the code of conduct.

Business owners and general public in Gaibandha yesterday participated in a human chain protesting the death of a shoe store owner at the house of a now-suspended Awami League leader.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said ensuring global peace has become far more challenging than in the past due to the pandemic.

The body of a madrasa student was recovered from his madrasa in Cumilla city’s Sangraish area on Sunday night.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday the United States is concerned about China’s aggressive actions against Taiwan and warned it would be a “serious mistake” for anyone to try to change the status quo in the Western Pacific by force.

Neither the driver nor the assistant of an Egyptian train that crashed at speed into another last month were at the controls during the deadly accident, the prosecution service said yesterday.