Saudi Arabia said today that it would start allowing pilgrims to perform Umrah gradually, taking necessary precautions. The Ministry of Interior said the decision was made after assessing the developments of the coronavirus and in response to the desire of Muslims around the world to perform the ritual, according to Arab News. The first phase of the gradual return will include allowing citizens and expatriates from within the kingdom to perform Umrah at a capacity of 30 percent from Octob

Nestled between hills on one side and the sea on the other, Marishbunia village in Teknaf's Baharchhara union is pure beauty. Babbling brooks, mossy arched bridges and hibiscus shrubs in full bloom -- this was the last location where Maj (retd) Sinha Rashed Md Khan was filming before he was killed in police firing on July 31. But for such an idyllic location, the atmosphere in Marishbunia is unnerving. All the witnesses named in the case, filed against the slain ex-army major by police, are

The intensive care units for coronavirus patients have yet to become functional in many of the 17 hospitals dedicated to Covic-19 treatment, even a month and a half after the authorities reported the first case in the country. While ventilators have been installed in most of the hospitals, infrastructural development, oxygen supply and other necessary equipment are still required for the ICUs to be operational, according to a DGHS letter sent to the health ministry on April 18. Ftv News o

The number of deaths in COVID-19 continue to soar in Bangladesh as it reported nine more deaths in the last 24 hours until Saturday, raising the toll to 140, reports news agency UNB. It also reported 309 new cases in the country. “In the last 24 hours 309 people tested positive for coronavirus in the country. Now the number of confirmed cases stands at 4,998,” said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) additional director general professor Nasima Sultana at the daily healt

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the people to visit physicians if they experience any symptom of coronavirus and not to pay heed to any rumour about the virus as she issued a 31-point directive last night in view of the Covid-19 outbreak. Sheikh Hasina also warned that no corruption will be tolerated in the relief distribution and advised not to use personal protective equipment (PPE) wholesale by all the people. "The prime minister has given the 31-point instruction in the wake of

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is going to be released from prison shortly, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said this afternoon. "Preparation is on," he said while talking to reporters at his secretariat office. The government yesterday decided to release BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, suspending her sentence for six months. Khaleda is now receiving treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. "We are yet to get an order from the ministry. We have all the preparatio

A good number of banks in the US, Canada and many other countries around the world have temporarily shut their branches or scaled back their retail operations as part of their efforts to flatten the curve on coronavirus. Not just that, central banks around the world are coming up with rescue packages to help their economies tide over the coronavirus-induced slowdown. For instance, the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the US, has cut interest rate to essentially zero on March 15 and la

A total of 152 Bangladeshis returned to Dhaka from Italy this morning. An Emirates flight carrying them landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8:30am, said Dr Zahirul, an official of the airport's health desk. On their arrival, they were primarily tested and then taken to Ashkona Hajj Camp, Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan, director of the airport, confirmed to Ftv-News. On Saturday morning, 142 Bangladeshis returned from Italy who were taken to the camp. The author

Countries around the world are taking various drastic measures to try to stop the rapid spread of the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19. Bangladesh too has ramped up efforts on several fronts since the country confirmed its first ever coronavirus cases on March 7. But the steps and guidelines given by the government so far for the educational institutions seem not only to be hilarious but also far from reality. Let's start with the latest directive issued by Directorate of Secondary a

Although the diagnosis of novel coronavirus is so far only Dhaka-based, the authorities prefer not to expand the testing facilities to hospitals outside the capital right now due to a lack of trained manpower and unavailability of the necessary technology. Besides, the possibility of faulty results and risk of biological hazards are also major concerns for sticking to a centralised diagnostic system, said officials of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research Institute (IED