A total of 339 US citizens left Dhaka early yesterday as the United States government arranged the fourth chartered flight for those who opted to return amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Two new laboratories are going to open in Chattogram by next week for testing Covid-19 samples, aiming to increase the testing capacity to 350 from the present capacity of around 150 a day.

A team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrests a man in the capital in connection with spreading “defamatory” remarks about Md Moyeen Uddin, the first doctor in the country to die of Covid-19 on April 15.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Enterprises & Co Ltd (UECL) have taken a joint initiative to provide food support to 5,000 poor women in Jamalpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha.

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee at the level of foreign ministers via video conferencing today as part of its efforts to address issues related to the novel coronavirus.

Another 164 Bangladeshis, who were stranded in Chennai, India for over a month following the outbreak of coronavirus, returned home yesterday by a special flight of US-Bangla Airlines.

Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday urged all concerned to continue relief distribution work properly, and said that no discrimination during the process will be tolerated.

Youth for Bangladesh (YFB), a voluntary organisation, recently started an initiative to sell “10 days of food for Tk 10”, which particularly targets middle and lower-middle class residents in Dhaka city and other districts.

Bangladesh Press Council has urged deputy commissioners (DC) to look out for journalists and media workers during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

A total of 264 UK and 154 Turkey citizens left Dhaka on special flights yesterday afternoon. They had opted to return home amid the Covid-19 outbreak, for which their governments arranged their return flights home.

Although the state-owned Bangladesh Television has started broadcasting in Middle East and North Africa recently on a pilot basis, private TV channels from Bangladedsh are still out of reach in the regions, limiting some 70 lakh Bangladeshi migrants from knowing about their homeland’s present situation amid coronavirus outbreak.

Teachers, officers and employees of Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST) will donate the amount of their one day’s salaries to the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Funn order to expedite the government’s steps taken to fight the coronavirus, according to a press release.

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee at the level of foreign ministers via video conferencing tomorrow as part of its efforts to address Covid-19 issues.

World Food Programme (WFP) has started distributing food to the most vulnerable families in Cox’s Bazar impacted by the shutdown due to Covid-19.

With two new hospitals set to start treating covid-19 patients this month, a total of 160 new isolation beds will be added to the existing 150 beds in Chattogram for treating coronavirus positive patients.

Bangladesh’s first field hospital dedicated for Covid-19 patients is set to be inaugurated today in Chattogram’s Sitakunda.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has approved a US$ 170 million loan to improve Bangladesh’s sanitation infrastructure, according to a statement.

A consumer rights network yesterday called upon the government to ensure that the country’s marginal farmers and pure tenants (those who do not own the land they use) are getting loan support under the stimulus package announced for the agriculture sector to fight the Covid-19 fallout.

Sixteen migrant rights bodies and civil society organisations have appealed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to create a fund for the distressed migrants and their left-behind families affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Twenty-six officials and staffers of Department of Narcotics (DNC) in Barishal division, including its additional director, have been transferred for violation of discipline and administrative practices.