DHAKA: Bangladesh&#39;s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered an urgent nationwide review following a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/halal-concerns-drive-vaccine-hesitancy-as-indonesia-fights-measles-outbreak" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">measles outbreak</a> with more than 600 cases, officials said Monday. PM Rahman has directed two senior ministers to travel across the South Asian nation of 170 million people to assess the scale of the crisis and coordinate response efforts, according to a statement from his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Ministry of Health senior official Halimur Rashid, head of the disease control unit, said there have been 674 measles cases across the country this year. Measles is one of the world&#39;s most contagious diseases, according to the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/middle-east-war-at-perilous-stage-with-strikes-around-nuclear-sites-who" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Health Organization</a>, and spreads through coughs or sneezes. Complications can include brain swelling and severe breathing problems. While it can affect anyone, it is most common in children. Bangladesh has made significant advancements in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-vaccinates-over-44m-children-in-first-polio-campaign-of-2026" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">vaccinations</a> to tackle infectious disease, but a measles drive that had been due in June 2024 was delayed by unrest during a mass uprising that toppled the government. &quot;Regular vaccine drives have been ongoing, only the special campaign drive which was scheduled for June 2024 had to be postponed due to political unrest,&quot; Rashid told AFP, saying the next campaign will begin in June. The WHO estimates as many as 95,000 measles deaths globally every year, mostly among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under the age of five, according to its latest statistics. There is no specific treatment for measles once caught.

Reports indicate measles outbreaks in several districts across the country, with significant spread in at least seven districts. In the current month alone, 21 children have died from measles. The number of patients admitted with measles at the Infectious

Bangladesh

Bangladesh orders urgent review after measles outbreak surpasses 600 cases, raising concerns over delayed vaccination campaigns, rapid spread among children, and need for coordinated national response to contain infections

Bangladesh PM orders probe into measles outbreak

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh government initiated emergency energy conservation measures and prepared for potential power rationing as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/usisrael-war-on-iran-day-6" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Middle East conflict</a>&nbsp;disrupts global fuel markets, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported. According to the state-run news agency, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood stated that the nation faces a temporary crisis in the energy sector due to ongoing regional unrest. Following an emergency review meeting, the energy minister requested that citizens use electricity and fuel economically to help manage the supply gap. Bangladesh currently holds 201,610 tons of diesel, enough to last 14 days, according to Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) Director Dr. AKM Azadur Rahman. BSS reported on March 3 that petrol and octane reserves are sufficient for approximately 17 and 31 days. The BPC director indicated that the state is monitoring the supply chain to ensure refined&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/saudi-arabia-assures-pakistan-alternative-oil-supply-route-amid-regional-crisis-1" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">oil shipments</a>&nbsp;from alternative markets continue despite the closure of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/opec-backs-market-stability-as-iran-rules-out-hormuz-closure" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strait of Hormuz.</a> Bangladesh&rsquo;s Cabinet Division issued an 11-point directive on March 5 ordering all public and autonomous offices to curb consumption. As per the mandate, offices must set air conditioners to 25 degrees Celsius or higher and switch off half of their lights. The directive also specified that decorative lighting should be avoided and the use of private vehicles reduced. The research director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dr. Khondaker Golam Moazzem, stated that the nation&#39;s energy system faces increased pressure, making supply rationing likely in the short term. Research published in the International Research Journal reported that national energy consumption in Bangladesh grows by roughly 10% annually. This creates a supply-demand disparity that requires immediate management. State Minister Anindya Islam Amit told BSS that electricity for the Boro irrigation season remains a priority even if rationing occurs in other sectors. Boro is Bangladesh&#39;s key dry-season rice crop,&nbsp;demanding heavy irrigation from November to June. To protect gas for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/global-coal-demand-expected-to-hit-record-in-2025-international-energy-agency" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">power generation</a>, the Bangladeshi government ordered CNG filling stations to close daily from 3 pm to 9 pm local time through the month of Ramadan, according to a statement by the energy ministry. A study from the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies found that rising energy costs are already straining the agri-food system, as production costs for rice increased 3.45% annually in recent years. Bangladesh&rsquo;s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman instructed the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to procure necessary liquefied natural gas from alternative markets to stabilize the grid, BSS reported on March 1.

Fuel droplets fall from a nozzle at a gasoline station in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 6, 2022. (AFP)

Bangladesh launches energy conservation and power rationing amid Middle East conflict disrupting fuel supplies, imposing office cutbacks and CNG closures.

Bangladesh curbs energy use as Middle East war strains reserves

Web Desk/AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh&#39;s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has named a former commerce minister to steer the country&#39;s troubled economy and kept the defense portfolio for himself as he formed his first cabinet. Rahman was sworn into office on Tuesday after a landslide election victory, taking over from the interim administration that had led the country of 170 million people since a deadly 2024 uprising that toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina, AFP reported. The <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/tarique-rahman-takes-oath-as-bangladeshs-11th-prime-minister" style="color:#0073e6;">cabinet </a>announced in a gazette notification issued late Tuesday includes Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, 76, a businessman and veteran <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-pmelect-tarique-rahman-lawmakers-sworn-into-parliament" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">lawmaker </a>who has now returned to the finance ministry. Chowdhury is tasked with reviving growth after months of turmoil that rattled investor confidence in the world&#39;s second-largest garment exporter. He had previously served in the cabinet of Rahman&#39;s late mother, three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia, but was forced to resign in 2004. He was also arrested several times during <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladeshs-incoming-government-signals-regional-reset-pushes-saarc-revival" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sheikh Hasina&#39;s</a> 15-year rule, as her government regularly targeted opposition leaders in cases often decried as politically motivated. Rahman, 60, has appointed himself defense minister, as his government faces a daunting list of challenges including improving security and healing rifts in a country polarized by years of bitter rivalry. Khalilur Rahman is the foreign minister, an experienced diplomat and former UN official who holds degrees from universities in Dhaka and the United States. Khalilur Rahman held the security portfolio in the caretaker government and helped mediate trade talks with the United States. Prime Minister Rahman is expected to chair his first cabinet meeting later on Wednesday. Other members of the cabinet include veteran politicians, former ministers and lawmakers, as well as academics and several party workers, AFP reported. The ministers&nbsp;The cabinet members include 25 ministers and 24 state ministers, state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported.&nbsp; The 25 ministers are: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khoshru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram, Abu Jafar Md Zahid Hossain, Dr Khalilur Rahman (Technocrat), Abdul Awal Mintoo, Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, Mizanur Rahman Minu, Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, Zahir Uddin Swapon, Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid (Technocrat), Afroza Khanam Rita, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Asadul Habib Dulu, Md Asaduzzaman, Zakaria Taher, Dipen Dewan, ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, Sarder Md Sakhawat Hossain, Fakir Mahbub Anam, and Sheikh Rabiul Alam. The state ministers&nbsp;The 24 state ministers are: M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Anindya Islam Amit, Md Shariful Alam, Shama Obaed Islam, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, Farhad Hossain Azad, Md Aminul Haq (technocrat), Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, Habibur Rashid, Md Rajib Ahsan, Md Abdul Bari, Mir Shahe Alam, Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, widely known as Zonayed Saki, Ishraque Hossain, Farzana Sharmin, Shaikh Faridul Islam, Nurul Haque Nur, Yasser Khan Chowdhury, M Iqbal Hossain, MA Muhith, Ahammad Sohel Manjur, Bobby Hajjaj and Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam.&nbsp;

Rahman was sworn into office on Tuesday after a landslide election victory, taking over from the interim administration that had led the country since a deadly 2024 uprising that toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina.

Articles tagged with "Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman"

Bangladesh PM orders probe into measles outbreak

Bangladesh curbs energy use as Middle East war strains reserves

Bangladesh PM names cabinet after election win