Bangladesh in world media this week

As the year comes to an end, much of world media’s attention is fixated on looking back at 2021. Even after this, Bangladesh made headlines with some major events that grabbed the attention of many international media outlets. Especially, the tragic launch fire in Jhalokathi killing over 40 people was on the headlines of many prominent media outlets.

The Business Insider Bangladesh has picked the top ten of the events in Bangladesh which surfaced on the international media outlets over the week.

Here are our top 10 picks for this week:

At least 38 people killed in Bangladesh ferry fire

At least 38 people have died in Bangladesh after a fire swept through a launch on the Sugandha River in Bangladesh, CNN reported on December 24.

"We have recovered 38 bodies so far," Kalam Hossain Bhuiyan, a senior fire service official in the southern district of Jhalakathi, where the accident happened at around 3 am local time.

The fire started from the engine room of the launch, which was heading to Barguna from the capital Dhaka via Jhalakathi, Bhuiyan added.

The death toll could climb further as more than 50 people have been admitted to hospital, with some passengers still missing and some others in critical condition, said Zohor Ali, Jhalakathi district administrator.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Bangladesh holds 4th phase of local government elections

Bangladesh held the fourth phase of nationwide local government elections on Sunday, reported Andalou Agency on December 27.

Starting at 8:00 am local time, the voting will continue until 4:00 pm for 838 local councils in elections that are being held in phases.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has boycotted the elections, accusing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government of intimidation and malpractices.

According to local media reports, at least 67 people have been killed and several hundred wounded in violence during the first three phases of the local government polls.

UNICEF delivery of Covid -19 vaccines to Bangladesh exceeds 100mn

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday that it had delivered over 100 million Covid-19 vaccines to Bangladesh from multiple World Health Organization (WHO)-approved manufacturers since June 2021, reported Xinhua on December 29.

The threshold was passed after Bangladesh received a shipment of 20.46 million doses of vaccines from China on Tuesday, part of a cost-sharing agreement between the Bangladesh government, the Asian Development Bank and UNICEF.

The 100 million vaccines delivered so far also include over 50 million doses that UNICEF has delivered to Bangladesh under the COVAX facility, which is the WHO-led initiative for equitable distribution of Covid -19 vaccines around the world, it said.

The government of Bangladesh has also received large quantities of vaccines through bilateral agreements in addition to the vaccines delivered by UNICEF, it added.

Bangladesh telecom giant Grameenphone hits out at punitive tax

Bangladesh’s high tax rate is discouraging telecoms operators from investing further in the South Asian nation as it prepares to adopt 5G technology, according to the head of the country’s largest phone company, reports Bloomberg on December 28.

Grameenphone Ltd, which is also Bangladesh’s biggest listed company by market value and majority-owned by Norway’s Telenor ASA, pays South Asia’s highest levels of corporate tax at 40 percent, which hinders efforts to expand services, said Yasir Azman, the company’s chief executive officer. That compares to 22 percent in neighbouring India and 30 percent in Pakistan, according to industry body GSMA.

Bangladesh: Ferry owner arrested after deadly fire

Police in Bangladesh on Monday arrested one of the owners of an overcrowded ferry that caught fire last week, leading to the deaths of at least 39 passengers, Deutsche Welle reported on December 28.

The owner is one of eight people sought by investigators after Bangladesh's shipping directorate filed a case against them, accusing them of disregarding safety regulations. The other seven remain at large.

Officials say the three-story ferry was carrying at least 700 passengers when the fire occurred, well in excess of its permitted capacity of 420.

If found guilty of the charges, the accused may face a five-year prison term and fine of Tk 500,000 (€5,100; $5,800).

Bangladesh may become India's fourth largest export destination in FY22

Bangladesh may become India’s fourth largest export destination in FY22, jumping five places in two years. This comes as the economic boom of the eastern neighbour continues to fuel India’s exports growth, India’s Business Standard reported on December 28.

According to disaggregated data available till October, during the first seven months of FY22, exports to Bangladesh grew 81 per cent over the same period in the preceding year to $7.7 billion. This makes it India’s fourth largest export market behind the US, UAE and China.

If the trend continues, Bangladesh will only better its rank in India’s export profile from last year’s 5th position when it surprised analysts by jumping from 9th rank in FY20.

Bangladesh has been an economic miracle in South Asia with its unprecedented transformation over the past decade and may even surpass India in terms of per capita income.

Bangladesh starts vaccine booster shot drive to ward off Omicron

Bangladesh began administering coronavirus vaccine booster shots on Tuesday as the South Asian country tries to fend off the highly contagious Omicron variant, Reuters reported on December 28.

The country detected two Omicron cases variant in cricketers who returned home from Zimbabwe this month but has yet to see community transmission, the health ministry says.

The booster shots are being given to frontline workers and people over 60 who have taken the second dose at least six months ago, health officials said.

The booster drive started in the capital, Dhaka, while the government aims to start administering shots outside the capital soon, the officials said.

Bangladesh drug maker Beximco launches world's first generic of Pfizer's Covid antiviral

Bangladesh drug maker Beximco Pharmaceuticals became the first company to launch a generic version of Pfizer’s COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid, the Economic Times of Indian reported on December 30.

Paxlovid is a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir tablets.

Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), Bangladesh granted EUA for the oral antiviral drug on 30 December 2021 to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and children of 12 years and above.

Beximco Pharma will market this product under the brand name Bexovid, initially in Bangladesh.