Bangladesh
Remove barriers to sending Khaleda abroad: BNP
BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Monday called upon the government to withdraw its restriction on sending their party’s ailing chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for advanced treatment.
“Begum Khaleda Zia has been imprisoned unjustly and she’s now ill. We demand her release from jail as we want her to recover from illness,” he said.
Read: Khaleda’s body temperature under control: Fakhrul
The BNP leader said Khaleda should be given an opportunity to go abroad for the treatment she needs like any other citizen in Bangladesh and like other political leaders. “The restriction that has been unjustly imposed in this regard should be lifted.”
He came up with the call while inaugurating a photo exhibition arranged by Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas) in memory of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, marking his 40th death anniversary.
Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member, said people have been living in miseries due the coronavirus outbreak for lack of a pro-people government.
"We want an end to the miseries of people. Establishing a democratic and responsible government is the only solution to the ongoing crisis in the country,” he said.
Read: Khaleda Zia suffering from fever
The BNP leader said a pro-people government can only be established through a credible parliamentary election under a neutral and non-partisan administration.
Stating that BNP has long been in a struggle to ‘restore’ democracy and overcome the country’s all crises and turn Bangladesh into a humanitarian state. “Our goal will surely be achieved.”
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who tested positive for Covid-19 on April 11, was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27 for a thorough health checkup. She was shifted to the CCU of the hospital with shortness of breath on May 3. She is still receiving treatment there.
On April 28, a 10-member medical board, headed by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, was formed for the treatment of Khaleda at the Evercare Hospital, a day after her admission there.
She tested negative for Covid-19 on May 8, 27 days after she had been infected with the deadly virus, but the BNP chief is still suffering from post-Covid complications.
Read:Post-Covid complications affected Khaleda’s heart, kidneys: Fakhrul
Her family submitted an application to the government on May 6 seeking permission to send her abroad for advanced treatment, but it was turned down as a convicted person cannot avail of such an opportunity.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order on March 25 last year on conditions that she would take treatment at home and would not go abroad.
Pran Agro issues 1st internationally guaranteed bond in Bangladesh
Agricultural and food processing company Pran Agro has completed the transaction of Tk2,100 million non-convertible and redeemable bond with a 100% on-demand credit guarantee from GuarantCo and full subscription from MetLife Bangladesh on May 19.
GuarantCo is rated AA- by Fitch and A1 by Moody's. MetLife Bangladesh is the sole investor of the bond. The subscription will further diversify MetLife's investment portfolio in Bangladesh.
The 7-year fixed coupon bond is the first-ever instrument of its kind in Bangladesh and is expected to play a transformational role in supporting alternate sources of infrastructure financing in Bangladesh.
READ: Pran Drinking Water gives food to the needy in Ramadan
Pran Agro is working with 100,000 registered contract farmers. The bond proceeds will be used to develop critical infrastructure in the agricultural supply chain and support the company's expansion plans in the local and export markets.
The bond is backed by an on-demand guarantee by GuarantCo, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group, and funded by the governments of the UK, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France.
READ: PRAN-RFL donates safety equipment to health workers
Green Delta Company Limited acted as the bond trustee and security agent to the issue. Riverstone Capital Limited, an independent merchant bank based in Bangladesh, acted as financial advisor to Pran Agro and arranger to the issue.
Bank transaction hours from 10 am to 3 pm until June 6
Banks transaction hours have been extended further by half an hour as they will now operate from 10 am to 3 pm from May 31 to June 6.
Bangladesh Bank issued a circular on Sunday for all banks in compliance with the Cabinet Division’s latest directives on the countrywide restrictions to contain the Coronavirus transmission.
Read:Bangladesh extends lockdown until June 6
The banks can keep open offices until 4:30 pm to do their necessary activities, said the BB circular.
Currently, banks have been operating transactions from 10 am to 2:30 pm while in the normal situation they operate from 10 pm to 4 pm.
The BB circular said all other instructions will remain unchanged as per the circular of April 13.
In that circular it said banks can keep one non-AD branch open within 2km radius in the city corporation areas and at upazila level one branch of each bank can remain open on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday.
Read:Covid-19 claims 38 more lives in Bangladesh; new cases 1,043
Banks have to take measures to provide transport facilities for the staff during the period.
The BB circular said during the banking transaction hours, banks have to ensure different kinds of services including clearing of cheques, withdrawal and deposits of money, money transfer, the release of remittance, encashment of different instruments and also receipt of the payments of bills of different utilities.
BB said banks have to continue services like disbursement of loans, incentives, payment of salaries of different industries and also the purchase of export bills, loan sanction and distribution.
Banks have to follow instructions in keeping the branches located in the port areas in discussion with the local administration and other authorities, as per the circular issued on August 5 last year, it said.
Read:Schools, colleges to reopen on June 13: Dipu Moni
Banks have to operate with limited staff under a roster system.
They have to ensure operation of ATM booths to facilitate transaction through cards by supplying adequate cash in the machines while the evening banking and weekly holiday banking activities will remain closed until further order, said the circular issued on April 13.
Bangladesh extends lockdown until June 6
The government has extended the ongoing lockdown by another week until June 6 as there has been no substantial improvement in the Covid-19 situation.
The Cabinet Division issued a circular in this regard on Sunday.
Read: Covid-19 claims 38 more lives in Bangladesh; new cases 1,043
Earlier, the government had extended the lockdown till May 30 after allowing public buses to run at half of their capacities in the country.
All concerned, including passengers, will have to maintain health protocols like wearing masks, said a circular issued on May 23.
Besides, hotels and restaurants will be allowed to keep open, also with half of their capacities.
More people return to Dhaka from Thailand by special flight
Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok has facilitated repatriation of a group of 61 Bangladeshi, Thai and other foreign nationals from Thailand to Bangladesh by a special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.
Since outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the Embassy of Bangladesh, Bangkok has so far facilitated 14 special flights from Bangkok to Dhaka in coordination with the authorities concerned in Bangladesh and Thailand.
Read: 78 Bangladeshis, foreign nationals arrive from Thailand
Officers of the Embassy saw the passengers off at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport and extended necessary consularand other assistance for their departure formalities.
The latest flight was arranged on self-payment basis in line with the Bangladesh Government’s commitment to extend all possible assistance and support for repatriation of stranded Bangladeshis abroad.
The Biman Bangladesh flight arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, said a media release on Sunday.
Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand Mohammed Abdul Hye thanked the Thai Government for extending their cooperation in repatriation of the stranded Bangladeshi nationals.
Read: Thailand axes travel corridors with Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan
2 senior UN officials in city; visit to Bhasan Char planned
Two senior officials of UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit to see Rohingya situation both in Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps and Bhasan Char.
The UN officials are Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, a crucial role for overseeing UNHCR’s responses to refugee situations worldwide.
They will hold meetings with the officials in Dhaka and are planning to visit Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char, a senior official told UNB, adding that the programmes are yet to be finalised.
Read:Global initiative launched to build sport Club Centres in Rohingya camps; beyond
They are likely to go to Bhasan Char first, most probably on Monday, said the official.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and Bhasan Char and Bangladesh is expecting UN agencies engagement in Bhasan Char within next couple of months to provide humanitarian services there.
The government has a plan to shift 100000 Rohingyas in Bhasan Char gradually while around 20,000 are already shifted there.
Bhasan Char, a temporary shelter for Rohingyas until repatriation, remained unhurt with no casualty to personnel and livestock though cyclone Yaas caused damage to some extent in coastal areas.
Preparation to face challenges of Cyclone Yaas has become a proven guideline for facing future cyclones, says a senior official of the government adding that it brought confidence amongst all at Bhasan Char.
The Bhasan Char island also remained unaffected during cyclone Amphan though it caused damages in coastal districts of the country, he said.
During his recent visit, United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir highly appreciated Bangladesh's efforts for Rohingyas in Bhashan Char, saying it will be another example to the world on how to deal with the refugee issues.
“I really applaud the work done there – the quality of buildings and also taking all the precautions. I think this will be another example to the world on how to deal with refugee issues,” he said.
Bozkir hoped that this would work well for the Rohingya people, giving them a better condition in Bhashan Char.
Read: General Assembly has not forgotten Rohingya people: Bozkir
The UNGA President said he could not visit Bhasan Char but he saw a video on it and acknowledged the high-level of works there, including precautions and safety measures.
Bozkir appreciated Bangladesh’s role in the peacekeeping operations and sacrifices of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for the peace and security of the world.
The UNGA President said he has admiration for Prime Minister Hasina for her political and humanitarian thinking and saluted the hospitality and courage that Bangladesh has shown to the Rohingya people.
Global Covid-19 cases near 170 million
The global Covid-19 cases are approaching 170 million as coronavirus situation continues to worsen in parts of the world.
The total caseload reached 169,773,989 and the death toll from the virus mounted to 3,529,577 as of Sunday morning amid vaccination efforts worldwide.
So far, 1,837, 001, 323 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
Read: Chinese workers get a Covid shot in the arm
The US, which has remained the worst hit country in number of cases and deaths, has recorded 33,251,717 cases with 594,304 deaths.
India, which is now the world's second worst-hit country in terms of cases, has so far recorded 27,729,247 infections and 322,512 fatalities.
Brazil on Saturday reported 2,012 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the national count to 461,057, the Ministry of Health said.
A total of 79,670 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 16,471,600, the ministry said.
Brazil has the world's second highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States and the third largest caseload, following the United States and India.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered 38 more Coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours until Saturday morning, pushing up the total fatalities to 12,549.
Read:Covid-19 claims 38 more lives in Bangladesh; new cases 1,043
Besides, 1,043 more people came out positive in 13,184 sample tests carried out during the period.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
FAO lauds Hasina's leadership in attaining food security in Bangladesh
Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), has highly appreciated the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in attaining food security for 165 million people of Bangladesh despite being one of the top 10 most populous countries in the world.
He shared his deep appreciation during a ceremony marking the presentation of Letter of Credence by Md Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh Ambassador to Italy, accrediting him as the Permanent Representative to FAO held in Rome recently.
“We can learn a lot from Bangladesh because their solutions are very economic, easy to adapt,” said the FAO Director-General.
Read: Campaign on right to food, health launched
Ambassador and PR Ahsan thanked DG Dongyu for receiving the credentials and also for sharing his candid analysis on recent attainments of Bangladesh.
He assured fullest support to the leadership of the DG to make the organisation more efficient, transparent and inclusive.
Recognising FAO’s valuable contributions to Bangladesh on food and nutrition security, food safety, agro environment, small holders farm productivity and income increase over the 40 years through various programmes/projects and even during the challenging period of Covid-19, Ambassador Ahsan appreciated FAO for their active support to develop the agriculture sector transformation plan in Bangladesh.
While thanking the Director-General to nominate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the Co-chair of the “One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)”, Ambassador Ahsan underlined the unique position of Bangladesh to play a leading role regionally in raising awareness and action to address AMR.
Permanent Representative of Bangladesh also briefed the Director-General about the burden Bangladesh has been bearing for the last 4 years by giving shelter to 1.1 million forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals (Rohingyas) on humanitarian ground and deeply appreciated FAO for supporting people in Cox’s Bazar to improve their livelihood and boost agricultural productions, assisting small holder farmers for their increased income and capacity development.
Read:Antimicrobial resistance can even threaten food security: PM Hasina
Mentioning about the 36th Asia Pacific FAO Regional Conference (APRC) scheduled for 8-11 March 2022 in Bangladesh, the Permanent Representative invited the Director-General which he accepted.
The event, held on a zoom platform, ended with the reiteration of assurances by both Bangladesh and FAO to work together closely in the coming days to eradicate poverty and hunger around the globe.
Manash Mitra, Economic Counsellor and Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO and Sikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman, Counsellor and Head of Chancery, were present on the occasion.
Covid-19 claims 38 more lives in Bangladesh; new cases 1,043
Bangladesh registered 38 more Coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours until Saturday morning, pushing up the total fatalities to 12,549.
Besides, 1,043 more people came out positive in 13,184 sample tests carried out during the period.
The mortality rate remained static at 1.57 percent while the positivity rate declined to 7.91 percent from Friday’s 9.30 percent, the Directorate General of Health Services said in a handout.
Among the deceased, eight died in Dhaka division, four in Chattogram, seven each in Rajshahi and Khulna, five in Sylhet, four in Rangpur, two in Mymensigh and one in Barishal.
With the news cases, the total caseload reached 7,93,386 while the total number of recoveries is 7,37,408, including 1,187 in the last 24 hours.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
READ: Bangladesh loses 31 more lives to Covid-19
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses bought from India's Serum Institute.
The administering of the first dose of the vaccine has remained suspended since April 26.
Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the arrival of shipments from India.
However, recently two other vaccines, Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm, got approval from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) for emergency use in Bangladesh.
The administering of the first doses of the Sinopharm vaccine started Tuesday.
READ: COVID-19: Bangladesh to receive over 1 lakh Pfizer vaccine on Sunday
Our peacekeepers branding Bangladesh abroad as peace-loving nation: Momen
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has lauded the role of Bangladeshi peacekeepers as ambassadors of peace, saying they are actually helping brand the country abroad as a peace-loving nation.
"Even during this global pandemic, our peacekeepers continue to serve in various peacekeeping missions, fearlessly rendering their responsibilities," he said on Friday.
Dr Momen felicitated all Bangladeshi peacekeepers for their dedicated service to humanity and hoped that their endeavours will help achieve sustainable peace for the international community.
The Foreign Minister made the remarks while inaugurating the 'Peacekeepers Day Rally: Run to Commemorate the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers-2021' in the city.
READ: S Korean envoy shares historical documents with FM Momen
Bangladesh remains a proud contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. It is currently the top contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, with almost 6,500 peacekeepers currently deployed in eight countries.