UK
World now looks at Bangladesh with admiration, says Dickson
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson has said the world, today, looks with admiration at what Bangladesh has achieved in its first half century.
The country has moved forward, a role model of positive transformation while continuing to grapple with political and governance challenges as a vibrant, independent nation, he said.
"I am happy to reflect on Bangladesh’s transformation from “one of the world’s poorest countries” into “one of the world's fastest-growing economies” and the UK’s part in that story," said the High Commissioner highlighting a new era of "Brit Bangla Bondhon".
Read: World now looks at Bangladesh with admiration, says Dickson
He mentioned RMG powerhouse, a leading contributor to peace and security, especially as a provider of troops to UN peacekeeping missions, and one of the most influential global voices on climate change, as they have just seen at COP26 in Glasgow as some of the few achievements.
"The UK is proud to be a friend of Bangladesh through all this. We look forward to strengthening these bonds of kinship and culture through the dynamism of our strong people to people links, for the next 50 years and beyond," Dickson said in a message on the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh-UK’s diplomatic relationship on Friday.
Modern links between the UK and Bangladesh include trade and investment, the British Bangladeshi contribution to the UK National Health Service, education, development, defence, culture, cricket and curry, he said, adding that they share a mutual vision of a modern 21st century partnership bound by strong historical ties.
On this day, 50 years ago, the UK and Bangladesh established the diplomatic relationship.
On behalf of the UK, High Commissioner Dickson congratulated the people and the government of Bangladesh on this historic anniversary of a new era of "Brit-Bangla Bondhon".
As British High commissioner in Bangladesh, he feels proud that the UK played such a key role in Bangladesh’s founding story.
Before Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman set foot in his liberated homeland, his historic trip to the UK in January 1972 and his meeting with UK Prime Minister Edward Heath forged a new friendship and accelerated the recognition of Bangladesh as an independent nation.
50 years: A new era of Brit Bangla Bondhon
On this day, 50 years ago, the UK and Bangladesh established our diplomatic relationship. On behalf of the UK, I congratulate the people and the government of Bangladesh on this historic anniversary of a new era of Brit Bangla Bondhon. As British High commissioner in Bangladesh, I am proud that the UK played such a key role in Bangladesh’s founding story. Before Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman set foot in his liberated homeland, his historic trip to the UK in January 1972 and his meeting with UK PM Edward Heath forged a new friendship and accelerated the recognition of Bangladesh as an independent nation. This historic moment encouraged Commonwealth countries to recognise Bangladesh. I also recall Her Majesty’s Government’s humanitarian relief contributions to a rising Bangladesh before, during and after the liberation war. In fact, The UK was one of the largest donors for humanitarian relief support to the people of Bangladesh in 1971, reflecting strong public support in the UK for the liberation cause. All this laid the foundations for a unique and lasting relationship between the UK and Bangladesh.
Read:Baton’s arrival sets another milestone in Bangla-UK ties: Dickson With the establishment of a British High Commission in Dhaka, the then UK Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home visited Bangladesh in 1972. Since then, the UK has been a committed partner of this country in research, health services and community development, disaster risk reduction, poverty alleviation, improving education, increasing life expectancy for women and children, and womens’ empowerment. And all this has helped the country’s remarkable progress over the last 50 years. As Bangladesh continued to grow as an independent nation through the mid-1970s, the UK began to diversify its cooperation. We helped with capacity building for Bangladesh military staff, police, and government officials. In 1977, the UK supported Bangladesh in setting up a Military Staff College at Savar. In 1978, the then UK Prime Minister James Callaghan visited Bangladesh. Many Bangladeshis made the UK their home, and after five decades, with around 600,000 people of Bangladeshi origin living in the UK, the relationship between the British and Bangladeshi peoples is deeper and stronger than ever.
UK PM highlights launch of free trade deal talks, Covid vaccine bond in R-Day message to India
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has extended greetings to the people of India on the Republic Day as he focussed his message on the launch of free trade agreement (FTA) talks and the India-UK vaccine partnership, reports The Print.
Johnson said he is proud of the friendship shared by the two “diverse democracies” and looked forward to fortifying the strong bond over the next 75 years and beyond.
Read: India's 1st woman Rafale pilot participates in R-Day
He said, "The UK and India are tied by deep bonds that span through the generations and across some of the greatest modern day challenges we have faced. That is why I want to send my best wishes on behalf of the United Kingdom to the people of India, and to all the British Indians in the UK, on India’s Republic Day."
“As two diverse democracies, I am proud of our strong friendship, demonstrated by the launch of free trade negotiations this month and our partnership manufacturing the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine. I look forward to fortifying those bonds as we bring our ambitions, people and economies together to prosper for the next 75 years and beyond.”
Anglo-Swedish biopharma major AstraZeneca is in a manufacturing tie-up with Serum Institute India (SII) for the production of Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine, known in India as Covishield.
Earlier this month, the UK’s Department of Trade (DIT) confirmed the first round of FTA talks are being held virtually and expected to last into this week.
An India-UK FTA is billed in the UK as creating huge benefits for both countries, with the potential to boost bilateral trade by up to GBP 28 billion a year by 2035 and increase wages by up to GBP 3 billion across the UK.
Read: India reports 286,384 new COVID-19 cases
A deal with India is also pegged as a “big step forward” in the UK’s post-Brexit strategy to refocus trade on the Indo-Pacific, home to half of the world’s population and 50 per cent of global economic growth.
The DIT has said the UK wants an agreement that slashes barriers to doing business and trading with India’s GBP 2 trillion economy and market of 1.4 billion consumers, including cutting tariffs on exports of British-made cars and Scotch whisky.
UK open for travel with all restrictions removed for eligible vaccinated arrivals
The United Kingdom (UK) will remain open for travel with all the restrictions removed for eligible vaccinated arrivals effective from February 11.
From 4am on February 11, all the testing requirements will be removed for eligible fully vaccinated arrivals, with only a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) now required.
Read:France eases entry rules for vaccinated travelers from U.K.
Arrivals who are not recognised as fully vaccinated will only need to take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before day 2 after they arrive in the UK.
Children aged 12-15 in England will be able to prove their vaccination status or proof of prior infection via a digital NHS COVID Pass from 3 February for outbound travel.
Travel changes come in ahead of February half term, and follow the success of the booster programme.
All testing measures for eligible fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK will be removed, as the UK government goes one step further to reopen the travel sector.
The changes announced on January 24 mean that the UK has one of the most free-flowing borders across Europe in addition to having the most open economy and society.
The simplification of travel rules comes just before half term, providing welcome news for families looking to travel abroad during the school holidays, as well as an extra boost for the tourism industry.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said they made the right calls at the right time and thanked their vaccine and booster rollout it’s paying off – allowing them to safely remove nearly all Covid-19 travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers.
Read: Omicron surge in India slams travel through Benapole land port
"We already have one of the most open economies in Europe with the least restrictions, and because of the changes today we now have a travel sector to match it."
UK Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said they have entered a new chapter in their fight against Covid-19 and they are taking a balanced approach as they learn to live with the virus.
Keep up pressure on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation: FM to UK
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged the British government and parliament to keep up pressure on Myanmar for the “safe, dignified and voluntary” repatriation of the forcibly displaced Roihingyas to their homeland soon.
He reiterated the call at a meeting with the British Parliamentary delegation on the eve of the latter’s visit to the Rohingya camps in Kutupalong and Bhasan Char on Sunday.
Read: British parliamentary delegation visits Rohingya camps
UK’s Conservative Party MPs Thomas Patrick Hunt and Paul Bristow interacted with Rohingya leaders in Kutupalong and visited various facilities in the two camps.
They reaffirmed their solidarity with the Rohingya and assured them of remaining seized with their legitimate demands for citizenship, security and freedom of movement in Myanmar.
The UK MPs noted that the British people, especially the British Muslims, felt strongly about the Rohingya situation, and that the international community had a responsibility to stand by this large group of people generously supported by the government and the people of Bangladesh.
Bristow recalled the UK’s humanitarian assistance to the tune of 320 million GBP since 2017 and said they would continue to raise the issue of further improving the living conditions of the Rohingya while they awaited their repatriation.
Earlier, during their meeting with Foreign Minister Momen on Saturday evening, the British parliamentary delegation exchanged views on further enhancing trade and investment between the two countries in the post-BREXIT context.
They reiterated their appreciation for the multi-dimensional contributions being made by the British-Bangladesh diaspora in their respective constituencies as well as in the land of their origin or ancestors.
Minister Momen hoped that there would be exchange of high level political visits between the two countries on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
He recalled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s various engagements during her visit to Glasgow and London in November 2021 and thanked the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for undertaking the ‘Brit-Bangla Bandhan’ initiative.
The UK delegation thanked the Bangladesh Foreign Minister for accompanying them during their visits to the greater Sylhet region over the last weekend.
Read:Cambodian chairmanship of ASEAN to expedite Rohingya repatriation: FM
The delegation included, among others, Vijay Shamdas Daryanani, MP, Gibraltar Minister for Business, Tourism, Transport and the Port, Samantha Helen Cohen CVO, CEO of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, and Zillur Hussain, MBE, Founder of Zi Foundation.
Faruk Khan, MP, Chairperson, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Shamima Begum, MP were present.
UK plans holiday weekend to honor queen's 70 years on throne
The United Kingdom will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne with a military parade, neighborhood parties and a competition to create a new dessert for the Platinum Jubilee, Buckingham Palace said Monday.
Elizabeth will become on Feb. 6 the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, and festivities marking the anniversary will culminate in a four-day weekend of events June 2-5. It wasn’t immediately clear which events the queen, 95, would take part in after doctors recently advised her to get more rest.
Read:Omicron’s New Year’s cocktail: Sorrow, fear, hope for 2022
The weekend, which includes an extra public holiday in honor of the queen, will begin on Thursday June 2, with Trooping the Colour ——the annual military parade that marks the queen’s official birthday.
That will be followed on June 3 by a service of thanksgiving honoring the queen’s service to the U.K., her other realms and the Commonwealth.
In a nod to coronation chicken — the concoction of cold chicken, curry powder, mayonnaise and other ingredients served at garden parties marking the queen’s formal ascent to the throne — the palace will sponsor the Platinum Pudding competition to create a new dessert dedicated to the monarch.
The competition will be open to U.K. residents as young as 8 and will be judged by television cooking personalities Mary Berry and Monica Galetti, together with Buckingham Palace head chef Mark Flanagan. The winning recipe will be published ahead of Jubilee weekend so it can be part of the celebrations.
Read: UK government rules out new restrictions before Christmas
Some 1,400 people have already registered to host Jubilee lunches on June 5, with flagship events set to take place in London and at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The palace expects there will be some 200,000 neighborhood events across the U.K.
The weekend will end with a pageant honoring the monarch’s service and looking ahead to the next 70 years. Dancers, musicians, military personnel and key workers will “tell the story of the Queen’s reign,’’ while children will create a picture of their hopes and aspirations for the planet, the palace said.
UK government rules out new restrictions before Christmas
The British government said Thursday it won’t introduce any new coronavirus restrictions until after Christmas, and called early studies on the severity of the omicron variant encouraging.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said two studies suggesting omicron carries a significantly lower risk of hospitalization than the previously dominant delta strain was “encouraging news.” But he said it was “not very clear yet...by how much that risk is reduced.”
The U.K. Health Security Agency is due to publish new data on omicron later Thursday. It follows two studies, from Imperial College London and Scottish researchers, that found patients with omicron were between 20% and 68% less likely to require hospital treatment than those with delta.
Read: UK health boss: COVID-19 rules could tighten by Christmas
Data out of South Africa, where the variant was first detected, have also suggested omicron might be milder there. Scientists stress that even if the findings of these early studies hold up, any reductions in severity need to be weighed against the fact omicron spreads much faster than delta and is more able to evade vaccines.
Given those factors, the new variant could still overwhelm health systems because of the sheer number of infections. Confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.K., where omicron is now dominant, have surged by almost 60% in a week.
Britain’s Conservative government this month reinstated rules requiring face masks in shops and ordered people to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test before entering nightclubs and other crowded venues in an attempt to slow omicron’s spread.
Officials also urged people to get tested regularly and cut back on socializing. Many in Britain have heeded that advice, leaving entertainment and hospitality businesses reeling at what should be their busiest time of the year.
The government has offered grants and loans to support restaurants, bars, theaters and other venues, but many say it is not enough to stop them going under.
Rules set by the U.K. government apply in England. Other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have set slightly tighter restrictions, including the closure of nightclubs.
Read: UK Brexit minister quits as new COVID rules spark anger
Javid said the British government would “keep analyzing (the) data, and if we need to do anything more, we will, but nothing more is going to happen before Christmas.”
“Despite the caution that we are all taking, people should enjoy their Christmases with their families and their friends — of course, remain cautious,” he said.
The government is hoping vaccine boosters will provide a bulwark against omicron, as the data suggests, and has set a goal of offering everyone 18 and up a third shot by the end of December.
UK COVID cases hit record; Top doctor warns of worse to come
The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as the omicron variant drives a new wave of illness during the Christmas holidays.
Professor Chris Whitty described the current situation as two epidemics in one — with omicron infections rising rapidly even as the country continues to grapple with the older delta variant, which is still causing a large number of infections. Public health officials expect omicron to become the dominant variant across the U.K. within days. Omicron already accounts for a majority of cases in London.
The U.K. recorded 78,610 new infections on Wednesday, 16% higher than the previous record set in January. While scientists are still studying the risks posed by the highly transmissible omicron variant, Witty said the public should be braced for the figures to continue rising in coming weeks.
“There are several things we don’t know,’’ Whitty said. “But all the things we do know are bad, the principal one being the speed at which this is moving. It is moving at an absolutely phenomenal pace.’’
The comments came on the day that the U.K. government implemented new rules ordering masks to be worn in most indoor settings in England and requiring proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to enter nightclubs and large crowded events.
Britain is also accelerating its the national vaccination program, with a goal of offering a booster dose to every adult by the end of December. The government said within days it will open new mass vaccination centers at sports stadiums around the country, including Wembley, the 90,000-seat national soccer stadium in London.
Whitty advised people to limit their social contacts, putting a priority on those that are the most important.
“I am afraid there will be an increasing number of omicron patients going into the NHS, going into hospital, going into intensive care, and exact ratios we don’t yet know, but there will be substantial numbers,’’ he said. “That will begin to become apparent, in my view, fairly soon after Christmas."
Despite the surge in infections, daily coronavirus-related deaths in the U.K. are well below last winter’s peak. Britain recorded 165 deaths on Wednesday, compared with a record 1,820 on Jan. 20.
Public health officials credit widespread vaccination with weakening the link between COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
Meanwhile, Britain is moving forward with a public inquiry into how the government has responded to the pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced that Heather Hallett, a former Court of Appeal judge, would chair the inquiry, which is due to begin next spring.
“She brings a wealth of experience to the role and I know shares my determination that the inquiry examines in a forensic and thoroughgoing way the government’s response to the pandemic,” Johnson said.
After pressure from bereaved families, Johnson agreed to hold an inquiry on his government’s handling of the pandemic, which has left more than 146,000 people in Britain dead, the highest toll in Europe after Russia. The probe will have the power to summon evidence and to question witnesses under oath.
The pressure group Bereaved Families for Justice said the announcement of a chairperson was a “positive step” but “comes far too late.”
“We’ve been calling for an inquiry since the end of the first wave, and we will never know how many lives could have been saved had the government had a rapid review phase in summer 2020,” said Matt Fowler, the group’s co-founder. “With the omicron variant upon us, the inquiry really cannot come soon enough.”
Hallett said she would be consulting bereaved families and others on the inquiry’s terms of reference.
“I shall do my utmost to ensure the inquiry answers as many questions as possible about the U.K.’s response to the pandemic so that we can all learn lessons for the future,” she said.
Hallett oversaw inquests into the deaths of 52 people killed in the July 7, 2005 bombings on London’s transit system. Last month, she was appointed to lead an inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died in 2018 after being exposed to Novichok, the Soviet-made nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury.
Because of Hallett’s position with the COVID-19 probe, the government plans to find someone else to lead the inquiry to explore allegations of Russian involvement in Sturgess’ death.
UK donates over 4mn AstraZeneca jabs to Bangladesh
The United Kingdom (UK) has donated over 4 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh through the COVAX vaccine sharing mechanism.
British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson welcomed the arrival of over 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the UK to Bangladesh.
"Like the rest of the world, the UK and Bangladesh have experienced difficult times because of the pandemic. And we’re both in it together in building back better, safer, greener," said the High Commissioner.
He said this vaccine donation by the UK is a powerful demonstration of “BritBangla Bondhon” between two countries. “The UK will do everything we can to support Bangladesh to save lives and defeat the pandemic.”
READ: AstraZeneca to seek India nod for antibody cocktail
Bangladesh’s fight against coronavirus pandemic and economic recovery will be reinforced by the vaccine donations from the UK, said the British High Commission in Dhaka on Monday.
This donation came as the follow-up of the UK commitment to donate 100 million doses by June 2022 at G7 this year and 80% of those doses donated by the UK will be distributed through COVAX facility.
The UK has been at the forefront of the global response to Covid-19, including through investing £90 million, to support the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, made by Oxford Bio-medica in Oxford and packaged in Wrexham, North Wales.
Over half a billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been delivered at a non-profit price globally, with two-thirds going to lower- and middle-income countries.
The UK also started efforts to establish COVAX in 2020, providing a total of £548 million to fund vaccines for lower income countries.
The scheme has delivered more than 152 million vaccine doses to over 137 countries and territories, including in 83 lower-middle income countries.
UK reports its first Omicron death
Long lines formed at vaccination centers in Britain as people heeded the government’s call for all adults to get booster shots to protect against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which the prime minister said Monday has caused at least one death.
In a televised announcement late Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said everyone 18 and up would be offered a third vaccine dose by Dec. 31 — less than three weeks away, and a month earlier than the previous target.
“We are now facing an emergency in our battle with the new variant, Omicron,” Johnson said. He said boosters would “reinforce our wall of vaccine protection” against an anticipated “tidal wave of Omicron.”
U.K. health authorities say Omicron cases are doubling every two to three days in Britain, and it will replace delta as the dominant strain within days. But it’s unclear whether the expected wave of infections will inundate the country’s health system.
About 10 people are in U.K. hospitals with COVID-19 caused by Omicron, and Johnson on Monday reported the country’s first COVID-19 death involving the variant.
Also read: UK faces 'tidal wave' of omicron cases: Boris Johnson
Scientists in South Africa, where Omicron was first identified, say they see signs the variant may cause less severe disease than delta but cautioned it was too soon to be certain. Health authorities around the world are watching Britain closely to see what an Omicron surge looks like in a country with an older, more highly vaccinated population than South Africa’s.
The U.K. Health Security Agency says existing vaccines appear less effective in preventing symptomatic infections in people exposed to Omicron, though effectiveness appears to rise to between 70% and 75% after a third vaccine dose.
More than 80% of people age 12 and up in Britain have received two vaccine doses, and 40% of adults have had three. Giving the rest boosters by the end of the month will be a huge challenge, requiring almost 1 million doses administered a day. Johnson acknowledged that many routine medical procedures would have to be postponed to meet the goal.
Teams of military planners and thousands of volunteer vaccinators will help give the jabs at doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies and pop-up vaccination centers.
While the online appointment booking system will not be open to under-30s until Wednesday, Johnson said any adult could show up at a walk-in center to get a booster starting Monday.
Lines built up at big London vaccination clinics on Monday morning. The line for shots at St. Thomas’ Hospital, on the south bank of the River Thames in London, stretched across Westminster Bridge toward Parliament.
Also read: Now that Omicron is here, what can the early data out of South Africa tell us?
The government’s appointment-booking website struggled to keep up with demand. The National Health Service advised people to try accessing the site later in the day or on Tuesday, if they were having problems.
The government also ran out of rapid at-home virus test kits, which have been distributed free to households during the pandemic. The website where tests can be ordered said none were available on Monday. Starting Wednesday, people in England must show proof of vaccination or a negative test to ender nightclubs and other crowded venues.
Johnson’s Dec. 31 target applies to England. The other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are also expected to speed up their vaccination campaigns.
The British government raised the country’s official coronavirus threat level on Sunday, warning the rapid spread of Omicron “adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and health care services” at a time when COVID-19 is already widespread.
Concerns about the new variant led Johnson’s Conservative government to bring in vaccine certificates for nightclubs and to reintroduce restrictions that were lifted almost six months ago. Masks must once again be worn in most indoor settings and as of Monday, people were urged to work from home, if possible.
Many scientists say those measures are unlikely to be enough and are calling for tougher ones. But cafes, pubs and other businesses located in city centers fear plummeting commuter numbers will hammer business in the usually busy pre-Christmas period.
Johnson is facing a major rebellion from unhappy Conservative lawmakers when Parliament votes on the new restrictions Tuesday. Dozens are expected to oppose the restrictions — especially vaccine passports, which they say are unfair and economically damaging.
The measures are still highly likely to pass, with support from the opposition Labour Party.
Robert Read, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southampton, said it was still unclear how severe cases of COVID-19 from Omicron would be but “the evidence is that Omicron probably requires much larger amounts of antibody in the blood in order to thwart the virus as much as possible”
“We need to get those third doses into as many adults as we possibly can, just in case this virus turns out to be a raging bull just rather than a pussy cat,” Read told radio station LBC.