UK
UK starts bringing troops home from Afghanistan
Britain is starting to bring its troops home from Afghanistan as the country’s evacuation operation at Kabul airport ends.
A Royal Air Force plane carrying soldiers landed at the RAF Brize Norton air base northwest of London on Saturday morning. The troops are part of a contingent of 1,000 that has been based in Kabul to help run the airlift.
Flights bringing U.K. citizens and Afghans have largely ended, though the head of the armed forces, Gen. Nick Carter, said there would be a “very few” more on Saturday.
Britain says it has evacuated more than 14,500 people from Kabul in the past two weeks, but that as many as 1,000 Afghans entitled to come to the U.K. have been left behind.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised Friday to “shift heaven and earth” to get more people from Afghanistan to Britain by other means, though no concrete details have been offered.
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
ROME — Italy’s final evacuation flight of refugees from Afghanistan has landed at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport.
The Italian Air Force C-130J with 58 Afghan citizens aboard arrived Saturday morning, some 17 hours after it departed from the Kabul airport and after a planned stopover.
Also aboard were Italy’s consul and a NATO diplomat who had coordinated evacuations at the Kabul airport.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Italy was prepared to work with the United Nations and with countries bordering Afghanistan on what he described as the “more difficult phase.”
He said that consisted of efforts to evacuate other Afghan citizens who worked with Italy’s military during its 20-year presence in Afghanistan but weren’t able to get into Kabul airport in time for the evacuation flights. He didn’t say how many still were eligible for evacuation to Italy.
READ: Kabul airport attack kills 60 Afghans, 13 US troops
Rescuing those citizens “would give them the same possibility” of starting a new life outside their homeland, Di Maio said in a brief statement at Rome’s airport. He said the 4,890 Afghans evacuated by Italy’s air force in 87 flights was the highest number of any European Union nation.
Italy’s remaining soldiers left on a separate flight from Kabul on Friday night. That air force flight went to Kuwait and the troops are due back in Italy early next week.
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ROME — A U.N. agency is warning that worsening drought in Afghanistan threatens the livelihoods of more than 7 million people.
The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Saturday issued an appeal for humanitarian assistance. Adding to the plight of what the agency termed “severe drought” are the economic impact of COVID-19 and widespread internal displacement of Afghans amid enduring conflict.
Earlier this month, the U.N. World Food Program, another Rome-based agency, estimated that some 14 million people — roughly one out of every three Afghans — urgently need food assistance.
The FAO said crucial help is needed ahead of the winter wheat planting season, which begins in a month in many areas.
FAO’s representative in Afghanistan, Richard Trenchard, said in a statement that “disaster looms” if sufficient help doesn’t materialize for the next winter wheat season.
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WASHINGTON — The United States military struck back at the Islamic State on Saturday, bombing an IS member in Afghanistan less than 48 hours after a devastating suicide bombing claimed by the group killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport.
U.S. Central Command said the U.S. conducted a drone strike against an Islamic State member in Nangahar believed to be involved in planning attacks against the U.S. in Kabul. The strike killed one individual, and spokesman Navy Capt. William Urban said they knew of no civilian casualties.
READ: US troops surge evacuations out of Kabul but threats persist
It wasn’t clear if that individual was involved specifically in the Thursday suicide blast outside the gates of the Kabul airport, where crowds of Afghans were desperately trying to get in as part of the ongoing evacuation from the country after the Taliban’s rapid takeover.
The airstrike fulfilled a vow President Joe Biden made to the nation Thursday when he said the perpetrators of the attack would not be able to hide. “We will hunt you down and make you pay,” he said. Pentagon leaders told reporters Friday that they were prepared for whatever retaliatory action the president ordered.
“We have options there right now,” said Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff.
UK scales up support to protect world’s oceans
Projects to tackle climate change and protect the world’s oceans have been given a major boost with the first £16.2 million of funding from the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund.
In Bangladesh, the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) will support aquatic food production and trade, said the British High Commission in Dhaka.
It put in place the systems and ability to reduce the harmful impacts of aquatic food production, control common diseases of fish and seafood, and increase production.
Read:UK becomes Dialogue Partner of ASEAN
This in turn will also support progress towards several UN Sustainable Development Goals on poverty alleviation, zero hunger and good health and well-being, said the High Commission.
The new programme builds on an existing strong cooperation between the UK’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, WorldFish, and the Bangladesh Government’s Department of Fisheries.
The programmes, financed from the UK’s overseas aid budget, will increase marine protection, tackle plastic pollution and the decline of global coral reefs, as well as using the UK’s world-leading expertise to help respond to marine pollution disasters such as the Xpress Pearl in Sri Lanka.
The ocean is a critical carbon sink which every year absorbs almost a third of global CO2 emissions.
Read:12 erstwhile UK-based expats recognised as Freedom Fighters
Around the globe, the ocean supports the livelihoods of one in every ten people, including some of the poorest and most vulnerable.
In the run up to the UK hosting the COP26 climate talks in November, the government is working with developing countries to take action to protect and restore our oceans.
The projects receiving funding include the launch of a new UK-led programme which will help developing countries partner with the UK’s world-leading scientists to better manage marine protected areas, and improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change and contaminants in the ocean.
The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) already has work underway with UK scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) providing analysis of water samples from Sri Lanka to contribute to the ongoing response to the Xpress Pearl environmental disaster in June.
Read: Dhaka conveys protests to UK over human rights report
British Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said the UK is a global leader in marine protection and will continue to advocate for ambitious climate and ocean action at COP26 this year.
“Our shared ocean is a vital resource and provides habitat to precious marine life, as well as supporting the livelihoods of one in every ten people worldwide.
“The Blue Planet Fund will support many developing countries on the front line of climate change to reduce poverty and improve the health of their seas.”
Mass shooting leaves 6 dead in UK's Plymouth
Six people, including the suspect, were killed in a shooting Thursday evening in the UK's Plymouth, a port city in Devon in southwest England.
Devon and Cornwall Police tweeted that the law enforcers were called to a "serious firearms incident" in the Keyham area of Plymouth.
Read: 18 killed in Canada’s worst mass shooting
"Following attendance at the scene, two females and two males were deceased at the scene. A further male, believed to be the offender, was also deceased at the scene. All are believed to have died from gunshot wounds," it said.
Another female, treated at the scene for gunshot wounds, died a short time later in hospital, it added, noting that the shooting was not terrorism-related.
Read: Police: Gang member confesses in mass shooting at festival
Luke Pollard, member of parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, tweeted that one of the people killed in the shooting was a child under 10 years old.
"The incident in Plymouth is shocking, and my thoughts are with those affected," British Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted earlier.
UK becomes Dialogue Partner of ASEAN
The UK has agreed a new partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The partnership, which is the first ASEAN has agreed in 25 years, will lead to closer cooperation between the UK and the region on a range of issues such as trade, investment, climate change, the environment, science and technology, and education.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will join a virtual ceremony with ASEAN Foreign Ministers where they will welcome the UK as an ASEAN ‘Dialogue Partner’.
Also read: Bangladesh keen to expand ties with Asean countries: FS
Since the UK submitted its application to become a Dialogue Partner in June 2020, the Foreign Secretary has attended two UK-ASEAN Ministerial Meetings and hosted the ASEAN Chair at the G7 Foreign & Development Ministers meeting in May.
ASEAN is an influential group of ten member countries in the Indo-Pacific.
By becoming a Dialogue Partner the UK will formalise its relations with the group - including through attending annual Foreign and Economic Ministers meetings along with other Ministerial engagements.
Dialogue Partner status puts the UK at the heart of the Indo-Pacific.
The UK will work with ASEAN and its members on key shared challenges such as maritime security and transnational crime, boost our economies through trade, and strengthen our cooperation on issues such COVID-19 and climate change.
Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab said: “I am delighted that the UK has, today, formally become a Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc – the first new country in 25 years.”
“This is a landmark moment in the UK’s tilt towards the Indo Pacific. Our closer ties with ASEAN will help create green jobs, reinforce our security cooperation, promote tech and science partnerships, and safeguard key pillars of international law like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
The new agreement will also help the UK to deepen economic links with ASEAN, which has a combined GDP of $3.2 trillion.
Total trade between the UK and ASEAN was £32.3 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2021 with huge potential to boost this trade, creating jobs at home.
International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss said this is great news and shows Global Britain in action, forging stronger relationships around the world as an independent trading nation.
Also read: Greater efforts sought from envoys to enhance trade with Asean
"Along with CPTPP accession and deals with countries like Singapore and Vietnam, this will help unlock opportunities for British businesses in a high-growth region of more than 650 million people, allowing them to expand and create jobs across the UK.
UK urged to implement Parliament recommendations on Myanmar, take action at UNSC
Fortify Rights on Thursday said the United Kingdom government should implement recommendations made by the Foreign Affairs Committee and urgently draft a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution to impose a global arms embargo and sanctions against the Myanmar military to deprive it of weapons and financial resources.
On July 16, the British parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee published its report on the U.K. government’s response to the Myanmar crisis.
The 30-page report stems from the Myanmar military’s attempted coup d’état on February 1 and subsequent deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters and others.
It makes 30 recommendations to strengthen UK leadership on addressing the human rights catastrophe unfolding in Myanmar.
Since February, the Myanmar army and police have killed more than 900 people and imprisoned more than 5,000.
Since the military seized power, its forces have arbitrarily arrested, beat, and killed medical professionals and destroyed medical supplies and facilities, leaving Myanmar’s healthcare system in disarray as COVID-19 spreads throughout the country.
Also read: In Myanmar, the military and police declare war on medics
“As the UN Security Council’s ‘penholder’ on Myanmar, the U.K. is in a unique position to provide decisive leadership on this crisis,” said Ismail Wolff, Regional Director of Fortify Rights.
“With increasing violence as well as mounting COVID-19 cases and deaths, the situation in Myanmar requires urgent international action.”
The committee’s report is the culmination of an urgent inquiry launched on April 29, 2021 into what Committee Chair Tom Tugendhat described as the “flagrant human rights abuses and killings” occurring in Myanmar since the February 1 coup d’état.
The committee received written submissions, including from Fortify Rights, on the Myanmar crisis and heard oral evidence from Myanmar National Unity Government (NUG) Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Sasa, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar Thomas Andrews, human rights defender Thinzar Shunlei Yi, and others.
The committee’s report identifies freezing global arms sales to the Myanmar military as a “first priority,” recommending that the U.K. draft a U.N. Security Council resolution that would impose a global arms embargo.
As the Security Council’s “penholder” on the Myanmar crisis, the U.K. has a responsibility to draft and propose resolutions.
As a result of Security Council inertia, on June 18, the U.N. General Assembly took the rare step of issuing its own non-binding resolution calling for an arms embargo against Myanmar.
The resolution enjoyed widespread international support, with 119 member states voting in favor of it and only one, Belarus, voting against it.
Also read: Human rights defenders in Myanmar under siege, say UN experts
The Foreign Affairs Committee report also calls on the U.K. government to use its new status as an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dialogue Partner as well as its recently announced strategic “tilt” toward the Indo-Pacific arena to pressure regional powers to act.
Fortify Rights noted in its submission to the committee that Singapore continues to extend banking services to the Myanmar military junta.
As a global leader in banking and financial services, the U.K. could compel banking institutions dealing in pound sterling, including those in Singapore, to comply with U.K. sanctions against the Myanmar junta thereby cutting off a major source of revenue.
The committee also recommended that the U.K. government “use its diplomatic influence to encourage border countries such as Thailand . . . to accept more refugees from Myanmar, and to meet their commitments of non-refoulement.”
“The U.K. urgently needs to level up its response to the Myanmar crisis,” said Ismail Wolff.
“People in Myanmar and across the world are calling out for international action to end the bloodshed. The U.K. government is in a unique position to effect change, and the Foreign Affairs Committee has set out a comprehensive road map of actions that the government would do well to follow.”
Dhaka conveys protests to UK over human rights report
Bangladesh has protested to the United Kingdom that it was "grossly misleading" to use the words "house arrest" in reference to the current situation of BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday summoned British Acting High Commissioner in Dhaka Javed Patel to convey the government's views and disappointment with certain issues mentioned in the Bangladesh chapter of the Human Rights and Democracy Report 2020.
The report was released by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) last Thursday.
It was clarified to the AHC that on the application of Begum Zia's brother, the government had - as per the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 - suspended her prison sentence and 'released' her in March 2020 on condition that she would receive medical treatment at home and would not travel abroad.
The government pointed out that the suspension of her sentence and release from prison, applicable for an initial six -month period, were subsequently extended twice in September 2020 and March 2021.
Also read: Media freedom in Bangladesh under “pressure”, political freedom “restricted”: UK
The AHC was told that it would be advisable to consult the concerned authorities of the government in case of any confusion over such legal issues.
It was further suggested that any official document of the UK government also refrain from using any form of insinuating and misleading statements about the Government of Bangladesh or the ruling party, Bangladesh Awami League.
UK announces sanctions on companies linked to Myanmar’s military regime
The United Kingdom on Monday announced further sanctions on companies linked to Myanmar’s military regime which will restrict the military junta’s ability to profit from timber and pearl, key sources of revenue for the regime.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced the new sanctions against the Myanmar Timber Enterprise, Myanmar Pearl Enterprise and the State Administration Council.
UK will maintain suspension on trade promotion in Myanmar and strengthen advice to British businesses following review of Myanmar trade, according to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
READ: Resolution on Myanmar fails to recommend actions on Rohingya repatriation: Dhaka
In the UK’s sixth tranche of Myanmar sanctions, measures announced today will target the Myanmar regime’s economic interest with new designations against the State Administration Council (SAC), the junta’s ruling body, who continue to undermine democracy and brutally suppress Myanmar’s civilians.
These sanctions send a clear message to the junta the UK will not allow financial support that props up the military regime following the coup earlier this year, said the UK government.
Additional measures will now be imposed on the Myanmar Timber Enterprise and Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, 2 state owned entities in Myanmar’s extractive sector.
These asset freezes will be enforced with immediate effect, and target the junta’s ability to profit from pearl and timber, 2 high-value natural commodities that generate millions in revenue for the military regime.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said alongside our allies, they are placing sanctions on companies linked to Myanmar’s military junta, targeting the finances of this illegitimate regime.
"The military has continued its subversion of democracy and brutal killing of civilians. We will continue to hold the Junta to account and sanction those responsible, until democracy is restored."
The British Foreign Secretary also announced the conclusion of the UK’s Myanmar Trade Review.
In a Written Ministerial Statement in Parliament, he confirmed that the UK will maintain its suspension on trade promotion in Myanmar first imposed following the coup earlier this year.
The UK will also strengthen their Overseas Business Risk guidance to reiterate the message that UK businesses must undertake enhanced supply chain due diligence and should not enter into trading relationships that benefit the Myanmar military.
The Myanmar Trade Review emphasised that UK businesses continue to have an important role to play in Myanmar in job creation and poverty alleviation, but should operate responsibly in order to avoid inadvertently supporting the military regime.
READ: Resident: Junta burns Myanmar village in escalating violence
Today’s new sanctions announcement, alongside the similar announcement from the European Union on Myanmar Timber Enterprise, follows the recent G7 communiqué which called on partners and business to exercise due diligence in their trade and investment in Myanmar.
Under the UK’s presidency the G7 continues to call for an end to the coup and the immediate adoption of the ASEAN 5-point consensus.
UK to donate 100 mn coronavirus vaccine doses
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the UK will donate at least 100 million surplus coronavirus vaccine doses within the next year, including 5 million beginning in the coming weeks.
The donation is in addition to the UK work to support Oxford-AstraZeneca’s contribution to fighting COVID and the UK's financial backing to COVAX.
The UK will donate 5 million doses by the end of September, beginning in the coming weeks, primarily for use in the world’s poorest countries.
Read:Tireless advocate of migrant refugees Swing passes away
The Prime Minister has also committed to donating a further 95 million doses within the next year, including 25 million more by the end of 2021.
Some 80% of the 100m doses will go to COVAX and the remainder will be shared bilaterally with countries in need.
By sharing 5 million doses in the coming weeks the UK will meet an immediate demand for vaccines for the countries worst affected by coronavirus without delaying completion of our initial domestic vaccination programme.
Last week the British Prime Minister asked fellow G7 leaders to help vaccinate the entire world by the end of next year.
By vaccinating more people around the world not only will we help bring an end to the global coronavirus pandemic, we will reduce the risk to people in the UK.
This includes significantly reducing the threat posed by vaccine-resistant variants emerging in areas with large-scale outbreaks.
The UK helped to establish COVAX last year and is its fourth-biggest donor, pledging £548 million to the scheme.
Read:FM's NY Visit: Dhaka to press for early repatriation of Rohingyas
Global caseload above 173mn; UK wants to vaccinate the world in 18 months
With new variants of Covid-19 spreading rapidly, the global Covid-19 caseload on Monday crossed the grim milestone of 173 million.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count and fatalities now stand at 173,197, 944 and 3,726, 107, respectively.
The US, the world's worst-hit country in terms of cases and deaths, have recorded 33,362,471 cases with 597,627 fatalities to date, as per the JHU data.
Read: Indian cities unlocking after declining COVID-19 infections
Brazil continues to rank second in the world in number of deaths from the pandemic behind the United States and third in number of confirmed cases following the United States and India.
Brazil on Sunday registered another 873 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 473,404, Brazil's Ministry of Health reported.
It also reported a total of 39,637 new cases on Sunday, bring the total number of confirmed cases to 16,947,062.
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 28,809,339 on Sunday with 114,460 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, the lowest single-day increase in the past two-months, said the federal health ministry.
A total of 2,677 deaths since Saturday morning took the overall death toll to 346,759.
Meanwhile British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will use the Group of Seven wealthy democracies’ summit next week to urge world leaders to commit to vaccinating the global population by the end of 2022.
Read: Increase in Covid-19 vaccine production in India to be 'game changer' beyond borders: US
Johnson is expected to stress the importance of a global vaccination drive when he meets with fellow world leaders on Friday in Cornwall, reports AP.
The meeting on England's southwestern coast will be the first face-to-face G-7 summit since the pandemic hit.
“The world is looking to us to rise to the greatest challenge of the postwar era: defeating COVID and leading a global recovery driven by our shared values,” he said in a statement Sunday. “Vaccinating the world by the end of next year would be the single greatest feat in medical history.”
Situation in Bangladesh
Amid the growing concern over the spread of the Delta variant, formerly known as the India variant, 38 more people died of Covid-19 in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours until Sunday, putting the death toll at 12,839.
Besides, 1,676 more people were found positive for the virus after testing 15,613 samples during the period, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 38 more deaths, 1,676 new cases
Bangladesh reported its first Covid cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Lockdown extended
The government has extended the ongoing lockdown until June 16 as there has been no substantial improvement in the Covid-19 situation.
The Cabinet Division issued a circular in this regard on Sunday.
Keeping all the earlier directives and restrictions effective, the government has added some new restrictions, the circular says.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses bought from India's Serum Institute.
So far, four vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sputnik-V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer-BioNTech – have got the authorisation for emergency use in the country.
Read:7 cases of Indian Covid variant detected in Nawabganj: Doctor
Meanwhile, seven million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine reached Bangladesh, and the governments of India and China gave 3.2 million doses and 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine as gifts.
However, 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.
UK recognises Bangladesh's Dr Jara as 'Vaccine Luminary'
The UK Government has recognised Dr Tasnim Jara, a Bangladeshi doctor working at England's National Health Service, as a "Vaccine Luminary" in the G7 Global Vaccine Confidence Summit.
As part of its G7 Presidency, the UK Government convened the Global Vaccine Confidence Summit on Wednesday, a first-of-its-kind event, bringing together global experts from across the public and private sectors to build and maintain confidence in vaccines.
"Although I have been featured from the UK on the global map, my work has served more people in Bangladesh and India," Dr Jara, also a postgraduate student of evidence-based health care at the University of Oxford, said.
Read: Sinovac vaccine restores a Brazilian city to near normal
As the only Bangladeshi recognised as a "Vaccine Luminary," Dr Jara said, "I am very proud to represent our part of the world on this global platform."
An interactive photo mosaic created in partnership with the UK Government and the People's Picture, titled "The Luminaries," was also unveiled at the event.
Using video and images, it showcased many global "Vaccine Luminaries" who are taking to social media to build confidence in vaccines, including health care professionals on the front line.
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The platform will be available on a dedicated website with plans to feature more "Vaccine Luminaries" from around the world over the next year.
The Global Vaccine Confidence Summit forms part of the UK's wider work as G7 President this year to bring an end to the pandemic, with vaccine uptake, access and confidence a key component.
Recent data published by YouGov shows that the UK continues to top the list of nations where people are willing to have a Covid-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated.
Read Japan’s vaccine push ahead of Olympics looks to be too late
During the Summit, world-leading experts at the forefront of efforts to build vaccine confidence and tackle misinformation about vaccines offered their perspectives on the critical global actions that governments and partners from across sectors can take to address the issue.
It was acknowledged that increased levels of vaccine confidence, accessibility and availability are needed globally to end the pandemic.
One of the biggest threats to confidence in vaccines is misinformation, which can damage public perceptions of vaccine safety and efficacy.
Read: WHO validates Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use
Speaking at the Summit, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus showed his support saying: "Trust must be earned. To succeed in vaccinating the whole world, governments will have to deploy a range of strategies and tailor them to each country."
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former prime minister of Denmark and former CEO of Save the Children International, and co-chair of Facebook's Oversight Board, also spoke at the Summit.
Other speakers at the Summit included Dr Anthony S Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to the president, and Africa CDC First Director Dr John Nkengasong – who debated the relative success and challenges of building vaccine confidence in the US and Africa respectively, and what lessons are relevant for other regions.
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