Bangladesh
Global Covid cases top 558 million
The overall number of Covid cases has now surpassed 558 million amid a rise in new infections in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 558,531,927 and the death toll from the virus reached 6,368,901 Friday morning.
The US has recorded 90,065,165 cases so far and 1,045,080 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.
Also read: Covid claims 3 more lives in Bangladesh infects 1,790 others
India reported as many as 18,418 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, taking the total tally to 43,587,302, as per the data released by the federal health ministry Thursday.
Besides, 35 deaths due to the pandemic were reported since Tuesday morning, taking the total toll to 525,305.
Covid in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered three more Covid-linked deaths with 1,790 cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning amid a rapid surge in new infections.
Also read: Global Covid cases top 557 million
The fresh numbers took the country's total caseload to 1,986,490 and the fatalities to 29,188, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case positivity rate slightly declined to 16.54 per cent from Wednesday’s 16.89 per cent as 10,822 samples were tested during the period, said the DGHS.
Among the deceased, two were women and one was a man. They were from Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna divisions, respectively.
On Wednesday, the country recorded four Covid-linked deaths with 1,728 cases.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.47 per cent. The recovery rate declined to 96.17 per cent from Tuesday’s 96.23 per cent as 678 patients recovered during this period.
Global trade hits record $7.7 trillion in Q1 of 2022
The value of global trade rose to a record $7.7 trillion in Q1 2022, an increase of about $1 trillion over the same period of the last year.
The growth, which represents a rise of about $250 million relative to Q4 2021, is fuelled by rising commodity prices, as trade volumes have increased to a much lower extent.
Though expected to remain positive, trade growth has continued to slow during Q2 2022, said the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s global trade update published on July 7.
“The war in Ukraine is starting to influence international trade, largely through increases in prices,” the report says.
It adds that rising interest rates and the winding down of economic stimulus packages will likely have a negative impact on trade volumes for the rest of 2022. Volatility in commodity prices and geopolitical factors will also continue to make trade developments uncertain.
Trade growth is strong for both developed and developing countries.
Read: Price spiral overshadows Eid festival of struggling middle-and-low income people
According to the report, trade growth rates in Q1 2022 remained strong across all geographic regions, although somewhat lower in East Asia and Pacific regions.
Export growth has been generally stronger in commodity-exporting regions, as commodity prices have increased.
Trade-in merchandise goods reached about $6.1 trillion, an increase of about 25 per cent relative to Q1 2021, and a jump of about 3.6 per cent relative to Q4 2021.
The value of merchandise exports from developing countries was about 25 per cent higher in Q1 2022 than in Q1 2021. In comparison, this figure is about 14 per cent for developed countries.
Merchandise trade between developing countries also strongly grew during Q1 2022
Trade-in services grew to about $1.6 trillion, an increase of about 22 per cent relative to Q1 2021, and a rise of about 1.7 per cent relative to Q4 2021.
The report shows that most economic sectors recorded substantial year-over-year increases in the value of their trade-in Q1 2022.
High fuel prices are behind the strong increase in the value of trade in the energy sector.
Trade growth was also above average for metals and chemicals.
By contrast, trade in the transportation sector and in communication equipment has remained below the levels of 2021 and 2019.
The report says the evolution of world trade for the remainder of 2022 is likely to be affected by slower-than-expected economic growth due to rising interest rates, inflationary pressures and concerns over debt sustainability in many economies.
The report states that the war in Ukraine is affecting international trade by putting further upward pressure on the international prices of energy and primary commodities.
In the short term, because of the inelastic global demand for food and energy products, rising food and energy prices would likely result in higher trade values and marginally lower trade volumes.
Other factors expected to influence global trade this year are continuing challenges for global supply chains, regionalization trends and policies supporting the transition toward a greener global economy, added the report.
Ambassador Shahidul Islam presents credentials to Dominican President
M Shahidul Islam, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United States of America, has recently presented his letter of credence to President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader.
Ambassador Islam, based in Washington DC, is also concurrently accredited to Belize, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guyana and Haiti to represent Bangladesh.
The ceremony for the presentation of credentials took place at the National Palace in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, said the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC on Friday.
Read: Shahidul Islam new Bangladesh Ambassador to USA
Vice President Raquel Pena de Antuna and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez were present.
Islam conveyed the greetings of the President and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to the President of the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican President welcomed the Ambassador, appreciated Bangladesh’s strong economic performance and expressed keen interest to strengthen his country’s relations with Bangladesh.
Ambassador Islam also held a separate meeting with the Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez on Thursday and discussed bilateral cooperation including the proposals for signing three agreements relating to the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) agreement on visa waiver for the holders of diplomatic and official passports as well as to establish a Joint Working Group on the promotion of trade, investment.
The Dominican Foreign Minister expressed hope to visit Bangladesh next year.
The Ambassador was accompanied by Counsellor Md Mahmudul Islam and Honorary Consul of Bangladesh to Dominican Republic Joan Gonzalez.
Sultana Laila, Ito Naoki receive Bangabandhu Medal for Diplomatic Excellence
On behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen Thursday conferred the "Bangabandhu Medal for Diplomatic Excellence" to the Bangladesh ambassador to Poland and the Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the function online.
The awards were handed over when the newly constructed eight-story building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was formally inaugurated by the prime minister online.
Read: Naoki, Sultana to be honoured with "Bangabandhu Medal" for diplomatic excellence
Onion imports through Benapole resume after 2 months
Bangladeshi traders have started to import onions from India through Benapole Land Port after a restriction of two months.
The import cost per kg of onion is Tk34. The cooking essential is being sold at the market at Tk36 per kg.
Importers said the prices of onions will drop further as the import volume goes up.
Read: Magura onion farmers in tears as prices plummet
Bangladesh imported 117 metric tonnes of onions from India Thursday afternoon.
Shamim Gazi, an importer of Benapole, said: "My company imported 117 metric tonnes of onions from India as the government had allowed us to do so."
Benapole Port Deputy Director Abdul Jalil said now the port is open 24 hours for quick unloading of the imported onions.
BENDSTA for scrapping vape ban from draft Tobacco Control Amendment bill
Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (BENDSTA) has said the ban on vaping products will work against the prime minister's vision of creating a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040.
BENDSTA organised a press conference in Dhaka Wednesdays to discuss the proposed vaping-related clauses in the Smoking and Usage of Tobacco Products (Control) Act.
The draft amendments include a new ban on e-cigarettes or vapes, under which production, import, export, storage, sale and transportation of e-cigarettes or their parts will be prohibited.
BENDSTA President Masud UZ Zaman said: "Banning vaping products will harm Bangladesh's goal of becoming a tobacco-free country by 2040."
Read: BGMEA unveils new vision
"Research by the UK Health Security Agency (Public Health England) found that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than cigarette smoking. It is surprising how policymakers can ignore such an important finding."
BENDSTA proposed a separate category for products like nicotine replacement therapy and vaping. It urged the health ministry to remove the ban on vaping products or electronic nicotine delivery system from the draft amendment.
The association also requested the ministry to have discussions with its members before taking any decision related to vaping and to create separate categories for vape products which are different from traditional tobacco products like cigarettes.
BGMEA seeks govt support in implementing RMG industry's sustainable dev vision
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has sought the support of the government in implementing the apparel industry's vision of sustainable development and growth.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan made the call during his meeting with State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam Thursday.
Faruque informed the state minister about the renewed vision of the BGMEA along with its new nine dot logo.
The BGMEA recently unveiled its sustainable strategic vision to accelerate the growth of the readymade garments (RMG) industry in a way that is sustainable and positively impacts the economy, the environment and the lives of people.
According to the Sustainable Strategic Vision 2030, the industry has set a target of exporting apparel worth $100 billion by 2030 while creating employment for 6 million people in the apparel sector during the period by ensuring 100 percent gender equality, inclusiveness, and a decent workplace.
In line with sustainable development goals (SDGs), the industry aims to reduce carbon emissions, energy and groundwater usage, and increase the use of sustainable raw materials, use of ZDHC chemicals and renewable energy.
Read: BGMEA unveils new vision
Faruque said the renewed vision is aligned with the government's vision of sustainable development.
He sought the government's support for the industry, especially in the areas of skill development, innovation and technology upgradation.
Shamsul Alam congratulated the BGMEA on devising the strategic vision for sustainable development and assured of all-out support of the government for its implementation.
Tens of thousands of holidaymakers leave for home in Eid vacation exodus
The frantic rush of home-goers reached its peak in the city on Thursday as thousands of people headed their village homes to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their loved ones.
Bangladesh celebrates Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of Muslims on Sunday. The four-day Eid vacation begins on Friday.
As it was the last working day for the government and semi-government officials and employees before Eid, lakhs of home-goers were seen departing the capital by buses, trains and water vessels enduring all the troubles of travelling.
The bus terminals, Kamalapur Railway Station and the Sadarghat Ferry Terminal witnessed huge crowd since afternoon with the holidaymakers waiting for their transports to reach their desired destinations.
All the trains, many buses and launches leaving Dhaka were packed like sardines.
Many passengers alleged that the bus operators are charging extra fares taking the advantage of the shortage of vehicles to meet the demand of huge holidaymakers.
The vacation exodus will continue until Saturday, a day ahead of Eid, says General Secretary of National Committee to Protect Shipping, Road and Railways Ashish Kumar Dey.
As schools and other educational institutions remained closed, many left for homers early to avoid hassles, he said.
Read: Trading in Eid cattle markets yet to gain momentum
Replying to a question, Ashis Kumar said more than one crore people are expected to leave the city for celebrating the Eid in their respective village homes. “Around 30 lakh people have already left Dhaka since July 5.”
He said more than 25 lakh people, mostly government and semi-government officials and employees and their family members, were supposed to leave the city by Thursday night, while 35 lakh will go to their village homes by Friday and the rest by Saturday night.
At Gabtoli bus terminals it was seen that the long-distance buses were leaving the inter-district terminal almost timely since Thursday morning.
“The pressure of passengers has increased in Gabtoli bus stand in the evening. So far, there is no report of schedule disruption of long-distance buses till Thursday evening,” said Assistant Commissioner of Traffic (Darus Salam) Iftekharul Islam.
He said buses have been leaving the terminal smoothly without disrupting any schedule of departure times, he added.
Superintendent of highway police (Cumilla) Rahmatullah said though there was a huge flow of outgoing vehicles from Dhaka to Chattogram on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway from Daudkandi Bridge, there is no traffic tailback on the 4-lane highways from Thursday morning to 8:30 pm.
He said an additional number of highway police remained deployed at different strategic points alongside an adequate number of patrol teams to ensure the safety of passengers and maintain discipline.
A senior officer of Highway police (Gazipur) said the Dhaka-Tangail road remained smooth in the afternoon, except for tailbacks near Bangabandhu Bridge in the morning.
The southern district-bound passengers this time are going to their village homes smoothly, thanks to the newly opened Padma Bridge.
Additional SP (Srinagar circle) of Munshigangj Tanvir Hadider said holidaymakers were reaching their destination smoothly through the Padma Bridge and Dhaka-Mawa expressway. “Vehicles on both sides of the bridge have been running smoothly as no tailback was seen from the morning to till 7:00 pm.”
However, the Mawa launch terminal witnessed very few passengers unlike past Eid festival as many holidaymakers are going through the Padma Bridge.
Bangladesh elected to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage committee for 4 years
Bangladesh has been elected to UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for four years, according to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
The country was elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO 2003 Convention for Safeguarding of the ICH for the 2022-2026 cycle.
This is the first time that Bangladesh has been elected to the Intergovernmental Committee formed under the 2009 Convention, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Thursday.
The elections for the committee took place during the 9th General Assembly of the 2003 Convention held at UNESCO headquarters in France's Paris during July 5-7.
Read: Coral reefs' survival at stake: Unesco
Against the four seats falling vacant within the Asia-Pacific group, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand presented their candidature.
Apart from Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and Malaysia were also elected as members of the committee.
In 2020, Bangladesh's Ministry of Cultural Affairs decided to contest this election and it was informed to the UNESCO authorities through the Bangladesh Embassy in Paris.
The Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention consists of 24 members and is elected in the General Assembly of the Convention according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation. States members of the committee are elected for four years.
Trading in Eid cattle markets yet to gain momentum
The sale of sacrificial animals is yet to gain momentum at cattle markets across the capital as of Thursday evening, three days ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, as the prices of the cattle seem very high this year.
Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of Muslims, will be celebrated in Bangladesh on Sunday.
Though sufficient cattle is available at the markets, traders were seen charging much higher prices for their cattle than last year’s while the customers were bargaining hard expecting that the price may fall in the last two days.
However, cattle market authorities said the sales are likely to mark a sharp rise from Friday as both sides -- customers and traders -- will soften their stances with the passage of time.
Visiting various markets, including Gabtoli, Pallabi Eastern Housing, Kachukhet, Bhatra Sayeed Nagar, Aftabnagar, Kamalapur, Meradia, Khigaon and Jatrabari in the capital on Thursday, UNB correspondents saw a huge number of customers and traders turning up since afternoon amid an adequate supply of sacrificial animals.
The small-sized cows were being sold at unusual prices due to its higher demand among buyers while the big ones were sold at relatively cheaper prices.
“I went to Meradia cattle market today (Thursday) but didn’t buy cattle as the price still looked much higher than last year’s. The price is likely to drop from Friday as the supply of cattle is more than enough at the markets,” Mostak Ahmed, a resident of the city’s Rampura area, told UNB.
Abul Halim, a private service holder, said the buyers this year are asking high prices of the cattle. "I purchased this medium-sized bull for Tk 84 lakh. The same type of cattle was sold at Tk65,000-70,000 last year.”
Anisul Haque, a resident of Jatrabari, said he bought a cow at Tk 75,000 after long bargaining and spending a lot of time and energy. ”Such cattle were sold at best at Tk 60,000 last year.”
He said though the cattle supply is adequate, the traders are charging high prices as they think people will be forced to buy the sacrificial animals at the last stage as most buyers are still testing their nerves.
Pointing at his cattle, another customer Kamrul Islam at Gabtoli cattle market, said “I bought it at Tk 1.4 lakh after a long haggle. Such cattle were sold at around Tk 1.3 lakh last year.”
He said though the prices of the big cattle are comparatively cheaper than small ones, their prices are still much higher than last year’s.
Businessman Aminul Islam, who bought a bull at Tk 1.80 lakh from Aftabnagar cattle market, said the prices of the big-sized cattle are around T10,000 higher this year than last year’s.
Showing the cattle he bought, Islam said the same cow was sold at best at Tk1. 7 lakh last year.
However, traders blamed the high price of cattle feed as the main reason behind the exorbitant prices of the cattle this year.
They said the prices of staple cattle feeds such as wheat bran, rice bran, oil cake, maize, Indian peas and molasses have all increased two to three-fold of late.
Delwar Hossain, a cattle trader who came from Kushtia, said he is worried about suffering huge losses as the sale is very low. “I don’t know whether I will be able to sell all the remaining 10 cattle. I could only sell two cows.”
Mostafa, a cattle trader who came from Gaibandha with 20 cattle to Meradia market, said he has so far sold five of them today. “We’re charging higher prices as we bought those at high prices. Besides, the prices of cattle feed increased sharply. I hope the number of buyers will increase on Friday and we’ll get fair prices for our cattle.”
Kahirul Islam a cattle trader from Pabna who brought 16 cattle to the market, said the demand for big cattle is very low.
Rakib Imran, Director of Gabtoli Cattle Market, said the presence of buyers increased on Thursday but the sales are not satisfactory.
Read: Special Chapainawabganj-Dhaka cattle train service stops day after launch
He said the supply of cattle at their market is still not adequate as many traders are bringing their cattle at the last stage. “I hope the supply of cattle will increase by Thursday night while the sale will get momentum on Friday.”
Miznur Rahman Sabuj, a leaseholder of Aftabnagar cattle market, said the sale is still moderate though there is a huge supply of cattle to their market.
“As only two days are left, we hope the cattle sale will begin in full swing from Friday. Many customers are still observing the market expecting a fall in prices,” he said.
Pallabi Eastern Housing cattle market convener Kamal Hossain said their market witnessed huge customers, but a moderate sale on Thursday. “We hope, it will sharply rise on Friday with fall of cattle prices a bit”
About 1.21 crore animals have been prepared for sacrifice this year in the country, against the demand of 97.75 lakh, according to the Department of Livestock.
On Eid-ul-Azha, more than one crore animals, including cows, buffaloes and goats, are usually sacrificed in the country. But the number of animal sacrifices has been declining since the outbreak of Covid pandemic two years ago.
According to the Department of Livestock, over one crore animals were sacrificed in the country in 2019. The following year, 94 lakh animals were sacrificed. Last year, the figure dropped further.
Up to 4,407 makeshift Eid cattle markets have been set up across the country this year. Ten cattle markets are in the Dhaka North City Corporation area and 12 in the Dhaka South City Corporation area.