Bangladesh
Over $500m WB loan to modernise grids in Dhaka & Mymensingh
Bangladesh and the World Bank on Wednesday signed a $515 million financing agreement to help nine million people get access to reliable power supply while transitioning to clean energy.
The agreement was signed by Economic Relations Division secretary Fatima Yasmin and Acting World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, Dandan Chen, on behalf of the Bangladesh government and the World Bank, respectively.
Read: WB okays $1.03 billion to help improve regional trade in Bangladesh, Nepal
The agreement includes a $15 million grant from the Clean Technology Fund to support Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
The credit is from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), and has a 35-year term, including a five-year grace period.
The Electricity Distribution Modernization Program will support the digitisation and modernisation of 25 Palli Bidyut Samitis in Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions and reduce system losses by over 2 percent.
The Program will increase Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board’s (BREB) delivery of power by 6,790 GW while improving climate resilience of the system, according to a release.
'The Program is aligned with the government’s Integrated Energy and Power Sector Master Plan, currently under preparation, which will help establish a low carbon energy system,” said secretary Fatima.
She said that generating clean and reliable power can help rural communities to increase productivity and cope with events brought on by climate change.
“The government of Bangladesh has prioritised access to power in the last decade and now the entire population has access to power. The installed generation capacity increased five-fold to 25 GW in the same period,” Chen said.
Through this Program, new and emerging technologies will further strengthen the efficiency and reliability of power supply in the country to meet the needs for faster economic growth, he added.
The Program will support solar metering connections for over 100 customers, bringing 150 MW of new rooftop solar capacity into the grid.
Read: WB approves $120 mln loan to develop climate smart agriculture, water management
It will improve and construct 31,000 kms of distribution lines and deploy 200,000 advanced meters, the release said.
In addition, the Program will help strengthen BESS and distributed renewable energy through preparation of road maps for deployment.
This would lead to an annual reduction of carbon emissions by 41,400 metric tonnes.
Global Covid cases top 551 million
The overall number of Covid cases has now surpassed 551 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 551,682,658 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,356,166 on Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 89,236,449 cases so far and 1,042,291 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.
India reported 14,506 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, taking the total tally to 43,433,345, as per data released by the federal health ministry on Wednesday.
Besides, 30 deaths due to the pandemic since Tuesday morning took the total death toll to 525,077.
The daily positivity rate in the country stood at 3.35 percent, while the weekly positivity rate was 3.30 percent, as per the ministry.
Read: Covid management: Canada finds Bangladesh a success story in the world
Covid in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered 2,241 new infections in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
The new figures took the country’s total caseload to 19,71,602 and the total fatalities remained unchanged at 29,145, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case positivity rate slightly dropped to 15.23 percent from Tuesday’s 15.47 percent as 14,912 samples were tested during the period, said the DGHS.
On Tuesday, the country recorded 2,087 cases with three deaths from Covid-19.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.48 percent. The recovery rate declined to 96.73 percent from Tuesday’s 96.84 percent as 152 patients recovered during this period.
In May, the country reported only four Covid-linked deaths and 816 new cases, while 7,356 patients recovered from the disease, according to the DGHS.
Among the four deaths during the period, one was vaccinated with a single dose of a Covid vaccine while three were vaccinated with two doses.
The country reported its first zero Covid death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 cases, since the pandemic broke out here in March 2020.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest positivity rate of 33.37 percent.
The country registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 in the same year.
Dhaka's air is 'unhealthy'
Dhaka's air quality still remains 'unhealthy'.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 121 at 9am on Thursday, the metropolis ranked seventh in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
The UAE’s Dubai, Iran’s Tehran and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 172, 169 and 157, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
Read: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites".
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Crescent moon sighted; Saudi Arabia to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha on July 9
Saudi Arabia will celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, the feast of the sacrifice, on July 9, as the crescent moon of Zilhajj was sighted Wednesday.
The sighting of the crescent moon of Zilhajj, the month in which the hajj pilgrimage takes place, was confirmed at the Tamir Observatory, near Riyadh, in the evening, according to the Saudi Supreme Court.
So, Thursday will be the first day of Zilhajj, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar.
The first day of Eid-ul-Azha, the second-largest religious festival for Muslims, will be on July 9 in most Arab and Muslim countries while many Southeast and South Asian countries will start the celebrations on July 10.
Usually, the crescent of Zilhajj is first sighted in Saudi Arabia and then a day later in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and some other countries.
Today, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong and Brunei announced July 10 as the first day of Eid-ul-Azha.
The religious festival marks the end of hajj and commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on Allah's will.
Prophet Ibrahim was eventually given a lamb to sacrifice. So, Muslims perpetuate the tradition by slaughtering a lamb or a cow and sharing the meat with people in need.
This year's hajj will start on July 6 and Eid-ul-Azha will be three days later in Saudi Arabia.
Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-ul-Azha almost the same way with the morning being marked with Eid prayers and the slaughtering of sacrificial animals. The celebration last for three days.
Also read: 2,415 more Bangladeshis can perform Hajj this year
Finance bill 2022 passed with limits on proposal to whiten black money
The parliament has passed the finance bill 2022 with a surprise late change to the proposal on repatriation of money laundered abroad.
The opportunity in the proposed budget to bring back both movable and immovable assets has been cancelled through an amendment on the Finance Bill-2022 by the members of parliament.
Speaker of Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury chaired the session, and Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal brought these amendments to the proposed budget. Later the parliament passed the bill by voice vote.
The finance minister accepted 17 amendment proposals on the finance bill at section 2-ka and 2-kha.
The other amendment proposals were cancelled by voice vote.
“Among the amendments brought in the proposed budget is that only smuggled cash can be brought into the country with 7 percent tax. Those who do not take this opportunity will be fined. The amount of the fine will be equal to the prescribed tax,” Kamal said in the parliament.
READ: Parliament passes Finance Bill, allows whitening of undisclosed money
The opportunity in the proposed budget to bring in movable and immovable assets has been cancelled. At the same time, amendments have been made to get corporate tax benefits at a lower rate.
Companies that transact more than Tk36 lakh a year through banks will get the benefit of paying corporate tax at a lower rate. In the proposed budget this limit was Tk12 lakh.
In addition, the obligation to file returns by adding e-TIN (Taxpayer's Identification Number) for all the services has also been waived. The return filing has been made mandatory only for individual taxpayers.
Along with the finance bill 2-22, the parliament has also passed the national budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 of Tk678,064 crore, which was placed in the parliament on June 9.
Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presented the budget titled “Return to the Path of Development; Leaving the Covid-19 Behind”.
This is the fourth budget of the third consecutive term of the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and also the overall 51st budget of the country.
The budget kept the GDP growth target of 7.5 percent and the GDP size estimated at Tk44.50 lakh crore.
The revenue target is set at Tk4.33 lakh crore, while the budget deficit is Tk2.42 lakh crore or 5.4 per cent of GDP. The average inflation in the budget was kept at 5.6 percent.
Chattogram head teacher kills himself
A primary school head teacher took his own life in Chattogram's Karnaphuli upazila Wednesday after suffering a swift decline in his mental health, police said.
Joy Chatterjee, 52, from Char Patharghata union of the upazila had been head teacher at Charlakhya Government Primary School.
Being deep in debt, living alone, and the death of his mother triggered an immense amount of pressure on the teacher.
READ: Man dies after falling off under-construction building in Chattogram
"This was not the first time that the head teacher had tried to end his life. He had tried to commit suicide before by jumping into the River Karnafuli a few years ago," Md Dulal Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Karnaphuli Police Station, said.
"However, this time Joy was found hanged in his rented flat. Police recovered the body and sent it to the hospital for an autopsy."
Austrian, Libyan envoys present credentials to President Hamid
Austrian Ambassador to Bangladesh Katharina Wieser and Libyan Ambassador Abdul Mutaleb Suliman Mohammed Suliman presented their credentials to Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban Wednesday.
The president thanked Austria for its support on the Rohingyas issue. He hoped that the country's cooperation would continue in the future for the dignified return of the Myanmar nationals.
Also, Hamid expressed his gratitude to Austria for its cooperation in helping Bangladesh vaccinate its people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Noting the excellent relations between Austria and Bangladesh, he hoped that it would be further expanded in different areas, including trade and investment.
Hamid told the Libyan ambassador that there was ample opportunity to expand the existing multi-dimensional Bangladesh-Libya ties in trade and commerce.
READ: President Hamid unveils inaugural envelope of census
He said Bangladesh produces world-class products, including ready-made garments (RMG), medicines, jute and leather products, and plastic materials. "Libya can get benefitted from importing them."
Libya could meet their demand for workers by recruiting skilled ones from Bangladesh in different sectors, including agriculture, information technology and health, he added.
Hamid sought the cooperation of the new envoy to solve the problems of Bangladeshis working in Libya.
Seek apology, pay compensation, Momen asks those who made "false" corruption allegations
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has asked those who made “false” corruption allegations against the people involved in Padma Bridge project and defamed Bangladesh to seek an apology and compensate the individuals.
"Under the courageous leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the historic Padma Bridge has been built with our own funds and resources and now represents a nation on the road to self-reliance and prosperity," he said.
Momen was speaking as the chief guest at Bangladesh High Commission, London's celebration titled "Padma Bridge: Milestone of a Decade of Growth and Prosperity" held in East London, the heart of the British-Bangladeshi community recently.
Highlighting the significant economic growth that Bangladesh achieved in the past decade, the Foreign Minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's timely and innovative initiatives made Bangladesh a self-sufficient country in staple crop production, which increased fourfold from 11 lakh tonnes to 44 lakh tonnes, and her business-friendly government boosted export earnings from USD 7 to 8 million to USD 48 million.
Apart from this, he said, Bangladesh's economy gained a strong foothold during the pandemic as expatriate Bangladeshi including from the UK and Ireland remitted 25 billion US dollars to their homeland.
Momen expressed solidarity with the flood victims in Sylhet and other areas of Bangladesh and spoke in detail about the relief and rescue operations the government has been implementing since the recurrence of the natural disasters.
The Foreign Minister said he had discussed the latest flood situation as well as relief and rescue operations with the high authorities of the government and relevant ministries to ensure that the flood victims received adequate support.
Teesta swells in Lalmonirhat, forces opening of 44 barrage gates
The Teesta River has started swelling again triggered by heavy rainfall and the onrush of the upstream water in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat.
Teesta was flowing at 52.55cm, only 5 cm below the danger level, at Teesta Barrage Point in Hativandha Doani of the district on Wednesday noon, said Md Asfaudoula, executive engineer of Lalmonirhat Water Development Board.
Authorities have opened 44 gates of the barrage to cope with the water pressure.
About 5,000 people have been marooned on the banks of Saniajan and Teesta in five unions of Hatibandha.
Besides, the water level of Saniajan and Dharla has also increased, inundating the low lying areas along the banks of Saniajan River in Burimari, Srirampur, Baura, Hatibandhar, Fakirpara, Barkhata, Gaddimari and Saniajan union of Patgram upazila this morning.
Fakir Para Union Parishad UP member Lalchan Hossain said the water level in the Saniajan River has risen since last night. “As a result, about 4 to 5 hundred families in this ward including my house have been marooned.”
Mozammel Haque, 55, of Panibandi Ramniganj village, said there was no way to lit the stove as water entered the kitchen. “I have taken shelter on the road of the dam with cows and goats.”
Chairman of Fakirpara Union Parishad Fazlar Rahman Khokon said about 12 hundred people in 4 wards of Fakirpara Union have been marooned. “I have informed the Upazila Nirbahi Officer for relief assistance.”
Hatibandha Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Nazir Hossain said a list of how many people have been affected in the flood is being compiled. The families have pleaded to the deputy commissioner for relief assistance that will be distributed among the flood-hit families soon.
Aga Khan School holds first in-person graduation ceremony after 2019
The Aga Khan School Dhaka recently held its first in-person graduation ceremony after 2019.This ceremony served as a special celebration for the 82 graduates of the class of 2022.These students underwent a unique learning experience consisting of a combination of virtual, hybrid and in-person learning due to the Covid pandemic.Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, students succeeded in completing their International Baccalaureate diploma programme studies and the Cambridge Assessment International Education A-Levels.AKES Bangladesh Chairman Amyn Saleh congratulated the graduating class of 2022 on behalf of the board of directors.He noted that despite the extraordinary and unprecedented times during the last two years of their education, the graduates had excelled in their studies, receiving admissions offers at prestigious universities including the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Oxford, the University of Melbourne, the University of Toronto, while also securing $1.4 million in university scholarships.