Bangladesh
Covid-19: Govt raises bus fares
In the wake of growing Covid-19 cases, the government has increased the fares of public transport by 60 percent across the country, said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.
The order will remain in force for the next two weeks, said Obaidul Quader while talking to reporters at a press briefing.
Also read: Proposed partial lockdown in areas with high Covid-19 cases: Health Minister
Passengers will have to pay the additional bus fares from Wednesday, he said.
Earlier on May 31, 2020, the government raised the fares of inter-district and long-haul (Dhaka, Chittagong cities and adjoining areas) buses and minibuses by 60 percent in order to compensate bus owners carrying 50 percent less passengers to prevent the transmission of Coronavirus.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Monday issued an 18-point directive for the next two weeks in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Bangladesh.
Also read: 25-30% bus seats must be kept empty, no standing passengers: Quader
The Health Ministry has also proposed partial lockdowns for some places with higher Coronavirus transmission rates, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said Monday.
Partial lockdown, closure of amusement centres, limiting wedding ceremonies, picnic, religious gatherings, strengthening quarantine system, limiting passengers in public transports, and limiting attendance in offices are some of the recommendations.
The ministry also proposed ensuring ‘no mask no service’ policy, increasing numbers of mobile courts and imposing fines on health guideline violators.
Bangladesh on Monday recorded its highest-ever single day infection (5,181) since the first cases were reported on March 8 last year.
The daily infection rate jumped to 18.38 percent from 17.65 percent on Sunday.
Also readNot heading back into lockdown: Quader
The total caseload rose to 600,895 while Bangladesh also reported 45 deaths, raising the national tally to 8,949, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Language Movement hero Yusuf Kalu passes away
Language Movement veteran and journalist Yusuf Kalu passed away at a hospital in Barishal on Monday due to old age complications. He was 91.
Yusuf Kalu, also a freedom fighter, breathed his last at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital around 5:45 PM, said his son Md Shohagh.
Also read: The forgotten Language Movement hero
Born on January 17, 1931 at Miabari in Razapur Kanudaskathi of Jhalakati district, Yusuf was the youngest son of his father Obaidul Karim (Raza Mia) and mother (Fatema Khatun).
He was a student of Barishal BM College. Until the death, he was active in works related to the history of Language Movement and Liberation War.
Yusuf became involved in the Language Movement in 1948 when he was a student of class VIII.
After passing Matriculation, he got admitted to IA at the Commerce Department of BM College and involved in Chhattra Union.
Also read: Language Movement hero Rawshan Ara passes away
He was also a member of the 25-member ‘Language Movement Council’.
In 1952, Yusuf joined the Chhatra League and later got involved with Awami League politics.
He started journalism in 1962 and joined ‘Daily Azad’ and ‘Daily Paigam’. Yusuf was also a general secretary of Barishal Press Club in 1962 to 1973.
Yusuf, a freedom fighter, received training at Hasnabad, Hingalgarh, Taki Headquarters on May 14, 1971.
After returning to the country, he fought with the Pakistan Army under Sector - 9 in Kaliganj and Satkhira bordering area.
Also read: Language Movement hero Osman Gani buried in Chapainawabganj
His house was looted during the Liberation War.
Senior Awami League leader Abul Hasanat Abdullah, MP in Barishal and Barishal City Corporation (BCC) Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah expressed deep shock at the demise of the Language Movement hero Yusuf Kalu.
Guterres urges ‘decisive action’ to avoid debt crisis in developing world
Though significant steps have been taken to prevent debt crises across the world sparked by the COVID-19 crisis, they have not been sufficient to restore economic stability in many developing countries, according to a policy brief issued by the UN Secretary-General on Monday.
More than a year into the pandemic, the fiscal impacts of the crisis are triggering debt distress in a growing number of countries and is severely limiting the ability of many, to invest in recovery and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including urgently needed climate action, Secretary-General António Guterres said.
Also read: Let's plant seeds for sustainable future: UN chief
According to the policy brief, 42 economies borrowing from capital markets have experienced sovereign downgrades since the start of the pandemic, including 6 developed countries, 27 emerging market economies, and 9 least developed countries.
Sovereign downgrades cause borrowing costs to rise, especially for developing countries, which can, in turn, increase the risk of more nations taking on unsustainable debt – especially if the Covid-19 pandemic is more protracted and deeper than expected.
“Unless we take decisive action on debt and liquidity challenges, we risk another ‘lost decade’ for many developing countries, putting the achievement of the SDGs by the 2030 deadline definitively out of reach,” Guterres said.
The policy brief, entitled Liquidity and Debt Solutions to Invest in the SDGs, takes stock of the global policy response since April last year, assess remaining gaps and challenges for their implementation, as well as propose updates to the recommendations, presented last year, in light of developments over the past 12 months.
Need for debt relief
The brief highlights the need for debt relief to create space for investments in recovery and for achieving the SDGs.
Even in the cases of elevated debt, new borrowing can lead to improved creditworthiness if it finances productive investments, it noted, adding that debt relief can also free up resources, create conditions under which countries can return to voluntary market access, and may lower a country’s overall borrowing costs, with positive impacts across the whole economy.
Assistance for small island states
The Secretary-General also urged governments to provide fresh concessional financing for developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States, recapitalise multilateral development banks and accelerate the timetable for replenishing the funds, meet official development assistance (ODA) commitments and provide long-term financing to developing countries for investment in long-term growth.
In support of recent endorsements from the G7, the document also called for a new general allocation of special drawing rights reiterating the need to combine a voluntary reallocation of the rights from developed to developing countries.
The brief also urged the G20 to extend the World Bank’s Debt Suspension Initiative (DSSI) until the end of June 2022 and include middle-income countries, notably small island developing States that have been gravely affected by the crisis.
It also urged the bloc to extend the eligibility for debt relief under its Common Framework for Debt Treatment Beyond the DSSI to other vulnerable countries on a case-by-case basis, as well as consider other mechanisms that would allow countries to access the framework, without compromising the credit rating.
Also read: UN chief lauds Bangladesh’s Covid mitigation efforts
Financing the 2030 Agenda
The policy brief was released to coincide with the high-level meeting of Heads of State and Government on ‘Financing for Development in the era of COVID-19 and Beyond’.
The virtual meeting on Tuesday, followed up on a series of meetings and last year to mobilise action to assist the economic recovery from the pandemic.
The high-level meeting is convened jointly by the Secretary-General Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.
‘Liquidity is vital’
Addressing the high-level meeting, Guterres called for urgent assistance for developing countries so they have the financial liquidity they need to respond to the pandemic as well as invest in recovery, or risk a “lost decade” in development terms.
“I’m encouraged to see that our insistence on the necessity for a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the reallocation of unused SDRs to support vulnerable countries, including middle income ones, is now winning widespread acceptance … let us make sure it happens – and is properly managed to the benefit of the developing world”, he said.
Also read: UN Chief for ensuring equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccine
The Secretary-General urged a “three-phase” approach to debt, including a moratorium on debt payments, targeted debt relief, and reforms to the international debt architecture.
He also called for more responsible borrowing and lending, accepted by debtor and creditor countries, investors, market participants, credit rating agencies and international organisations, highlighting the need for a time-bound, open dialogue to build trust and transparency in a systematic, inclusive way.
“Together, with collective resolve, we can help all countries invest in response, recovery, and a more sustainable, resilient future.”
Covid-19 global death toll approaching 2.8 million
As the world is facing unprecedented challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic, the global death toll from the virus is approaching 2.8 million.
The total death toll from the virus reached 2,791,072 while the total case count stood at 127,581,652 as of Tuesday morning, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins
University (JHU).
The US has recorded 30,330,688 cases with 550,003 fatalities. It has surpassed 30 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 on March 25.
The new milestone comes as public health experts show cautious optimism three months into the US vaccination rollout. It is believed that 70% of Americans 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and Covid-19 deaths are below 1,000 a day on average for the first time since November, reports AP.
Also read: WHO report says animals likely source of COVID
Brazil reported 1,660 new Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll in the country to 313,866, the country’s Health Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry also reported that there were 38,927 new infections during the same period of time, bringing the national caseload to 12,573,615.
Brazil is currently one of the global epicenters of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the world's second-worst outbreak in terms of both deaths and infections, only after the United States.
The South American country has been facing a new wave of Covid-19 outbreak since January, which has overwhelmed its health system in most of the country's 27 federative units.
India’s total tally reached 12,039,644 as of Tuesday while the country’s death toll mounted to 161,843.
Covid situation in Bangladesh
The country’s coronavirus caseload swelled to 600,895 on Monday after the health authorities recorded 5,181 new cases in 24 hours until the morning.
Along with the high number of cases, 45 coronavirus-related deaths were also recorded, pushing the death tally to 8,949, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a handout.
The latest cases were reported after testing 28,195 samples.
The infection rate jumped to 18.38 percent on Monday from 17.65 percent on Sunday.
However, the death rate stands at 1.49 percent.
During this 24-hour period, 2,077 coronavirus patients recovered. So far, 538,018 patients have made recoveries.
Twenty-eight people died in Dhaka Division, six in Chattogram, five in Rajshahi, three in Khulna and one each in Barishal, Mymensingh and Rangpur.
So far, 5,081 people died in Dhaka division, 1,628 in Chattogram, 499 in Rajshahi, 577 in Khulna, 273 in Barishal, 317 in Sylhet, 373 in Rangpur and 201 in Mymensingh.
Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8, 2020 and the first death on March 18 the same year.
Also read: Bangladesh’s Covid-19 tally crosses 6 lakh
Amid the spike in infections, the government has taken a tougher stance to fight Covid-19 transmission.
The Health Ministry sent letters to districts, directing the officials concerned to impose fines on people flouting Covid protocols.
The country launched a countrywide vaccination drive on Feb 7. As the daily infection rate keeps rising, the government extended the closure of schools and colleges until May 23.
The DGHS has identified 29 districts, including Dhaka and Chattogram, with higher rates of Coronavirus transmission.
The areas have been dubbed ‘risky places’ considering the high number of Covid-19 cases.
Also read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Govt not considering general holidays
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued an 18-point directive on Monday for the next two weeks in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Besides, the Health Ministry has proposed partial lockdowns for some places with higher Coronavirus transmission rates.
Holy Shab-e-Barat observed
The holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune and forgiveness, was observed in the country on Monday night with due religious fervour.
According to Muslim belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night when Allah arranges the affairs of the following year. On this night, Allah writes the destinies of all the creations for the coming year by taking into account their past deeds.
Also read: Shab-e-Barat holiday rescheduled to March 30
Muslim devotees offered special prayers, recited from the Holy Quran seeking divine blessings for the wellbeing of mankind.
They passed the whole night offering prayers.
This year worshipers offered prayers following health protocols amid a growing number of coronavirus cases and an alarming uptrend in the daily infection rate.
Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private TV channels and radio stations aired special programmes while newspapers published articles highlighting the significance of the night.
Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion.
Covid-19: Hasina seeks global action to address liquidity crisis, debt burdens
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday underscored the need for having ambitious and concentrated global action plans to address the liquidity crisis and sovereign debt burdens now and during the post-Covid-19 era.
The Prime Minister said this in a video message delivered at the ‘Financing for Development in the Era of Covid-19 and Beyond Initiative: International Debt Architecture and Liquidity’.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and UN Secretary-General António Guterres convened the meeting of world leaders to urge the international community to take additional and urgent action to ensure a robust economic recovery.
The high-level virtual meeting aims to underscore the urgency of the need for more audacious and concrete action to provide liquidity and address debt vulnerability.
Moderated by BBC news anchor Laura Trevelyan, the meeting of heads of state and government featured opening remarks by António Guterres, Justin Trudeau and Andrew Holness.
Sheikh Hasina said a strong leadership is needed from the G7, G20 and OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.
Also read: PM Hasina leads from front in battle against pandemic: Envoy
She said developed countries, MDBs (Multilateral development banks) and IFIs (International financial institutions) should scale up liquidity for vulnerable countries, such as large and new ‘Special Drawing Rights’ allocation.
“International debt architecture also needs to be revisited for suitable reform,” she said.
The Prime Minister also put emphasis on fulfilling the 0.7% ODA commitment of the developed countries. “They should also expand fiscal stimulus, concessional finance and debt relief measures for vulnerable economies.”
Finally, Sheikh Hasina said, there must be new international support measures for the graduating LDCs, at least till 2030, commensurate with the SDGs.
She said more than one year has elapsed since the outbreak of Covid-19 and the world is still struggling to overcome the socio-economic challenges posed by it. “The UN has estimated that the global economy is expected to lose nearly 8.5 trillion dollars in output over the next two years.”
Talking about Bangladesh, she said the government adopted comprehensive plans to minimise the impact of the pandemic on the lives and livelihoods of people.
Also read: Hasina to South Asian leaders: Work together for common prosperity
“We immediately rolled out a stimulus package worth more than 1.24 trillion taka equivalent to USD 14.58 billion, which is around 4.44% of our GDP.”
Hasina mentioned that the government has provided adequate liquidity and loanable funds in the market to ensure uninterrupted business operation. “We undertook supportive policy interventions to minimise shocks on foreign exchange market, foreign trade and finance, remittances, external borrowing etc.”
Despite the pandemic, the Prime Minister said, Bangladesh has still been comfortably servicing its debt with the reputation of ‘non-defaulting party’ because of the prudent borrowing policy of the government.
According to the UN website, the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.6 million lives and resulted in more than 120 million confirmed cases to date, has gone beyond a health and humanitarian crisis to also become an unprecedented global development emergency.
Unprecedented action over the last year has helped control the spread of the deadly virus and mitigate its socioeconomic impact.
These emergency policies succeeded in flattening the curve of contagion and saved lives, but they also resulted in a 4.3% drop in global GDP, the first increase in extreme poverty since 1998, and the equivalent of 255 million jobs being lost in 2020.
Also read: Bangladesh achieved enviable successes in socio-economic indicators: PM Hasina
Covid-19-related economic shocks have already caused rating agencies to downgrade the credit worthiness of 42 countries since the start of the pandemic, including six developed countries, 27 emerging market economies, and nine least developed and low-income countries.
The current economic situation has also exacerbated inequalities between and within countries that pose significant threats to global efforts to build back better. The risk of a global sovereign debt crisis, in addition to the fourth global debt wave that the world entered prior to the pandemic, is now greater than ever.
Following a high-level roundtable with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank Group President David Malpass, OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, approximately 20 heads of state and government will recommend measures to overcome debt and liquidity problems to help the world recover better and invest in the SDGs.
International relief needed on Bhasan Char: IFRC
International support is needed to maintain humanitarian services for more than 13,000 people who have been relocated to Bhasan Char island from Cox’s Bazar, the IFRC said Monday.
This appeal follows an independent visit by representatives from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to the river island.
It requested the Government of Bangladesh, humanitarian agencies and international donors to do everything possible to keep people displaced from Rakhine State safe and able to live with dignity, wherever they are located, including on Bhasan Char.
The team found that the Government of Bangladesh has made progress on Bhasan Char in terms of the development of infrastructure.
However, it also found urgent investment is needed to ensure that women and children are adequately protected, and that food security, health care and schooling is assured both in the short and longer-term.
While evacuation centres are in place to keep people safe from disasters, there remain concerns that the island could be exposed during the upcoming cyclone season and that systems are further strengthened to manage the potential isolation caused by storms.
Feroz Salah Uddin, Secretary General, Bangladesh Red Crescent, said, “After nearly four years of living in precarious camps in cramped conditions, many people are relocating to the island of Bhasan Char and we are providing a range of relief services at this critical time.
Also read: 6 lakh people in Rohingya camps “exposed” to cyclone risks: IFRC
“Bangladesh Red Crescent is working with authorities to deliver food packages, hygiene items, sanitation and health services to thousands of people on the island for the coming months.”
Sanjeev Kafley, Bangladesh Head of Delegation, IFRC, said with the cyclone season fast approaching, people on Bhasan Char could become stranded with a shortage of food when major storms strike, leaving the sea passage impassable, in turn denying the delivery of relief, medicines and other vital supplies.
“Everyone relocating must have access to all of the essentials for a healthy life, including nutritious food, hygiene items such as soap, along with health and medical care. Women and children must be afforded protection from violence and other risks.
Also read: 1,800 more Rohingyas moved to Bhasan Char
“People who are now living on Bhasan Char have been through so many hardships and they deserve opportunities for a fulfilling life, with opportunities to start new livelihoods and access to education and other activities,” Kafley said.
Shab-e-Barat being observed
The holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune and forgiveness, is being observed in the country on Monday night with due religious fervour.
According to Muslim belief, it is the night when Allah arranges the affairs of the following year. On this night, Allah writes the destinies of all the creations for the coming year by taking into account their past deeds.
Also read:Shab-e-Barat tonight
Muslim devotees are offering special prayers, reciting from the Holy Quran, holding religious gatherings seeking divine blessings for the wellbeing of mankind.
They are passing the whole night offering prayers.
This year worshipers are offering prayers following health protocols amid a growing number of coronavirus cases and an alarming uptrend in the daily infection rate.
Bangladesh on Monday recorded its highest-ever single day infection (5,181) since the first cases were reported on March 8 last year.
The daily infection rate jumped to 18.38 percent from 17.65 percent on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) imposed a ban on the transport and use of fireworks and firecrackers on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat.
Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar, private TV channels and radio stations are airing special programmes while newspapers published articles highlighting the significance of the night.
Also read:Shab-e-Barat holiday rescheduled to March 30
Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages on the occasion.
In his message, the President said the holy night opens up an opportunity for the mankind to get special blessings and forgiveness of the Almighty Allah.
“I pray to Almighty Allah during the holy night for the continued progress and welfare of the country and greater unity of the Muslim Ummah,” he said.
The Prime Minister in her message said Shab-e-Barat is a night of fortune which brings the blessings of Almighty Allah for the mankind.
She urged all to offer prayers during the Shab-e-Barat night maintaining the social distancing rules and hygiene.
43rd BCS application deadline extended until June 30
The deadline for online application for the 43rd Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination has been extended until June 30.
Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) made the announcement in a media statement on Monday.
Also read: 42nd, 43rd BCS circulars published
Previously, the deadline for online application was March 31.
Extreme poverty to fall to 3% by 2030: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday said extreme poverty rate will come down to 3 percent by 2030 and that the country will be free of poverty after 2041.
"Once 80 percent people were poor in Bangladesh but now the poverty rate stands at 20 percent thanks to good initiatives. The Sheikh Hasina government laid emphasis on eliminating poverty from the country in 2009," he said at the unwrapping ceremony of the book titled "Sheikh Hasina Sarker" at Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
Momen said Bangladesh needs the incumbent government for its further development.
Also read: SANEM survey: Population below poverty line doubled, extreme poor trebled in 2020
"Once our annual average growth rate was 2.2 percent. Now it’s 6.9 percent. It's an unbelievable development. Bangabandhu brought freedom and his daughter fulfilled his dreams," he said.
Momen said Bangladesh once faced serious food crisis. The government announced to resolve the problem providing subsidy in agriculture sector. Now there is no food crisis.
"Earlier, power cuts were common [but now] the government has increased power production to 24,000MW from 2009-2020," the minister added.
The Foreign Minister said the government took lots of initiatives to make the population skilled to eliminate unemployment. Besides, the government took steps to tackle climate change impact.
He said that is why the Prime Minister won champion of the earth award and earned the respect of the global audience.
Also read: PM vows to wipe out poverty through united efforts
About Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka, Momen said we are honoured that he chose Bangladesh to be his first tour abroad since the coronavirus outbreak.
He added that 65 countries sent messages to appreciate Bangladesh. They also appreciated Sheikh Hasina for the Rohingya response.
Momen highlighted Bangladesh’s development and said the country currently has a forex reserve of $44 billion and is regarded as a leader in South Asia.
Also read: COVID-19 could push over 1 bln into extreme poverty: UNDP
The author of the book Razu Alim said he tried to include various information about the government of Sheikh Hasina in his book. Jatiya Press Club President Farida Yesmin and Awami League Office Secretary Biplob Barua were also present at the event.