Bangladesh
Expelled Sramik League leader Tufan denied SC bail
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the bail petition of expelled Sramik League leader Tufan Sarkar of Bogura in a case filed by ACC.
A full bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order.
Advocate Sharif Uddin Chakladar stood for Tufan while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented theAnti-Corruption Commission ( ACC).
Read: HC turns down Tufan’s bail in rape case
On March 1, the High Court rejected the bail petition of Tufan in a case filed by ACC and said he will not be able to file a bail petition in any court.
Later, Tufan Sarkar filed a petition with the Appellate Division challenging the HC order.
The case was filed against Tufan over amassing wealth and concealing wealth information.
Tufan has no source of income and he in the Tax return submitted a return of Tk 1.60 crore.
He also refrained from giving the right information to ACC about his wealth.
On December 31, 2018, The ACC deputy director Mohammad Aminul Islam filed a case with Bogura Sadar Police Station.
Tufan is in prison since 2017 in a case filed over the rape and torture of a schoolgirl and her mother.
On June 22, 2020, The High Court rejected the bail petition of Tufan Sarkar in the case filed over the rape and torture of a schoolgirl and her mother.
Tufan took the girl to his house at Badurtala in the district town promising to arrange her admission into a local college and raped her there on July 17, in 2017.
Read: HC turns down Tufan’s bail plea over Bogura rape
When Tufan's wife Asha and her elder sister Rumki came to know about the incident, they along with some associates picked up the girl and her mother from their house.
They allegedly beat the girl and her mother with sticks and cut the hair of their heads.
At one stage, the offenders got their heads shaved done by a barber on July 28, 2017.
Later, two cases were filed in this connection on July 29 in the same year.
COP26: Alok Sharma discusses climate issues with FM
Visiting COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma on Wednesday met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and discussed priority issues on climate front.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, among others, attended the meeting.
Read: Alok Sharma in city to discuss climate issues ahead of COP26
Earlier, the State Minister received Sharma at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 09.20am upon his arrival.
He is also scheduled to attend "UK- Bangladesh Climate Partnership Roundtable" at 2pm at Foreign Service Academy before holding a joint briefing at 3pm.
Read:COP26 President-Designate Sharma due Wednesday to discuss climate issues
During his engagements in Dhaka, Sharma will discuss shared priorities with Bangladesh which remains a "crucial" partner on the road to COP26.
He is on a two-day visit to strengthen support for UK COP26 climate priorities ahead of hosting the crucial UN climate change summit in Glasgow this November.
Bhasan Char much better than Cox’s Bazar camps: UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, on Wednesday cleared its position regarding protection and assistance towards Rohingyas both in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, saying that they will continue to be present in various places around the country indicating the inclusion of Bhasan Char.
“The government has made a very important investment in Bhasan Char. Bhasan Char is a much better (place than Cox’s Bazar camps),” Raouf Mazou, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, told reporters after their meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen here.
Read:UNHCR seeks vaccinations for refugees in Asia, including Rohingyas
He said they are with the government of Bangladesh and they always work with the government. “We’re present in Cox’s Bazar. We’ll continue to be present in various places around the country and will work with the government to ensure assistance to refugees.”
Raouf said anybody may feel isolated in Bhasan Char but they must have economic activities apart from education and healthcare facilities.
Gillian Triggs, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, said they are here to work and support the government in ensuring the protection of these Rohingyas.
Read:Fully cooperating with ICJ to “ensure justice” for Rohingyas: NUG
Bangladesh puts Satkhira border areas on alert
The border areas of Satkhira district have been put on high alert in view of a surge in Covid-19 cases in neighbouring India.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been asked to step up vigil along the border with India so as to prevent the entry of people from the neighbouring country without the mandatory health checks.
Commanding officer of Satkhira BGB-33 Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Al Mahmud, said, "The spread of the Indian Covid-19 variant has pushed the neighbouring country's healthcare system on the brink.
"We don't want a similar situation in Bangladesh. So, we are keeping a strict vigil on the bordering areas. The idea is to make people legally entering the country undergo the mandatory checks and quarantine, and stop the illegal entry of people."
The border guards have identified the Bhomra, Gazipur, Kushkhali, Kaliani, Madra, Kakdanga and Toluigacha border areas of the district as vulnerable, he said.
Also read: 8 Indian variant cases identified in Jashore
A total of 590 mobile patrol teams are working to ensure the movement of people in the border areas. Already the BGB patrol teams have detained eight people for sneaking into the country without valid documents and handed them over to police.
READ: Covid patient infected with Indian variant held in Chandpur
"We are doing our best to protect our borders," said Mahmud. "The border guard personnel are also alerting people time and again about the Covid restrictions in the country."
Alok Sharma in city to discuss climate issues ahead of COP26
COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma arrived here on Wednesday morning on a two-day visit to to strengthen support for UK COP26 climate priorities ahead of hosting the crucial UN climate change summit in Glasgow this November.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam received Sharma at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 09.20am upon his arrival.
He will hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at 12:30pm at Foreign Service Academy.
Sharma is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban at 11:30am.
He will also attend "UK- Bangladesh Climate Partnership Roundtable" at 2pm at Foreign Service Academy before holding a joint briefing at 3pm.
During his engagements in Dhaka, Sharma will discuss shared priorities with Bangladesh which remains a "crucial" partner on the road to COP26.
Also read: COP26 President-Designate Sharma due Wednesday to discuss climate issues
He will discuss the needs of countries most vulnerable to climate change, to ensure they are equipped to deal with its current and damaging effects ahead of COP26.
Preventing deforestation while ensuring development and trade is sustainable will also be high on the agenda, as COP26 looks to highlight the protection of nature and biodiversity as a key tool in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.
With less than six months to go before COP26, he will meet leaders from government, business and civil society to press his personal priority for a move to global clean power, critical to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.
Read:BUILD Chairperson meets new FBCCI president
Bangladesh is among the fast growing economies with significant renewable energy potential, said the UK government.
The visit will highlight their growing leadership and how the UK Presidency will work with countries to support workers and communities to make the transition to good green jobs.
It builds on the recent Climate and Environment Ministerial meeting where, under the UK’s leadership, G7 nations agreed to end all new direct government support for international coal power, and to increase support for clean energy alternatives like solar and wind.
G7 nations also agreed to work to increase the quantity of finance for climate action in order to meet the $100bn per annum target to support developing countries.
Ahead of his visit, Sharma said last week, the G7 made history with a major step towards consigning coal to history and moving to a decarbonised power system but tackling the climate crisis must be a global effort, which leaves no one behind.
Read:Bloomberg writer pours his heart out while praising Bangladesh’s progress
"COP26 is our best chance of safeguarding our planet for our children, building a brighter future with greener jobs and cleaner air, and keeping the 1.5C target alive," he said.
Global Covid cases top 171 million
Notwithstanding a drop in the number of fresh cases in several countries, the global Covid-19 tally topped 171 million on Wednesday.
The global caseload and fatalities currently stand at 171,034,625 and 3,557,281, respectively, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Some 1,931,508,270 doses of vaccine have been administered globally to date, as per the university data.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 33,287,110 cases and 595,207 deaths, Johns Hopkins figures reveal.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 28,175,044 on Tuesday, with 127,510 new cases reported in 24 hours, said the federal Health Ministry.
The daily spike of new cases in India has been falling over the past couple of weeks. The cases registered in a day have fallen to the lowest level in nearly two months.
Besides, 2,795 deaths were reported since Sunday morning, taking the death toll to 331,895, according to the Ministry.
Brazil on Tuesday reported 2,408 more deaths from Covid-19, taking the nationwide tally to 465,199, the Ministry of Health said.
Also read: Global Covid cases approach 148 million
A total of 78,926 new infections have been detected in the country to date, raising the caseload to 16,624,480, the ministry said.
Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid-19 death toll after the United States, and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
Situation in Bangladesh
Amid a growing trend in both coronavirus infections and fatalities, Bangladesh on Tuesday logged 41 more deaths, pushing up the fatality toll to 12,660.
Besides, health authorities detected 1,765 new cases after testing 18,250 samples during the period.
With the new cases, the total caseload has risen to 8,02,305, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Also read: Bangladesh sees rise in Covid infections; 41 more die
Vaccine procurement
The first batch of 1.06 lakh doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Dhaka on Monday night under the global vaccine initiative Covax.
On May 27, the Directorate General of Drug Administration approved the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine.
So far, four vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sputnik-V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer-BioNTech – have got emergency use authorisation in Bangladesh.
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on May 27 gave the final approval to a proposal of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinofarm Covid-19 vaccine.
As per the approval, the Health Services Division under the Health and Family Welfare Ministry will procure a total of 15 million (1.5 crore) vaccine doses in three months—June, July and August.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses acquired from India's Serum Institute.
The administration of the first dose of the vaccine has, however, remained suspended since April 26.
Also, the country, the prime recipient of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in arrival of shipments from India.
UK reports zero Covid deaths for the first time since start of pandemic
The UK has announced zero daily Covid deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the first time since March 2020.
The latest figures also reported another 3,165 new cases, compared with 3,383 on Monday and 2,493 one week ago.
It comes amid concern over a recent small rise in cases linked to the variant first identified in India, reports the BBC.
Reports of daily deaths are often lower at weekends and at the start of the week.
This is because less counting takes place while statisticians are off - and adding in the bank holiday weekend will make this figure less certain still.
READ: Covid: WHO renames UK and other variants with Greek letters
Any deaths that happen on Tuesday will be reported in days to come.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the whole country would be "so glad" to hear the news.
He added: "The vaccines are clearly working - protecting you, those around you and your loved ones. But despite this undoubtedly good news we know we haven't beaten this virus yet, and with cases continuing to rise please remember hands, face, space and let in fresh air when indoors, and of course, make sure when you can you get both jabs."
The BBC reported it would be a "blessed relief" for the UK government to announce no deaths in their daily figures for the first time since the pandemic got going.
Today's figures indicate what was happening with infections a month ago and, right now, it looks like the virus is on the rise again from its current low base.
And the daily count isn't a perfect picture: some people who died over the bank holiday may have their passing reported on Wednesday.
In fact, according to the UK's current definition, deaths within four weeks of a positive test, there was a day with no reportable deaths last summer - on 30 July. But Boris Johnson's government did announce some deaths on that day as they were using a different definition at the time.
The pandemic is far from over, but this is a unique day in its history to date.
The UK's daily death rate, the number of people being admitted to hospital and those catching the virus have fallen from a peak reached in January.
This comes against the backdrop of the increasing numbers of people receiving the first or second dose of a vaccine. More than a third of the adult population have now received both doses.
The latest figures show 25,734,719 people in the UK have had two jabs, while 39,477,158 - some 74.9% of the adult population - have received a first dose.
READ: Vietnam finds new virus variant, hybrid of India, UK strains
However, the success of the UK's vaccination programme does not mean that the battle with Covid is over, a scientist advising the government told the BBC. Prof Adam Finn said the country remained 'vulnerable' as there were still large numbers of unvaccinated people.
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad discusses media freedom
The national committee for prevention of violence against women-girls and social injustice at Bangladesh Mahila Parishad arranged an online discussion Tuesday on Constitution, Freedom of Media and Persecution of Journalist Rozina Islam. Chairperson of the national committee Barrister M. Amir-ul Islam moderated the meeting in presence of experts, advocates and the organization members.
A written statement was presented by Adv. Masuda Rehana Begum, member of the national committee and Co-General Secretary of the Central Committee of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. Citing the constitution, she said that the state must ensure an environment for the media and journalists to perform their duties independently and fearlessly.
READ: Sept sees highest rape incidents since 2010: Mahila Parishad Initiatives will be taken to repeal various sections of the law which are considered to be against the existing civil rights to ensure media freedom and protection of journalists through laws, she added.
Speakers at the meeting praised journalist Rozina Islam for her objective reports and fearless activities seeking truth.
Expressing disappointment at the recent incident, they said it was shocking that Rozina did not get any reward from the government for her fearless reporting, and rather got harassed.
Human rights activist Adv. Sultana Kamal said the people own this country. They have the right to live a corruption free life. Harassment of a journalist is not acceptable in any way. The social justice enshrined in the constitution must be ensured.
READ: Bangladesh Mahila Parishad president Ayesha Khanam dies
Farida Yasmin, president of the National Press Club, said journalists are being harassed in the name of searching allegedly stolen information.
Journalists must be protected by law. Without freedom of the press, democracy and the state cannot move forward, she said.
UNHCR seeks vaccinations for refugees in Asia, including Rohingyas
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has sought stronger global support for refugee vaccinations in Asia, including Rohingyas who are living in Bangladesh.
In Cox’s Bazar, where almost 900,000 Rohingyas are living in the single largest and most densely populated cluster of refugee camps in the world, the number of cases has increased considerably in the last two months, said the UN agency.
As of May 31, there have been over 1,188 cases confirmed among the refugee population, with more than half of these cases recorded in May alone, UNHCR said.
“Some refugees, including in Nepal, have already received their first vaccine dose with COVAX-provided supplies. Among the Rohingya refugees in the camps in Bangladesh, not a single vaccine has been administered yet given the scarcity of supplies in the country,” said UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic in a regular briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
READ: UNHCR seeks adequate medical assistance for Rohingyas affected in Bhasan Char
The current delays in vaccine shipments, brought about by limited supplies to COVAX, mean that some of the world’s most vulnerable people remain susceptible to the virus, said the spokesperson.
With COVID-19 raging in many parts of the world, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning about shortages of vaccines in the Asia-Pacific region, including for refugees and asylum-seekers.
"We urge immediate and stronger support for the COVAX initiative, a worldwide effort aimed at achieving equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. This is critical to save lives and curb the impact of the virus, particularly in developing nations.
These countries host the vast majority of more than 80 million forcibly displaced people in the world. Yet so far, they have benefited from only a fraction of the world’s COVID-19 vaccines," said the UNHCR spokesperson.
UNHCR stressed that no one can be left behind in the global effort against the coronavirus.
The pandemic will be defeated only when vaccinations become available everywhere on an equitable basis, it said.
"We are particularly worried about the situation in the Asia and Pacific region, which in the past two months has experienced the largest increase in the number of cases globally. Over this period, there have been some 38 million recorded COVID-19 cases and more than half a million deaths," said the UNHCR spokesperson.
READ: UNHCR's joint response plan to be launched Tuesday
The fragile health systems in many countries in this region have struggled to cope with this recent surge.
The lack of hospital beds, oxygen supplies, limited intensive care unit (ICU) capacities and scarce health facilities and services have worsened outcomes for those infected with COVID-19, particularly in India and Nepal.
The highly infectious variant of the virus which first emerged in India threatens to rapidly spread in the sub-region, including among refugee populations.
"Refugees remain especially vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. Overcrowded settings, coupled with limited water and sanitation facilities, can contribute to increased infection rates and an exponential spread of the virus," said the UNHCR spokesperson.
UNHCR said it is adding its voice to the calls for countries with surplus doses to donate to COVAX, and for manufacturers to boost supplies to the COVAX facility.
UNHCR’s total financial requirements for COVID include $455m in supplementary needs and $469m in COVID-related activities that are included in its regular budget.
To date, including projected contributions, UNHCR has received $252.8m or 27% of these requirements.
WHO validates Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.
The vaccine is produced by the Beijing-based pharmaceutical company Sinovac.
“The world desperately needs multiple COVID-19 vaccines to address the huge access inequity across the globe,” said Dr Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Health Products. “We urge manufacturers to participate in the COVAX Facility, share their knowhow and data and contribute to bringing the pandemic under control.”
WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a prerequisite for COVAX Facility vaccine supply and international procurement.
It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
The EUL assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as risk management plans and programmatic suitability, such as cold chain requirements.
The assessment is performed by the product evaluation group, composed by regulatory experts from around the world and a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), in charge of performing the risk-benefit assessment for an independent recommendation on whether a vaccine can be listed for emergency use and, if so, under which conditions.
In the case of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine, the WHO assessment included on-site inspections of the production facility.
The Sinovac-CoronaVac product is an inactivated vaccine. Its easy storage requirements make it very manageable and particularly suitable for low-resource settings.
WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has also completed its review of the vaccine. On the basis of available evidence, WHO recommends the vaccine for use in adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of two to four weeks.
Vaccine efficacy results showed that the vaccine prevented symptomatic disease in 51% of those vaccinated and prevented severe COVID-19 and hospitalization in 100% of the studied population.
Few older adults (over 60 years) were enrolled in clinical trials, so efficacy could not be estimated in this age group.
Nevertheless, WHO is not recommending an upper age limit for the vaccine because data collected during subsequent use in multiple countries and supportive immunogenicity data suggest the vaccine is likely to have a protective effect in older persons.
There is no reason to believe that the vaccine has a different safety profile in older and younger populations.
WHO recommends that countries using the vaccine in older age groups conduct safety and effectiveness monitoring to verify the expected impact and contribute to making the recommendation more robust for all countries.
READ: Panel suggests WHO should have more power to stop pandemics
WHO emergency use listing
The emergency use listing (EUL) procedure assesses the suitability of novel health products during public health emergencies.
The objective is to make medicines, vaccines and diagnostics available as rapidly as possible to address the emergency, while adhering to stringent criteria of safety, efficacy and quality.
The assessment weighs the threat posed by the emergency as well as the benefit that would accrue from the use of the product against any potential risks.
The EUL pathway involves a rigorous assessment of late phase II and phase III clinical trial data as well as substantial additional data on safety, efficacy, quality and a risk management plan with a focus on low- and middle-income country needs.
These data are reviewed by independent experts and WHO teams who consider the current body of evidence on the vaccine under consideration, the plans for monitoring its use, and plans for further studies.
As part of the EUL process, the company producing the vaccine must commit to continue to generate data to enable full licensure and WHO prequalification of the vaccine.
The WHO prequalification process will assess additional clinical data generated from vaccine trials and deployment on a rolling basis to ensure the vaccine meets the necessary standards of quality, safety and efficacy for broader availability.
READ: German minister laments choice of Syria for WHO board seat
WHO has already listed the Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India, Astra Zeneca EU, Janssen, Moderna and Sinopharm vaccines for emergency use.