India
Momen mourns loss of lives in Maharashtra landslides
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has expressed deep shock over the loss of lives in landslides triggered by monsoon rain floods in Indian State of Maharashtra.
In a message sent to External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Momen said Bangladesh stands ready at this difficult time to extend support in every possible way as and when required.
Read: Floods & landslides in India kill over 100
He said, in light of increased scourges of climate change, Bangladesh and India need to work together to manage and cope with the post disaster impacts.
Dr Momen mentioned that Bangladesh and India signed an MoU on cooperation for disaster management during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2021 to attend the celebrations of Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of Independence of Bangladesh.
Read:Momen mourns loss of lives in deadly floods in Germany
Foreign Minister Momen prayed for the eternal peace of the deceased souls, speedy recovery of the injured persons as well as for the bereaved and affected families so that they have the strength to bear the irreparable loss.
Global Covid cases near 194 million
The global Covid-19 caseload is inching closer to the 194-million mark, as the second wave of the pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world even amid the mass inoculations efforts.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 193,639,328 and 4,151,435, respectively, as of Sunday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Read:Countries have responsibility to help scientists find Covid origin: WHO
So far, 3,815,101,425 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 34,427,939 cases. Besides, 610,834 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil registered 1,108 more Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 549,448, the Ministry of Health reported on Saturday.
Additionally, another 38,091 new cases were reported in the same 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 19,670,534.
Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
Read: Global Covid fatalities up one-third over past week
The third worst-hit country, India's COVID-19 tally rose to 31,332,159 on Saturday as 39,097 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 546 deaths due to the pandemic since Friday morning took the death toll to 420,016.
Situation in Bangladesh
Although the country saw well below 200 fatalities for three consecutive days as of Friday, it came close to the grim landmark again as 195 people died of Covid-19 in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
Bangladesh recorded 6,780 new cases of infections during the period after testing 20,827 samples.
With Covid's Delta variant spreading fast, the country's fatalities had been hovering at nearly 200 for the last two weeks. It reported the highest daily Covid-19 fatality number – 231 – on July 19 and 13,768 infections on the 12th of the month.
Read:Bangladesh to go for Covid vaccine coproduction soon: FM
There have been 1,153,344 infections and 19,046 coronavirus deaths here since the pandemic started, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Meanwhile, the daily test positivity rate increased to 32.55 % from Friday's 31.05%, when the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
The death rate increased to 1.65% after remaining static at 1.64%for some days.
Linde Bangladesh to continue medical oxygen import from India
Linde Bangladesh has said it will continue the import of medical oxygen by train to supplement its local supply with active assistance from Linde India, the governments of India and Bangladesh.
This is one of several initiatives that Linde Bangladesh has embarked on to help support the fight against the current Covid-19 crisis, including the Medical Oxygen Booths inaugurated at Khulna Medical College Hospital earlier this week, it said.
Read:Oxygen imported by pvt sector 'ready for unloading' in Benapole
A spokesperson from Linde Bangladesh said the Oxygen Express was an initiative that Linde India worked on with the government of India, and “we’re glad to be able to adopt it for the growing crisis in Bangladesh as well.
The medical oxygen supply was sourced from Linde India plants in India and will be distributed to the Covid-19 dedicated hospitals nationwide.”
Read:India working to resume vaccine export to Bangladesh, reiterates Doraiswami
To meet the growing demand of medical oxygen in Bangladesh due to the rising Covid-19 cases, Linde Bangladesh on Saturday imported 200 MT of medical oxygen by train from India.
This first-of-its-kind initiative saw 10 ISO tankers being transported on the Oxygen Express from Jamshedpur, India and arrived at Bangabandhu West railway station via Benapole.
Linde Bangladesh Limited is a member of The Linde PLc that has been present in Bangladesh since the 1950s.
Read: “Green Corridor” for oxygen tankers at ICP Petrapole
A pioneer multinational company in the gases business, Linde Bangladesh has operations in Rupganj, Shitalpur and Khulna.
With close to 20 sales centers spread throughout the country, Linde Bangladesh serves over 35,000 customers from a wide array of industries - from hospitals to fabrication and from steel to food packaging and beverages.
Bangladesh to receive 250 ventilators from India tonight
Bangladesh will receive 250 ventilators coming from New Delhi tonight (Saturday night) amid increased hospitalization of Covid-19 patients across the country.Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will receive the ventilators at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8.30 pm.
Also read: India's Oxygen Express is coming to BangladeshHealth Services Division Secretary Lokman Hossain Miah and personal physician of the Prime Minister Prof Dr ABM Abdullah will be present.
India's Oxygen Express arrives in Bangladesh
Indian Railways' Oxygen Express entered Bangladesh with 200 MT of liquid medical oxygen on Saturday night as the country’s Covid-19 daily-death toll remained close to 200.
Set out from Jamshedpur-Tatanagar in India’s Jharkhand state at 10 am, the train reached Bangladesh through Benapole around 10 pm on Saturday, sources at Bangladesh Railway told UNB.
The train is carrying 10 containers of liquid oxygen and those will be unloaded after it reaches the west side of Bangabandhu Railway bridge on Sunday.
Indian Railways' Oxygen Express has embarked on its first overseas journey to transport 200 MT of liquid medical oxygen to Bangladesh as the Covid-19 situation keeps worsening in the country with increased hospitalization.
Also read: “Green Corridor” for oxygen tankers at ICP Petrapole
Floods & landslides in India kill over 100
More than 100 people have died in landslides and floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the western Indian state of Maharashtra over the last two days, officials said on Saturday.
Maharashtra is experiencing the heaviest July rains in four decades. Raigad district, some 70 kms from state capital Mumbai, is the worst hit.
Of the over 100 deaths, some 36 occurred in three landslides in Raigad district alone on Thursday, where several houses were swept away by the floodwaters rendering hundreds homeless.
"While 32 people died in Taliye village, four people were killed in Mahad city. Rescue operations are still on," Raigad district collector Nidhi Chaudhary told the media.
In the neighbouring rain-hit Satara district, some 27 bodies have been recovered in the past 24 hours.
READ: Momen mourns loss of lives in deadly floods in Germany
"The Indian Army has been called out to assist in rescue operations and military choppers have been pressed into action to ferry the stranded to safer locations," said Satara's police chief Ajay Kumar Bansal.
Local TV channels reported that over 84,000 people, including 40,000 in Kolhapur district, have been shifted to safer places.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took to Twitter to offer condolences to the families of the deceased. "Anguished by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Raigad, Maharashtra. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery."
"The situation in Maharashtra due to heavy rains is being closely monitored and assistance is being provided to the affected," the PM added.
Barely a week back, some 30 people were killed in house collapses triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Mumbai. The deaths occurred in the hilly Chembur area, a suburb, and neighbouring Vikhroli area.
READ: China blasts dam to divert floods that killed at least 25
The Indian PM then announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
Building collapses are common in India, particularly during the monsoon months of June, July and August. Poor construction quality is often blamed for such collapses.
India working to resume vaccine export to Bangladesh, reiterates Doraiswami
India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, is working to resume the export of Covid vaccine jabs to Bangladesh as vaccine production in India is growing rapidly.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami reiterated this at Akhaura International Checkpost on his way back to Bangladesh from India on Friday morning.
Read:India trying to send vaccine jabs to Bangladesh soon: Doraiswami
The envoy said India is working to resume the vaccine supply to Bangladesh and the increased production of Covid vaccine is a positive sign.
"Hopefully, we’ll be able to send vaccine jabs to Bangladesh if vaccine production increases further. But I can't give any specific date in this regard," he told local journalists.
He said the trade volume between the two countries has increased despite the pandemic. "If our communication systems remain suitable, then we’ll be able to continue trading amid this pandemic."
Read:Doraiswami keen to push Covaxin as Covishield exports disrupted
Doraiswami also said India will be happy it can cooperate more with Bangladesh in their fight against Covid-19.
Akhaura Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rumana Akhter, officer-in-charge of Akhaura Police Station Md Mizanur Rahman and Immigration Police In-Charge Md Abdul Hamid others were present.
On July 18, the envoy went to New Delhi though Akhaura land port to discuss how India can expedite the supply of the remaining doses of Covishield jabs produced by Serum Institute of India.
Read:Greater trade, connectivity hold brighter future for Dhaka-Delhi ties: Doraiswami
Bangladesh was scheduled to get three crore doses of vaccines from India under a tripartite agreement signed last year. But New Delhi halted the export after sending only 75 lakh doses in March citing high domestic demand.
India's first food delivery unicorn fires up start-up ecosystem
Food delivery giant Zomato on Friday became India's first new-age technology unicorn to list on the country's bourses, scripting a stellar debut that could soon lure similar internet-based consumer start-ups to go public.
The company, backed by Jack Ma's Ant Group, in fact, rode on the Covid outbreak that has prompted a trend of people moving to order food items online the world over. Such was the fantabulous listing -- true to hype -- that Zomato's market capitalization breached 12 billion US dollar mark in the first hour itself, making it one of the 50 most valuable traded firms.
Read: India successfully test-fires home-grown anti-tank missile
The listing price was Rs 115 and Rs 116 on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange (NSE), respectively, as against the offer price of Rs 76. NSE's flagship NIFTY 50 index is used by domestic and global investors as a barometer of the Indian capital market as well as the economy.
'Future exciting, but a long way to go'
"The future looks exciting. I don’t know whether we will succeed or fail -- we will surely, like always, give it our best," Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal tweeted.
In a letter to the company's shareholders, tagged on the micro-blogging site, Goyal also hailed its business rival -- Japan's SoftBank-funded Swiggy -- but said that both the food delivery companies "have a long way to go before we can call ourselves world class by our customers’ standards".
"India is a tough market to operate in, but if you are building to succeed in India, you are already exceptional. I say that because I believe Zomato and Swiggy are two of the best food delivery apps in the world today. We have a long way to go before we can call ourselves world class by our customers’ standards, but we are determined to get there.
"We have lived through many ups and downs -- something not every company has the privilege of living long enough to do. I have made many decisions which have been good for the company, while some have caused our stakeholders a lot of heartburn...
"We are going to relentlessly focus on 10 years out and beyond, and are not going to alter our course for short-term profits at the cost of long-term success. The tremendous response to our IPO gives us the confidence that the world is full of investors who appreciate the magnitude of investments we are making...," he wrote.
Read: 25 die as heavy rains batter India's Mumbai
Decoding Zomato
Founded as Foodiebay in 2008 by Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, both technology graduates, and rechristened Zomato two years later, the food delivery firm's technology platform connects customers, restaurant partners and delivery partners, serving their multiple needs.The service is currently available in almost all major Indian cities and in several countries.
The company's customers use the Zomato platform to search and discover restaurants, read and write customer generated reviews and view and upload photos, order food delivery, book a table and make payments while dining out.
Benapole: BGB on high alert to prevent rawhide smuggling
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) was on Thursday put on high alert to prevent rawhide smuggling, a day after Eid-ul-Azha, a holy festival during which Muslims sacrifice animals.
BGB Commander (49th Battalion) Lt Colonel Selim Reza told UNB that the force has intensified patrolling along the Benapole border.
Read: Govt fixes rawhide prices ahead of Eid-ul-Azha
Sources said the BGB has stepped up vigil not only in Benapole, but also in Gatipara, Bara Achra, Sadipur, Raghunathpur, Ghiba, Dhanyakhola, Putkhali and Goga, Kayba, Agrabhulot, Rudrapur, Kashipur, Shikarpur, Shalkona and Shahjatpur areas.
The seasonal smugglers have stockpiled rawhide after purchasing the same at a high price.
According to traders, the quality of Bangladeshi rawhide is better than that of India and that’s why there is a demand for the Bangladeshi product in the neighbouring country.
In different areas of Sharsha upazila, five mounds of cow hides are being sold at Tk 300-400 and 10 mounds of cow hides at Tk 600. On the other hand, in West Bengal state of India, sacrificial cow hides weighing five mounds are being sold for Rs 400-600 and those weighing 10 mounds are being sold for Rs 800-1,000.
Read:Export rawhides to ensure fair prices: GM Quader
Lt Colonel Selim said the law enforcement agencies are working to prevent smuggling of goods, including rawhide.
This year, the government has fixed raw cow hide prices at Tk 40-45 per sq ft in the capital and Tk 33-37 outside Dhaka.
India successfully test-fires home-grown anti-tank missile
India Wednesday successfully test-fired its home-grown man-portable anti-tank guided missile.
The state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out the flight test of the state-of-the-art, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile slated for induction into the Indian Army.
Read:India successfully test-fires night trial of surface-to-surface medium
"In a major boost to #AtmaNirbharBharat and strengthening Indian Army, Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully flight tested indigenously developed low weight, fire and forget Man Portable Antitank Guided Missile (MPATGM) today," the DRDO tweeted.
The low-weight missile was launched from a man-portable launcher and it successfully hit a dummy tank, decimating it completely, according to the DRDO. "All the mission objectives were met. The test has validated the minimum range successfully,” it said.
In October last year, the DRDO successfully completed the final trial of India's Nag anti-tank missile using a live warhead on a dud tank at Pokhran army ranges in the western state of Rajasthan.