UK
Leaked docs suggest US, UK oil and gas field contractors made profits in Myanmar after coup: Guardian report
According to tax records obtained by The Guardian, in the two years following a ruthless junta’s takeover of Myanmar, some of the largest oil and gas service companies in the world have continued to profit handsomely from projects that have supported the military government.
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on Myanmar said that since the military took over in February 2021, it is “committing war crimes and crimes against humanity daily.”
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 2,940 individuals have been slain, including children, pro-democracy activists, and other civilians, The Guardian report adds.
In the midst of this unrest, it appears that US, UK, and Irish oil and gas field contractors – who offer vital drilling and other services to Myanmar’s gas field operators – continued to make millions of dollars in profit in the nation after the coup. This information comes from leaked Myanmar tax records and other reports.
Investigative journalism organization Finance Uncovered, The Guardian, and the Myanmar advocacy group Justice for Myanmar all conducted analyses of the records after they were obtained by the transparency non-profit Distributed Denial of Secrets.
The documents indicate that, in some cases, the subsidiaries of major US gas field service companies continued to operate in Myanmar despite the US State Department’s warning that there were significant risks associated with doing business there in January of last year. This included working with state-owned companies that financially support the junta, like the national oil and gas company Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).
Read More: International community urged to support all efforts to hold Myanmar military responsible for HR violations, abuses
More Myanmar-related sanctions were issued by the US, UK, Australia, and Canada on Tuesday, including those affecting the managing director and deputy managing director of MOGE. However, they refrained from sanctioning MOGE specifically.
In view of the “intensifying human rights violations in Myanmar” and the “substantial resources” MOGE offers the junta, the European Union was the first region to issue penalties against MOGE itself in February.
European businesses are unable to participate in oil and gas field development projects in Myanmar due to EU sanctions. However, such regulations have not yet been implemented by the US or the UK, and such work, which may involve transactions with MOGE directly or indirectly, is not forbidden, The Guardian reports.
According to The Guardian, tax documents that were leaked reveal:
-- The Singapore-based company of US oil services firm Halliburton, Myanmar Energy Services, recorded pre-tax earnings of $6.3 million in Myanmar for the year ending in September 2021, which included eight months when the junta was in power.
-- In the six months leading up to March 2022, Baker Hughes, an oil services business with headquarters in Houston, recorded pre-tax profits of $2.64 million in Myanmar.
-- In the fiscal year that ended in September 2021, the US company Diamond Offshore Drilling recorded $37 million in fees, followed by another $24.2 million from October 2021 to March 2022.
The involvement of western gas field contractors in Myanmar's gas and oil business after the coup, according to activists, renders them complicit in the junta's aggressive campaign.
Both US-based Chevron and France’s Total, which have long been criticized for running gas projects there, announced last January that they were leaving Myanmar.
The US has imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s state-owned gems, pearl, and timber sectors, but Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, a key in the junta’s main source of foreign income, is still unaffected, according to The Guardian report.
Bangladesh makes huge progress in last 20 years: UK
British High Commission Dhaka’s Development Director Matt Cannell has said the government of Bangladesh has made huge development over the last twenty years.
“The UK has a strong and vibrant partnership with the government of Bangladesh in a range of areas, including diplomacy, trade and development,” Cannell said.
He said they are increasing their work to help end preventable deaths of mothers and newborn children in 11 countries around the world, including here in Bangladesh.
“I would like to particularly applaud the work of newly trained midwives in improving maternal and newborn health care,” Cannell said.
Head of Human Development Department of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK Chris Carter said Bangladesh is rightly applauded for its family planning and immunization programmes, and the government’s commitment to driving down maternal and child deaths, such as the Bangladesh Every Newborn Action Plan.
“We hope to do more to help build on these efforts. It has been incredible to see the beginning of another Bangladesh success story to develop a new icddr.b alternative formula for Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF),” Carter said.
The British High Commission Dhaka recently co-hosted a roundtable with the government of Bangladesh and other development partners to discuss how to step up efforts to end preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children in Bangladesh.
Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof. Dr. Abul Bashar Mohammed Khurshid Alam attended the roundtable as the chief guest.
Chris Carter set out how the UK plans to work closely with the government and partners to sustain and build on Bangladesh’s progress on ending preventable deaths.
This includes working on quality, affordable health services and also addressing underlying issues, such as poor nutrition.
The roundtable included an initial consultation about how to tackle the remaining issues that cause preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children in Bangladesh.
This will help to inform the UK’s approach and identify areas where the UK, the government of Bangladesh and other partners can intensify their collaboration, said the British High Commission in Dhaka on Sunday.
UK announces additional support for flood-affected communities in Bangladesh
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £500,000 (Tk 60.6 million) in humanitarian support in response to last year’s flood in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh, in which 7.2 million people were affected.
Delivered by BRAC, this funding will provide water, shelter, livelihood opportunities, and improved nutrition for people affected in Sunamganj, Sylhet.
UK Development Director in Bangladesh, Matt Cannell, said last year’s devastating floods in the Sylhet region underline that Bangladesh remains vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Also read: Flood situation worsens in parts of Sylhet
“This new funding provides vital water, nutrition, shelter and livelihood opportunities to some of the worst affected communities in Sunamganj, Sylhet. The UK is proud to partner with BRAC to deliver this support,” he said.
This new UK support will ensure safe water and shelter for nearly 1,000 affected households and restore livelihoods and food security for more than 5,000 affected households.
BRAC Executive Director, Asif Saleh, said the floods in northeastern Bangladesh, which affected over 7.2 million people in June 2022, were the worst to hit Bangladesh in the last two decades.
Read More: UK to strengthen trade, investment, digital economy ties with Bangladesh: Indo-Pacific Minister
“They left a trail of destruction in nine districts, with Sunamganj being the worst affected. Significant efforts were undertaken to provide emergency response to meet immediate needs, but sustained humanitarian support is direly needed to help people recover and rebuild their lives. This partnership between the British High Commission and BRAC will be crucial in standing beside the people in Sunamganj and being a partner in their journey to build back better,” he said.
UK saw hottest-ever year in 2022 as Europe's climate warms
Britain had its warmest year on record in 2022, official figures showed Thursday, the latest evidence that climate change is transforming Europe’s weather.
The Met Office weather agency said the provisional annual average temperature in the U.K. was 10.03 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit), the highest since comparable records began in 1884. The previous record was 9.88 Celsius (49.8 Fahrenheit) set in 2014.
Met Office scientists said human activity — primarily fossil fuel emissions — has made such warm conditions vastly more likely. Britain's 10 hottest years on record have all been since 2003.
“The results showed that recording 10C in a natural climate would occur around once every 500 years, whereas in our current climate it could be as frequently as once every three to four years,” said Met Office climate attribution scientist Nikos Christidis.
Britain is not alone. France’s average temperature was above 14 Celsius (57.2 Fahrenheit) in 2022, making it the hottest year since weather readings began in 1900. Switzerland's meteorological service said the alpine nation's annual average temperature of 7.4 Celsius (45,3 Fahrenheit) was “by far the highest value since measurements began in 1864.”
Spain also had its hottest year since records started in 1961, according to the national weather agency Aemet, with an average daily temperature of 15.4 Celsius (59.7 Fahrenheit). It said the four hottest years on record for the southern European country have all come since 2015.
Read more: Dangerous heat predicted to hit 3 times more often in future
Last year saw summer drought and heat waves across much of Europe, with the temperature in Britain rising above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the first time on record. Norway’s Svalbard islands in the Arctic had their warmest summer in more than a century of record-keeping. The archipelago’s average temperature for June, July and August was 7.4 Celsius (45.3 Fahrenheit), the Norwegian Meteorological Institute said.
Autumn brought more heavy rain in parts of Europe, including the mountainous Italian island of Ischia, where downpours in November triggered a massive landslide that pushed cars and buildings into the sea and killed at least a dozen people.
Unlike the U.S. and Canada, which have been hit by bitter cold and snowstorms, much of Europe is experiencing unseasonably warm winter weather.
In Germany, the year ended with the warmest New Year’s Eve on record, with temperatures reaching 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) in the south of the country. Belarus, Belgium, Czechia, Latvia, Poland and the Netherlands all set national record daily highs for Dec. 31 or Jan. 1.
As 2023 begins, many low and medium-altitude ski resorts in the Alps, the Pyrenees and other European ranges are suffering from a lack of snow.
Read more: Weather, climate disasters hit millions, cost billions in 2022: UN
In Bosnia, spring-like weather has foiled even artificial snow — either it’s too warm to make it, or it melts soon after being spat out onto the slopes. Along the slopes in Bjelasnica near Sarajevo on Wednesday, snow accumulation amounted to little more than several white patches on an otherwise grassy landscape of brown and green.
UK 'greatly values' opportunity to discuss full range of bilateral, political issues with Bangladesh
As a close and longstanding partner of Bangladesh, the UK has said it greatly values the opportunity to discuss the full range of bilateral and political issues.
The visiting delegation of the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group discussed issues of mutual interests, including Bangladesh's development trajectory, prosperity and trade, and prospects for democratic governance, including human rights and international election observation.
Read more: Hasina for changing traditional lens of Bangladesh-UK relations
The delegation of both governing Conservative and opposition Labour MPs participated in exchanges with Bangladesh's political leadership, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
At the National Martyrs' Memorial, the All-Party Parliamentary Group paid respects to the sacrifices of Bangladeshi people during the 1971 Liberation War.
Read more: Bangladesh, UK keen to strengthen collaboration between 2 parliaments
Nagad wins UK-based Global Brand Award 2022
Nagad, a mobile financial service provider of Bangladesh Postal Department, has been named the “Best Innovative Digital Financial Service Brand” at the 10th Global Brand Awards 2022 held recently in Dubai.
Tanvir A Mishuk, founder and managing director of Nagad, has bagged the “Fintech Personality of the Year 2022” award, says a press release on Wednesday.
Read more: Nagad declares charge-free services for police
Every year, the UK-based Global Brands Magazine recognises and rewards top companies across the globe for their exceptional performances in different fields, such as economy, education, lifestyle, innovation, technology, and real estate.
Nagad’s success demonstrates its commitment to innovations and to offer products and services tailored to customer needs, said the release.
Nagad has become one of the top mobile money operators in Bangladesh only in three and half years, thanks to its enviable success in bringing unbanked people into the fold of financial inclusion at a faster pace through its customer-friendly, easy and affordable services, it said.
The company has revolutionised the country’s MFS industry, especially by innovating the digital Know Your Customer (KYC) and so far, onboarded more than 6.5 crore customers.
Read more: Nagad offers up to Tk200 bonus on 'add money' from Mastercard
The state-owned MFS provider is also playing a part in the country’s socioeconomic development as it disburses different safety allowances and education stipends at a nominal charge.
The award ceremony was held at the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai on 10 December. Faisal Chowdhury, one of the directors of Nagad, and Samia Sharmin, senior manager of Corporate Communications Department, received the awards on behalf of Nagad at the event.
Earlier, Nagad won the Best Innovation Digital Financial Service Award for the first e-KYC Innovation in Bangladesh, Inclusive Fintech Fifty Award, Best Digital Financial Service Provider Award, WITSA Global Excellence Award, Digital Bangladesh Award, E-Commerce Mover Award, Best Marketing Communication Award and more.
China removes 6 diplomats from UK after protester assaulted
China’s government has removed a Chinese consul general and five of his staff following the assault on a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester at the Chinese consulate in Manchester, Britain’s foreign secretary said Thursday.
James Cleverly said British police wanted to question the six officials over the assault on protester Bob Chan, who said masked men came out from the consulate building during a peaceful protest in October, dragged him into the consulate grounds and beat him up.
Police said officers at the scene had to intervene and remove Chan, who suffered injuries to his face and back.
Cleverly said Britain’s Foreign Office requested Beijing waive the diplomatic immunity of the six officials to allow police investigating the matter to question them.
“In response, the Chinese Embassy, acting on instructions from Beijing, notified His Majesty’s Government that the functions of the Consul General in Manchester have come to an end and he has returned to China,” Cleverly said. He added that the other staff have “either left the United Kingdom or will shortly do so.”
Chan welcomed Thursday’s development in a statement.
“It has been two months since I was attacked in Manchester by staff members of the Chinese Consulate,” he said. “What happened on 16 October 2022 was unacceptable and illegal, and the withdrawal of these Chinese diplomats gives me a sense of closure.”
Read more: India not a strategic rival or competitor for China: Ambassador Jiming
The incident, which was captured on video, had increased tensions between Britain and China. China’s foreign ministry maintained that Chan had illegally entered the consulate, and that Chinese diplomatic staff have the right to maintain security on their premises.
Hong Kong is a former British colony and Britain has offered residency to tens of thousands of the city's residents since a sweeping crackdown on civil and political rights there following a wave of anti-Beijing protests in 2019. China has declared a pledge it made to London to maintain those rights until 2047 — a document registered with the United Nations — to be null and void.
Last month, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that the U.K.’s “golden era” of ties with China was over in his first major speech on foreign policy, describing China’s growing authoritarianism as a “systemic challenge to our values and interests.” Some British politicians had called for the Chinese diplomats to be expelled following the incident.
In response to Britain's demands, the Chinese Embassy in the U.K. issued a statement denying all wrongdoing and saying Cleverly made “irresponsible comments by distorting facts.”
It repeated its contention that protesters “illegally intruded into the consulate premises and assaulted consulate officials, thus gravely undermining the safety and dignity of consulate officials.”
China has “launched solemn representations with the U.K.,” it said, implying that retaliatory action could follow.
Read more: A stunning pearl is rising from Bay of Bengal: Chinese Ambassador
“The U.K. side must be clear that reciprocity is an essential principle in diplomacy. Any act that undermines China’s interests will definitely be met with forceful responses,” it said.
UK to strengthen trade, investment, digital economy ties with Bangladesh: Indo-Pacific Minister
British Minister for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan has said the UK looks forward to continuing to strengthen their bilateral ties with Bangladesh through trade, investment, and people-to-people links.
The British Minister said this during a bilateral meeting with Private Industry and Investment Adviser to Prime Minister Salman F Rahman in London on Monday.
Praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s generous hosting of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh and sustained efforts to give a better life to the Rohingyas including providing them with education and livelihood, the British Minister reiterated UK’s continued commitment to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
The Minister also discussed creating future partnerships with Bangladesh in the climate and digital economy.
Read more: IFC giving $32.5 million to ensure food security in Bangladesh
Adviser Salman F Rahman briefed the British Indo-Pacific Minister on the leapfrogging of Bangladesh’s growth between 2009 and 2022 under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s pro-business trade and investment initiatives, including with the UK.
In response to a query from the British Minister regarding the strategy behind Bangladesh’s extraordinary growth over the past decade, Rahman said, “It was our Prime Minister’s drive to maximise power production for industry, empowering the women with education and employment, and attaining food security for our 165 million people.”
On an invitation from Adviser Rahman to visit Bangladesh, Minister Trevelyan expressed her interest to visit Bangladesh in February, 2023.
Read more: Envoy urges Bangladeshi businessmen to visit Romania to boost bilateral business ties
Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem was present during the meeting that took place on Monday at the office of the British Minister at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London.
FBCCI seeks partnership with UK in technology transfer, supply chain development
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) has sought a partnership with the UK in technology transfer and supply chain development to face the challenges of Bangladesh's LDC graduation and the fourth industrial revolution.
The leaders of the FBCCI made the call at the discussion "Bangladesh-UK Trade and Investment 2022" in London on Wednesday.
The government is doing everything to create new opportunities for businesses and investors, Jashim Uddin said.
Read: FBCCI partners with CNN to promote trade, investment opportunities in Bangladesh globally
But to face the challenges of Bangladesh's graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category and its integration into the fourth industrial revolution, the country urgently needs technology transfer and joint venture partnership in the global supply chain, he added.
Innovative knowledge should be applied in agricultural and industrial production and services sectors and the FBCCI wants a partnership with the UK in these areas, Jashim said.
"We are manufacturers of diversified pharmaceuticals products, leather goods, plastic, frozen seafood, ceramics, jute products, and home appliances," he added.
Read: FBCCI signs MoU with Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry
"The UK could invest in Bangladesh in energy, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, plastic and petrochemical, engineering, logistics sector, financial services, and support skills development programme for upgrading Bangladesh's middle managers and workers."
Also, the FBCCI president invited the UK government and business leaders to join the "Bangladesh Business Summit," which will showcase the competitiveness of Bangladesh in the above-mentioned areas.
Bangladeshi applicants for UK visa need to pay online from Nov 28
All applicants wishing to apply for a UK visa in Bangladesh must make payment online on the official UK government website prior to submitting their passports and biometrics at their designated Visa Application Centre from November 28.
“In line with Bangladesh’s impressive ongoing digitisation, now is the time to adopt a fully digital approach and streamline the visa payment process for all applicants,” said British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson on Sunday (November 20, 2022).
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will shortly move all visa application payments online, said the British High Commission in Dhaka.
Read more: Malta Work Permit Visa for Bangladeshi Citizens
Currently, customers have the choice to pay online or cash at the Visa Application Centre.
Dickson said the UK is a popular choice for those wishing to work, study or just visit.
In the year ending June 2022, he said, over 24,400 visas were issued to Bangladeshi nationals, an 84 percent increase on the previous year.
read more: MoU on ‘e-visa’ inked between Bangladesh-UAE
UKVI apologises to customers affected for any inconvenience caused and encourages all new applicants from Bangladesh to ensure they have the correct payment method available prior to beginning their UK visa application.