DHAKA, APR 3 – Bangladesh will impose a one-week nationwide lockdown starting Monday to stem the spread of COVID-19, said government officials.

“As the coronavirus situation is worsening to an alarming proportion, the government is going to enforce a nationwide lockdown from Monday,” Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader told the media on Saturday.

Underlining the rapid spread of the virus in the last couple of days, Quader added that the lockdown is a preliminary step and might be extended.

In the last 24 hours the South Asian country saw 58 deaths and 5,683 new cases, bringing the death toll to 9,213 while over 630,000 people have been infected.

Fighting off a third wave, the country has seen a rapid rise of COVID-19 deaths and infections over the last week, with an average death tally of nearly 50 per day and around 6,000 daily infections.

Under the lockdown, all types of public gatherings including shopping malls, restaurants, community centers, and other markets will remain closed.

Visits to all tourist zones including Cox’s Bazar beach will also be prohibited, and all hotels, motels, and other guesthouses will be restricted to tourists only.

Grocery stores, vegetable and fish markets, and pharmacies will remain open.

Mass transportation by land and water will also reportedly be suspended.

Bangladesh‘s first nationwide lockdown last March was extended several times, but was lifted in May, citing economic hardship.

Ukraine‘s armed forces on Saturday said joint military drills with NATO troops would begin in a few months’ time, a step that could stoke tensions with Moscow which has expressed its opposition to such a move.

NATO voiced concern on Thursday over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine after Russia warned that a serious escalation in the conflict in Ukraine‘s Donbass region could “destroy” Ukraine.

The Kremlin on Friday said that any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would lead to further tensions near Russia’s borders and force Moscow to take extra measures to ensure its own security.

Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed separatist forces in the eastern Donbass region in a conflict Kyiv estimates has killed 14,000 people since 2014.

The drills will involve more than 1,000 military personnel from at least 5 NATO member states and will be held in a few months, the Ukrainian armed forces said in a statement on Facebook on Saturday.

“In particular, defensive actions will be worked out, followed by an offensive in order to restore the state border and territorial integrity of a state that has been subjected to aggression by one of the hostile neighbouring countries,” the statement said.

It did not specify exactly when the drills would take place.

The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, expressed fears on Saturday that violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray region could spill over into neighbouring countries.

“This conflict threatens also to destabilise the whole Horn of Africa,” he wrote about the conflict-ridden region in a post.

Borrell added that he had asked Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto to travel to Ethiopia to reiterate the European Union’s concerns. An end to human rights abuses and the restoration of peace are the main priorities for Europe.

In addition to Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa includes the east African countries of Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea.

The situation in Tigray is increasingly deteriorating, Borrell said. There are reports of systematic rape and looting, as well as allegations that war crimes are being committed.

Ethiopia launched a military offensive on its northern region of Tigray in November to diminish the power of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the region and has been critical of the central government.

The government declared the conflict over in early December, although both the United Nations and United States say there continue to be reports of ongoing clashes among the parties.

The hostilities in northern Ethiopia soon escalated into a complex conflict involving neighbouring Eritrea.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already fled the fighting.

Normalisation with Israel would bring “tremendous benefit” to the region, the Saudi foreign minister has said, but such an accord with the kingdom would depend on progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Under the “Abraham Accords” brokered by former US president Donald Trump last year, four Arab countries — the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan — agreed to normalise ties with the Jewish state.

But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Thursday that any deal with Saudi Arabia was “very much dependent on progress with the peace process”.

“I think normalising Israel‘s status within the region would bring tremendous benefit to the region as a whole,” he said during an interview.

“It would be extremely helpful both economically but also socially and from a security perspective.”

Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia has repeatedly affirmed its decades-old policy of not establishing formal ties with Israel until a deal is reached to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians.

But mutual concern over Iran has gradually brought Israel and Gulf countries closer, and Riyadh has quietly been building relations with the Jewish state for several years.

Reports in November that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held secret talks in Saudi Arabia fuelled speculation that a normalisation accord with the Gulf’s top power could be in the making.

Riyadh, however, denied the meeting had taken place.

The Kremlin said on Friday that any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would lead to further tensions near Russia‘s borders and force Moscow to take extra measures to ensure its own security.

NATO voiced concern on Thursday over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine after Russia warned that a serious escalation in the conflict in Ukraine‘s Donbass region could “destroy” Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the situation at the contact line in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatist forces was quite frightening and that multiple “provocations” were taking place there.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Taran, and “condemned recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine,” the Pentagon said.

DNA

Islamabad – The expert speaking at an international webinar on Saturday termed the China-Iran 25-year long new cooperation framework a historic milestone to further strengthen the Chinese influence in the region and Middle East. It will not only extend the Chinese market for trade and economic growth but also be feared to disturb the balance of power in the MENA region. The $400 billion financial cooperation will help Iran to dilute its isolation and enhance trade ties with China and Middle East countries. At a time when Iran is struggling with the US sponsored restrictions and the devastating impact of Covid-19, this development is a welcome relief.

The panelists also questioned if this deal would lead to a win-win situation for all. Beijing has not only secured an alternative access to hydrocarbons but has also further strengthened its influence across the Indian Ocean. This deal might come as a surprise for many given the Indian investments in Iran. China has nurtured friendly bilateral relations with Iran over the decade and have signed over 17 agreements worth USD 18-20 billion and promised to increase trade relations between the two countries in the next 10 years to US$ 600 billion. This would be a bid dent to the US interests in the region.

Development Communications Network (DEvcom-Pakistan) organized the webinar on the theme “China-Iran new framework of cooperation – prospects for regional security and economic growth”. The panel of expert included former ISI chief and strategic analyst Lt General (Retd) Asad Durrani, Senior Research Fellow at the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs Dr. Dan Ge, CPEC Expert & CEO KPBOIT Hassan daud Butt, Research Fellow at the Tehran International Studies and Research Institute (TISRI) Dr. Ehsan Sadeghi, Research Fellow, East-West Institute (London) Dr. Najam Abbas, and Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed. Among others who spoke on the occasion included Dr. Azhar Aslam (London), Henry Tillman, Hussain Askary, Dr Khushboo Ejaz, Ambassador Rehmatullah Javed, Umar Khayyam, and Sarwat Kazmi.

Lt. General (Retd) Asad Durrani said the world is a chessboard where strategic moves keep on rolling for new alliances and partnerships based on the win-win strategies. The China-Iran cooperation agreement is one of the strategic moves that would have a significant impact in the region by curtailing the US influence and increasing Chinese trade and strategic collaboration in the region.

He said China was already buying oil from Iran and with the major collaboration that was in the process for a decade would bring about a significant change in the region. It would be a deep dent to the US-India common interests in the region, and may help Iran to bring the US back to the nuclear deal that the US had already opted out unilaterally.

Dr. Dan Ge termed the China-Iran deal an inevitable outcome of the decades old friendly ties between both countries. China cannot surrender to any pressures from any international player but keep pursuing its objectives consistently. Iran is an old friend that has been kept under pressure unnecessarily. China has been supporting Iran and will keep doing so. It is necessary for the regional economy and independent partnerships.    

Hassan Daud Butt said we live in interesting times where geopolitics, economic integration and technology are shaping the future. It is a time where both Iran and Pakistan are at the crossroads of their history where their population is growing and youth have many expectations for the future. In this crucial time Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) offers a ray of hope where both countries are strong partners and can learn from the Chinese poverty alleviation models that have 800 Million people have been taken out of poverty. I think if Iran and Pakistan can benefit from rail and maritime connectivity through Chabahar and Gwadar ports, both the countries can leverage from their strategic location and stamp their importance in the BRI framework and global economy.

Dr Ehsan Sadeghi said Signing of the Iran China Deal last Saturday is a turning point and a new chapter in relations between two countries after 50 year establishing relations between two countries. This deal is not an agreement but it is a roadmap for designing a better future for relations and communications between Iran and China. We are now witnessing the overlap of the key interests of both Iran and China in the face of international and regional developments, especially the importance of multilateralism between rising and nonwestern powers for solving international issues and problems.

Dr, Najam Abbas said Pakistan shall welcome the fact that China now considers cooperation with Iran as a substantive part of its BRI agenda. In future, Pakistan has much to gain if Iran could well serve as a crossroad of corridors providing logistical linkages for energy transportation, commerce, trade as well as tourism for its neighbours too. The 25-year cooperation plan reflects Beijing’s high level of involvement at a huge scale with increased investment and increased participation in promoting development of ports, trade-free zones and communication infrastructure which will help Iran in becoming a vital logistic links in the BRI landscape.   

British Parliament MP Naz Shah writes to British Foreign Minister, Pakistani ministers Asad Umar and Shireen Mazar also resent the move

Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The decision of the British government to put Pakistan in the Red List of travel ban countries has evoked ire of not only Pakistani people but British parliamentarians as well. Pakistani ministers Asad Umar and Shireen Mazar have termed the move very sad.

Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar his his Tweet said, every country has a right to take decisions to safeguard the health of their citizens. However, the recent decision by UK govt to add some countries including Pakistan on the red list raises a legitimate question whether choice of countries is based on science or foreign policy.

Federal Minister for Human Rights Shreen Mazar also agreed with Asad Umar and termed the decision unfortunate.

The Member of the British Parliament Naz Shah also wrote a letter to the British Foreign Minister in which she said the decision had greatly disturbed her and Pakistani Diaspora living in her constituency. 

Britain‘s medicines regulator said it has identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events associated with the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine but stressed the benefits “continue to outweigh any risks.”

After more than 18 million people have received vaccinations with AstraZeneca‘s jab, MHRA said seven people had died due to rare blood clots, although it was unclear whether these are a coincidence.

The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said the risk associated with this type of blood clot is “very small” and that the public should continue to take up the vaccine when offered it.

The agency said late Saturday the cases relate to the period up to March 24, during which 18.1 million doses of the vaccine had been administered and that it hadn’t received any similar reports with regard to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine prompted some countries including Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands to restrict its use to older people.

The World Health Organization has urged countries to continue using the jab.