Children are at extremely high risk of the impacts of the month-long heatwave in the country.   Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement on Wednesday (April 24). At the same time, he urged parents to take extra precautions to protect and keep their children safe from dehydration in the current situation. 'Now is the time to take urgent action to protect children from the ongoing heatwave, as well as the further impacts of climate change,' Sheldon Yett said in a statement.  UNICEF says children in Bangladesh are at 'extremely high risk' from the impacts of climate change. The extreme temperature poses a serious risk to children. Especially for newborns young children. Children are more susceptible to illnesses caused by high temperatures, such as heat stroke and dehydration diarrhoea. Heatwave has been sweeping across the country since the beginning of this month. Initially, there was a mild to moderate heat wave, but gradually it became severe to very severe. April is the hottest month of the year; However, this month is spreading much hotter than any other year. Public life is gasping for rain in unbearable heat.

The UN has warned that pregnant women and those who survived sexual assault could face healthcare challenges as gang attacks paralyze the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. Some 3,000 pregnant women in Haiti's capital could be cut off from essential healthcare if the ongoing security crisis continues, with gang violence surging as armed gangs control most of Port-au-Prince. "If greater Port-au-Prince remains at a standstill in the coming weeks, almost 3,000 pregnant women could be denied access to essential health care," the UN's office in Haiti (BINUH) said in a statement on Friday. Abortion is illegal in Haiti. Hospitals have issued warnings regarding staff, bed and blood shortages. What did the UN say? The office also warned that almost 450 women could face life-threatening obstetric complications if they do not receive medical assistance. Meanwhile, over 500 sexual violence survivors are at risk of being cut off from medical care by late March. "Sexual violence against women and girls is used as a weapon of war, intimidation, territorial control and domination," BINUH said. UN's Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ulrika Richardson added that many women and girls were "victims of indiscriminate violence committed by armed gangs." "Fighting to stop violence against women in Haiti and investing in them is indispensable for ensuring a just, prosperous and peaceful society," she added. The UN office said partner organizations who work on preventing gender violence in camps for internally displaced people had cut or halted most of their services, citing safety reasons. Gangs are reported to be carrying out mass rapes across the country, with their control expanding. Many victims do not report the attacks, fearing retaliation. What is happening in Haiti? Haiti's government announced on Thursday the extension of a state of emergency and nighttime curfew in an effort to curb the gang violence which has engulfed the capital. The state of emergency was extended by one month. Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya last week to lobby for UN-backed police deployment in his country. Henry is now reportedly stuck in Puerto Rico, unable to return home. Violence has spiraled in the Caribbean nation in his absence, with the gangs demanding his resignation.   Last weekend, inmates from two major prisons in Haiti escaped in a prison break, resulting in the country announcing the state of emergency. The decree was signed by Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who is the acting president. "Our goal is to break the system. We are fighting against Ariel with the last drop of our blood," said gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer who vowed to oust Henry, said. The United Nations estimates that 1,193 people have died since the beginning of the year due to gang violence. Over 313,000 people are also internally displaced in Haiti. In addition to widespread accounts of rape, there have also been many reports of torture and ransom kidnappings.   

The space junk, which reportedly weighs as much as an SUV, is expected to enter the Earth's atmosphere on Friday. German authorities say the "object is being closely monitored" but it's likely not a threat. Germany is on the lookout for debris coming off the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday after reports that some of it could land in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinateor other parts of the country.  What do we know about the space junk?  The debris belongs to a battery pack which was detached from the ISS three years ago. The space junk weighs 2.6 tons (2600 kilograms), or the size of an SUV. The space junk might enter the atmosphere above North America, according to the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The debris is expected to burn up as it approaches the Earth's surface.  There's a high probability that it will plunge into the ocean. The DLR said the debris poses a "unlikely" risk to Germany.    The German Economic Affairs and Climate Ministry (BMWK) said the "object is being closely monitored" and that crisis measures are in place in case the debris lands in Germany.  The German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance earlier sent out text messages on warning apps on Thursday, saying there is a low risk of debris landing in Germany. It told users, however, that they would receive new info on the app should the situation change.  

List of military-linked entities operating in the US grows as the Pentagon adds Chinese AI companies, a drone maker and a memory-chip firm Among the companies named are Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp, NetPosa, Yitu Technology and Beijing Megvii   The Pentagon on Wednesday labelled more than a dozen Chinese tech firms, including memory-chip maker Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), as “military companies” that pose a national security risk to the US.   Artificial intelligence companies Yitu Technology and Beijing Megvii, drone maker Chengdu JOUAV, lidar maker Hesai Technology and tech company NetPosa are also entities that operate in the United States but have ties to the Chinese military, according to the US Defence Department.   They join Shenzhen-based consumer drone maker DJI Technology and China’s leading genetics firm, BGI, on what is called the 1260H list, which makes US and international companies aware of entities that could be supporting Beijing’s military-industrial complex. First established under the National Defence Authorisation Act for fiscal year 2021, the 1260H list is updated annually by the Defence Department. Being named on the list does not involve a complete ban, but it does render the firms ineligible for Defence Department contracts. Additionally, the label could lead to blacklisting by the US Treasury Department, curbing the companies’ business prospects.   A spokesman for China’s embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said that the US was “overstretching” national security and “abusing” state power, and that the moves would “ultimately undermine the US’ own interests.”   “They run counter to the US’ alleged commitment to market competition and international fair trade, undercut two-way trade and investment flows and discourage foreign investors,” he said.   Three Chinese firms were removed from the updated list on Wednesday: hi-tech electronic components manufacturer Fujian Torch Electron Technology, the China International Engineering Consulting Corp and SMIC Hong Kong International Co Ltd, which makes semiconductors. However, despite pressure from the US House committee on competition with China, Quectel, a Chinese Internet of Things firm, was not added to the list. Identifying “Chinese military companies” is part of a larger effort by Washington to block US investment in entities developing dual-use technologies, those that can help the Chinese military develop more advanced weapons.   An executive order by President Joe Biden in August banned US private equity and venture capital investments in China that involve sensitive technology like artificial intelligence.   During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Missouri, called Biden’s move “a step in the right direction” that could be “improved through legislative action, which is more permanent”.   According to Bill Drexel of the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, the updated list “stands as a reminder that the Sino-American economic relationship – especially around technology – is continuing to fray, and for good reason”.   He said that while the Chinese Communist Party would not back down from its military-civil fusion strategy, “Americans cannot afford to be naive about the pronounced role that ostensibly private companies in China play in building out China’s military might, with direct strategic implications for American national security.”   Source: South China Morning Post

More than a dozen U.S.-listed Chinese companies have switched from auditors in their home country to ones in the U.S. and Singapore since 2022, reducing the risk they could be thrown off American exchanges, a Nikkei Asia analysis shows. Under a 2020 law called the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA), Chinese companies can be delisted if their auditors fail to comply with U.S. accounting standards. Those requirements include allowing inspections of auditors by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Beijing resisted the U.S. effort until last year, when it began to allow the PCAOB to inspect Chinese auditors. Last Wednesday, the regulator released the first results from its inquiries in China and Hong Kong, saying it had found "unacceptable" flaws at two auditors, KPMG Huazhen and PwC Hong Kong. As the HFCAA was being implemented and strengthened by additional legislation, some U.S.-listed Chinese companies moved to avoid the delisting threat by switching their auditing work to companies in the U.S. and Singapore, which has not fought PCAOB inspections. The U.S. Securities and Exchange has identified 174 U.S.-listed Chinese companies with auditors who required inspection. Of these, 24 have changed auditors since 2022, according to a Nikkei analysis of corporate filings, with 15 switching from companies in China or Hong Kong to ones in the U.S. or Singapore. After the churn, 16 of the 24 were being audited by companies in the U.S. or Singapore, compared with two in the Americas before. The number being audited in China or Hong Kong fell from 22 to eight. Legend Biotech, a developer of commercial-stage biotech medicines, told Nikkei Asia that concerns about the HFCAA prompted it to shift its auditing work from Ernst & Young Hua Ming in Shanghai to an E&Y office in New Jersey in 2022. "When this law went into effect, we began to transition [from] a China-based accounting company to a PCAOB-registered accounting company based in the U.S," Tina Carter, corporate communications lead at Legend Biotech, said last Friday. "That process is now complete." ACM Research switched its accounting work to Armanino in San Ramon, California, from BDO China Shu Lun Pan in Shenzhen, which had served the chip material supplier since 2015. The company said it made the move so it would "no longer be subject to the related delisting guidelines of the HFCAA." Singaporean auditors have emerged as major beneficiaries of the U.S. pressure. Nasdaq-listed Fangdd Network, an online real estate brokerage, said in its annual report that on July 25, 2022, it switched to Audit Alliance of Singapore from KPMG Huazhen -- one of the companies criticized by the PCAOB last week. The company's report did not give a reason for the change. Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Studio City International Holdings, listed arms of Macao casino tycoon Lawrence Ho, switched from an E&Y office in Hong Kong to one in Singapore. In their annual reports, both companies noted that E&Y Singapore "is not a PCAOB-identified firm." Mercurity Fintech Holdings said it switched from auditor Shanghai Perfect to Onestop Assurance PAC of Singapore, noting that the latter is registered with the PCAOB and has been inspected by the PCAOB "on a regular basis." The PCAOB last Wednesday released the inspection results for KPMG Huazhen and PwC Hong Kong, saying it found flaws in seven audits by the companies. KPMG Huazhen said in a statement that it "acknowledges the findings of the PCAOB following its inspection." It did not address a Nikkei Asia question about its dismissal by Fangdd. PwC said in a statement that it was "working with the PCAOB to address the issues." KPMG Huazhen and PwC Hong Kong audited 40% of U.S.-listed Chinese stocks by market capitalization. Erica Williams, PCAOB chair, said its inspectors "are on track to hit 99% of the total market share by the end of this year." In March, China's Ministry of Finance fined Deloitte and suspended its Beijing office for three months, citing "serious audit deficiencies" in its work with China Huarong Asset Management, one of the largest bad-debt managers in the mainland. Nana Li, head of Asia Pacific sustainability and stewardship at Impax Asset Management, said, "It will now be very difficult for foreign accounting companies (i.e., the Big Four) to keep many of their clients in China despite their long-term on-shore operations in this market." Source: Nikkei

In Pakistan, Climate change has emerged as a key concern with the outburst of the Shishper Glacier and the flood in Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan raising concerns in the country. The impact of the change in Pakistan is getting dangerous and the country needs to make necessary arrangements and preparedness to deal with any natural calamity with measures to have proper disaster control and reduce the intensity of damage with the help of advanced technologies. The record-high April temperatures in Pakistan melted glaciers faster than normal, triggering a flash flood last Saturday in a village in the northern region of the country that wiped out part of a key bridge and damaged homes and buildings. According to reports, several weather stations set record highs for April. Jacobabad hit its warmest daytime temperature at 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 Celsius) on April 30; the Karachi airport reached its warmest nighttime temperature at 84.9 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 Celsius), also on April 30, The Washington Post reported. Footage making rounds on social media showed the large wave of water sweeping away a chunk of the bridge as onlookers ran for safety. Regarding the collapse of a bridge on the Karakoram Highway, Pakistan Prime Minister asked the officials to prepare an alternative route, according to Dawn. The glacier flood not only caused harm to the bridge but also submerged houses, hundreds of canals of agricultural land, trees, water supply channels, and two hydropower projects, reported Dawn. Pakistan has been gripped by extreme heat episodes over the past two months. Dawn newspaper reported that, in the 2020 report of the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is the fifth most highly vulnerable to global warming and climate change country. Many studies suggested that temperature increase would shift Pakistan’s cropping season and could “potentially permanently eliminate” the viability of growing some crops. They also indicated that extreme weather events would have serious short and long term adverse effects as they contributed to poverty and malnutrition, food insecurity, stress on water resources, lower nutritional quality of major cereals and livestock productivity, forced migration and boost viral outbreaks in both human and animal population. Source: The Print

The risk level related to the Omicron variant remains very high, the WHO said late Tuesday, with the numbers of new Covid-19 cases hitting another record high last week.   "Over 21 million new cases were reported, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic," the World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemiological coronavirus update.   The UN health agency said the number of new infections increased by five percent in the week to Sunday -- compared to the 20 percent rise registered the week before.   "A slower increase in case incidence was observed at the global level," the WHO said.   Nearly 50,000 new deaths were also reported, it added -- a similar figure to the week before.   The report said Omicron continued to increase its dominance globally over the other variants of concern.   "The current global epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 is characterised by the dominance of the Omicron variant on a global scale, continued decline in the prevalence of the Delta variant, and very low-level circulation of Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants," the WHO said.   "Countries that experienced a rapid rise in Omicron cases in November and December 2021 have been or are beginning to see declines in cases.   However, "based on the currently available evidence, the overall risk related to the Omicron variant remains very high".   The WHO said that of samples collected in the last 30 days that have been sequenced and uploaded to the GISAID global science initiative, Omicron accounted for 89.1 percent.   Delta -- previously the world's dominant variant -- now makes up 10.7 percent. Source: AFP/BSS AH

Omicron still poses "very high" risk and could overwhelm healthcare systems, the WHO warned on Wednesday, as the highly transmissible coronavirus variant fuelled record outbreaks in many countries.    Case numbers have shot up 11 percent globally in the last week, forcing governments from China to Germany and France to find a difficult balance between anti-virus restrictions and the need to keep economies and societies open.    The Netherlands and Switzerland said Omicron had become the dominant strain in their countries, and while some studies suggested it causes milder Covid-19, the World Health Organization urged caution.    "The overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains very high," the UN health agency said in its Covid-19 weekly epidemiological update.    "Consistent evidence shows that the Omicron variant has a growth advantage over the Delta variant with a doubling time of two to three days."    The WHO said early data from Britain, South Africa, and Denmark – which currently has the world's highest rate of infection per person – suggested there was a reduced risk of hospitalisation for Omicron compared with Delta.    But it added that further data was needed to understand Omicron's severity.    And despite those studies, Omicron's rapid growth "will still result in large numbers of hospitalisations, particularly amongst unvaccinated groups, and cause widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services", warned WHO Europe's Covid Incident Manager Catherine Smallwood.    - Painful restrictions -    Europe was again one of the hotspots for the pandemic, which is known to have claimed more than 5.4 million lives around the world.    France, Britain, Greece and Portugal all reported record daily case numbers on Tuesday. France reported almost 180,000 infections over 24 hours.    To hold back the tide, many nations on the continent have brought back curbs with heavy economic and social consequences.    Contact restrictions were in place in Germany for the second year in a row heading into the New Year, as Europe's biggest economy shut nightclubs and forced sports competitions behind closed doors.    It also limited private gatherings to 10 vaccinated people -- or two households where any unvaccinated people are present.    Finland on Tuesday said it would bar unvaccinated foreign travellers from entering. Only residents, essential workers or diplomats will be exempt.    The Nordic country, like Sweden, had begun requiring negative tests for incoming non-resident travellers from Tuesday, a day after Denmark applied the same measure.    But the Belgian government's plans to introduce further restrictions were thwarted as a court suspended an order closing entertainment venues.    Prime Minister Alexander De Croo had announced the original measure on December 22 as Belgium saw a sharp increase in the percentage of tests showing the Omicron variant.    - Travel chaos -    The Covid spikes around the world have caused severe disruptions to travel over the holidays, with thousands of flights cancelled worldwide.    They are also threatening sports events again.    England's top football league is grappling with record cases, while China has imposed strict lockdowns on millions of people to control the spread of the Delta variant ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics.    Mexico City's mayor on Tuesday cancelled the capital's massive New Year's Eve celebrations as a preventative measure after a rise in Covid-19 cases.    The top American sports leagues have also been hit, as the United States battles a surge fuelled by Omicron, as well as large pockets of unvaccinated people and a lack of access to quick and easy testing.    The US Centers for Disease Control has halved the isolation period for asymptomatic cases to try and limit disruptions and mass labour shortages.    President Joe Biden said the United States was generally well prepared, though some hospitals could be "overrun".    As New Yorkers marked "Good Riddance Day" at Times Square – burning pieces of paper representing their worst memories of 2021 -- many just wanted to say goodbye to Covid-19.    "I want to get rid of Covid and quarantines," said teacher Robin Myers on Tuesday.    "So that my kids can be normal again and see their friends and be out and be social." Source: AFP/BSS AH 

In the last 24 hours the contraction of coronavirus has set a new record. In this period total 5,358 Covid-19 cases were traced and 52 people died. The number of total deaths has surpassed the nine thousand mark and stands at 9,046. The health ministry has marked 31 districts in the country as ‘risky’ for the coronavirus contraction. The information was delivered on Wednesday through a press release of the health directorate signed by additional director general (administration) Professor Dr. Nasima Sultana.     According to the notice the names of the risky districts are- Moulvibazar, Munshiganj, Chattogram, Dhaka, Sylhet, Narshingdi, Khulna, Narayanganj, Rajbari, Feni, Noakhali, Chandpur, Shariatpur, Laksmipur, Cumilla, Barishal, Rajshahi, Bogura, Narail, Nilphamari, Gazipur, Faridpur, Brahmanbaria, Jashore, Madaripur, Naogaon, Rangpur, Kishoreganj, Natore, Tangail and Cox’s Bazar. According to the press release, of the total districts in the last 24 hours Moulvibazar was in the top position considering the rate of contraction. Munshiganj was in the second position and Cox’s Bazar was in the bottom position. It also said that total 67 lakh 95 thousand 780 people have registered their names to be vaccinated till 2:30 pm on Wednesday. On the other hand total 53 lakh 19 thousand 679 people were inoculated till Monday as Tuesday was the government holiday and vaccination activities were halted on that day. AH

In a retrospective study of patients tested for COVID-19, researchers at the University of Chicago (UChicago) Medicine found an association between vitamin D deficiency and the likelihood of becoming infected with the coronavirus. The researchers looked at 489 patients at UChicago Medicine whose vitamin D level had been measured within a year before being tested for COVID-19, reports Xinhua. Patients who had vitamin D deficiency, defined as less than 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood, that was not treated were almost twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 compared to patients who had sufficient levels of the vitamin. "Vitamin D is important to the function of the immune system and vitamin D supplements have previously been shown to lower the risk of viral respiratory tract infections," said David Meltzer, Chief of Hospital Medicine at UChicago Medicine and lead author of the study. "Our statistical analysis suggests this may be true for the COVID-19 infection." Half of Americans are thought to be deficient in vitamin D, with much higher rates seen in African Americans, Hispanics and individuals living in areas like Chicago where it is difficult to get enough sun exposure in winter. "Understanding whether treating vitamin D deficiency changes COVID-19 risk could be of great importance locally, nationally and globally," said Meltzer. "Vitamin D is inexpensive, generally very safe to take, and can be widely scaled." The researchers are planning further clinical trials. They emphasize the importance of experimental studies to determine whether vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk, and potentially severity, of COVID-19, as well as the need for studies of what strategies for vitamin D supplementation may be most appropriate in specific populations. Source: Xinhua/UNB AH