Economy
Middle East, world cannot ‘afford more war’: UN chief
United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned the international community Sunday against deeper descent into conflict, addressing the Security Council during a meeting over Iran’s weekend attack on Israel.
“Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” Guterres said.
“The Middle East is on the brink,” he told the Security Council.
“The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate,” he added, calling for “maximum restraint.”
Late on Saturday, Iran launched a direct attack on its long-time arch foe Israel for the first time, firing a wave of more than 300 missiles and drones.
Nearly all of them were intercepted by Israel and others, including the United States, Jordan and Britain.
According to the Israeli army, 12 people were injured.
Iran said its attack came in response to a deadly April 1 air strike on Tehran’s consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus that was widely blamed on Israel.
That attack killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, including two senior generals, and prompted Iranian threats of retaliation.
The unprecedented exchange, marking a major escalation between the two countries, has sparked renewed fears of a broader conflict, including the potential for an Israel counterstrike.
– ‘Step back from the brink’ –
The United States said Sunday it will not join any Israeli counterattack on Iran, with President Joe Biden warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “think carefully” about any escalation.
The rising tensions come against the backdrop of Israel’s six-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza, which began after the Palestinian Hamas group’s unprecedented attack in Israel October 7 which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,729 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Since the start of the conflict, Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen have carried out a flurry of attacks on Israeli and Western targets.
Sunday’s Security Council session on the simmering crisis came at Israel’s request, with its Ambassador Gilad Erdan urging the council to “take action (and) condemn Iran for their terror.”
The body must “impose all possible sanctions on Iran before it’s too late,” he said.
Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani meanwhile insisted the Islamic republic was exercising its “inherent right to self-defense.”
“The Security Council… failed in its duty to maintain international peace and security,” Iravani said.
Therefore, Tehran “had no choice” but to respond, he said, adding that his country does “not seek escalation or war,” but will respond to any “threat or aggression.”
During his speech, Guterres repeated his condemnation of Iran’s strikes on Israel, and the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
“It’s time to step back from the brink. It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East,” Guterres said.
He also repeated his call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, which experts warn is on the verge of famine.
Referring to the countrywide recent havoc and atrocities, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that she had an apprehension there might be a strike like this by the BNP-Jamaat clique to pull down the country’s prosperity.
“. . . they (BNP-Jamaat) had wanted not to hold the elections, but we had arranged the elections. After election they thought it wouldn’t be accepted by all, but we’ve also made it acceptable to all and we’ve formed the government. It was an apprehension to me that there would be a strike like this,” she said.
The Premier made this remarks while exchanging views with editors, senior journalists and head of news of various media outlets, organised by Editors’ Guild at her office (PMO).
She mentioned that before and after the election in 2013-14, the BNP-Jmaat clique unleashed arson attacks and killings that left hundreds of people killed and thousands injured.
“It was little bit understandable that this (the activities and movement of the students) was a grave conspiracy,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said that she didn’t want any incident which might invite any unwanted situation that will invite instability in the country. “It was the target to destroy country’s economy,” she said.
She questioned about the understanding level of the people who supported these mayhem aiming to cripple the country’s advancement and prosperity.
Sheikh Hasina, also the chief of Awami League, said that vested quarter is highly interested to destroy country’s independence and the continuation of the democracy that is going on for long 15 years.
She again said that she never wanted to deploy army personnel in the field while the students were there for the sake of their security.
“While they (students) declared that they are not involved in the on going subversive activities then we called for army,” she said.
The premiers also said that she also didn’t want to impose curfew as the country is going through a democratic environment for 15 years.
She requested the people to resist those who have done this bane for the country. “They have destroyed all the structures have been built for their welfare and livelihood. They have struck all those structures. Who will be the worst sufferer? Of course, mass people. Now it is the responsibility of the mass people to resist these terrorism and militancy,” she said.
The premier called for creating mass awareness against the militancy that has opened in the destructive activities.”If the people don’t become aware then what could we do or how much we could do alone,” she said.
She also mentioned that the targets of the recent mayhem was Awami League, Freedom Fighters and pro-liberation forces.
The Prime Minister said that when all demands of the quota-free movement students were accepted why they gave scope to the militants for doing such heinous activities.
“One day the quota-free movement activists have to answer to the nation, why they gave such opportunity to them for this destruction to the country,” she said.
PM’s Press Secretary Md Nayeemul Islam Khan moderated the programme, while Editors’ Guild president Mozammel Huq Babu delivered welcome address.
Senior journalist Abed Khan, Bangladesh Pratidin editor Nayeem Nizam, DBC Editor-in-Chief and CEO Monzurul Islam, Bhorer Kagoj Editor and Jatiya Press Club general secretary Shyamol Dutta, Daily Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, Jatiya Press Club president Farida Yasmin, Dhaka Journal chief editor Syed Istiaque Reza, Head of News Nagorik TV Dip Azad, Amader Somoy Editor Mainul Alam, Bangladesh Journal editor Shajahan Sarder, DBC news editor Zayedul Ahsan Pintu, Ashish Saikat of Independent TV, Bangla Tribune editor Zulfiquer Russell, head of News of 71 TV Shakil Ahmed, Energy and Power Editor Mollah Amzad, Head of News of Kings News Nazmul Huq Saikat and Mamunur Rahman Khan of RTV also spoke.
Britain’s inflation rate held steady in June after returning to the Bank of England’s target the previous month, official data showed Wednesday, confounding expectations for another modest slowdown.
The Consumer Prices Index was unchanged at 2.0 percent in June from the same level in May, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement, compared with market forecasts of 1.9 percent.
“Hotel prices rose strongly, while second-hand car costs fell but by less than this time last year,” said ONS chief executive Grant Fitzner.
“However, these were offset by falling clothing prices, with widespread sales driving down their cost.
“Meanwhile, the cost of both raw materials and goods leaving factories fell on the month, though factory gate prices remain above where they were a year ago.”
Analysts said the data could cause the Bank of England to sit tight for a while longer before starting to cut interest rates.
“The chances of an interest rate cut in August have diminished a bit more,” said Paul Dales, chief UK economist at research consultancy Capital Economics.
Last month, the BoE kept its key interest rate at a 16-year high of 5.25 percent, despite slowing inflation in May.
Britain’s newly elected Labour government welcomed news that inflation remained at the BoE’s target level.
“It is welcome that inflation is at target,” said Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, in a statement.
“But we know that for families across Britain prices remain high… (which) is why this government is taking the tough decisions now to fix the foundations” of the UK economy, he said.
Labour, led by new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has pledged immediate action to grow the economy after the centre-left party won a landslide general election victory to end 14 years of Conservative rule.
Later on Wednesday, King Charles III will read out Labour’s first programme for government in a decade and a half, when the UK parliament formally reopens following the July 4 election.
Elevated interest rates have worsened a UK cost-of-living squeeze because they increase borrowing repayments, thereby cutting disposable incomes and crimping economic activity.
The BoE began a series of rate hikes in late 2021 to combat inflation, which rose after countries emerged from Covid lockdowns and accelerated after the invasion of Ukraine by key oil and gas producer Russia.
China’s economy grew 4.7 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2024, official data showed Monday, less than analysts had expected.
“By quarter, the GDP for the first quarter increased by 5.3 percent year on year and for the second quarter 4.7 percent,” Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement.
The figures were much lower than the 5.1 percent predicted by analysts polled by Bloomberg.
Retail sales — a key gauge of consumption — also slowed to just two percent in June, the NBS said, down from 3.7 percent in May.
The world’s second-largest economy is grappling with a real estate debt crisis, weakening consumption, an ageing population and trade tensions with Western rivals.
Top officials are meeting in Beijing on Monday for a key plenum, with all eyes on how they might kickstart lacklustre growth.
