Top stories from DAWNS Digest.
Dozens Killed in Bangladesh Riots
A verdict in a politically charged case stemming from 40 year old war crimes caused the outburst,.”Violent clashes between protesters and security forces erupted across Bangladesh on Thursday, leaving at least 44 people dead, after a special war crimes tribunal handed down a death sentence to an Islamic leader for crimes against humanity committed 42 years ago, during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. The verdict against Delawar Hossain Sayedee, a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist party, resonated across the country. It was celebrated by the hundreds of thousands of young protesters who have taken to the streets in recent weeks to condemn Jamaat and demand justice in the war crimes cases against other party leaders, insisting that those who were convicted be hanged. (NYT http://nyti.ms/Z69GXe)
Global Fund Issues First Grants Under New Model
The Global Fund is test driving its new funding model. “After reviewing and reforming its grant process, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is back in business, announcing the first handful of countries slated to receive up to US$1.9 billion in available funding over the next two years. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Zimbabwe are among the six countries set to receive funding under the Global Fund’s new model, the Fund announced on 28 February. With up to nearly two billion dollars available between now and 2014, El Salvador, Kazakhstan and the Philippines, as well as three regional programmes, will also receive new funding, including access to an incentive funding pool aimed at fostering ambitious, high-impact and co-funded interventions.” (IRIN http://bit.ly/13rlc5t)