176 world leaders and Nobel laureates urge Bangladesh to halt legal cases against Peace Prize winner
More than 170 global leaders and Nobel laureates are urging Bangladesh to suspend legal proceedings against Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the use of microcredit to help impoverished people.
Bangladesh seeks China help to repatriate Rohingya refugees
Bangladesh has sought cooperation from China to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar during a visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who promised better trade ties, investment and support for infrastructure development in the South Asian nation.
Dozens dead, thousands homeless in Bangladesh, India floods
Villagers in northeastern Bangladesh are crowding makeshift refugee centers and scrambling to meet boats arriving with food and fresh water as massive floods, which have killed dozens of people and displaced hundreds of thousands there and in neighboring India, continue to wreak havoc.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ECCUZZ7TQBET3LKCPTHIJB3AIQ.jpg)
Born in war, Bangladesh marks 50 years of independence
On March 26, 1971, Bangladesh declared independence, sparking the nine-month war. Pakistan launched a military operation to stop the move to independence, while India joined on the side of what is now Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Dennis Lee Royle, File)DHAKA โ Shafiqul Islam was studying business at Dhaka College in 1971 when a bloody and brutal war for independence ravaged Bangladesh. The land was carved into separate states, with the Muslim-majority regions becoming East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and West Pakistan, now simply Pakistan. On March 26, 1971, Bangladesh declared independence, sparking the nine-month war.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5TGNHQMMIFA5VA6YUNJGKYMGF4.jpg)
Bangladesh TV hires country's 1st transgender news anchor
Bangladesh's first transgender news anchor Tashnuva Anan Shishir reads news bulletin , in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. A Bangladeshi satellite television station has signed up the South Asian county's first transgender news anchor with a hope to remove the deeply-rooted social stigma they face. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)DHAKA โ A Bangladeshi satellite television station has hired the countryโs first transgender news anchor, saying it hopes the appointment will help change society. Tashnuva Anan Shishir, who previously worked as a rights activist and actress, debuted on Dhaka-based Boishakhi TV on Monday, International Womenโs Day. AdBoishakhi TV said it wanted to be part of the changes and has hired a second transgender person in its drama department.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QDXRQ7D43NEPBBLV4DL4OHH2DU.jpg)
Bangladesh sends 3rd group of Rohingya refugees to island
Rohingya refugees walk with their belongings to be relocated to to the island of Bhasan Char, in Chattogram, Bangladesh, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. Authorities in Bangladesh sent a third group of Rohingya refugees to a newly developed island in the Bay of Bengal on Friday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. (AP Photo/Azim Aunon)DHAKA โ Authorities in Bangladesh sent a third group of Rohingya refugees to a newly developed island in the Bay of Bengal on Friday despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. But the government said the human rights groups and the U.N. should understand its good intentions. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have urged the government to cancel the plan.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/CXYNJ5V7QVA6ZGC6FV3P24F7EU.jpg)
Bangladesh begins relocating Rohingya refugees to island
A Rohingya refugee woman who is among those being moved to an island called Bhasan Char cries outside a transit area where they are temporally housed in Ukhiya, Bangladesh, Thursday, Dec.3, 2020. (AP Photo/ Shafiqur Rahman)DHAKA โ Authorities in Bangladesh have begun relocating thousands of Rohingya refugees to an isolated island despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process, officials said Thursday. Authorities in Coxโs Bazar did not say how the refugees were selected for relocation. โThe United Nations takes this opportunity to highlight its longstanding position that Rohingya refugees must be able to make a free and informed decision about relocating to Bhasan Char based upon relevant, accurate and updated information," it said. Bangladesh attempted to start sending refugees back to Myanmar under a bilateral framework last November, but no one was willing to go.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PQ24TO27FRH6XEYOHNLONUTNUI.jpg)
Women's issues at UN: Still 'too low down on the agenda'
Some leaders took time to recall the 1995 conference, detail domestic initiatives or lament that progress toward female equality is lagging or even retreating. The 1995 work of what was officially called the U.N.'s Fourth World Conference on Women is considered a signal moment in women's rights. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed to his country's 2017 law requiring some employers to provide 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. Still, many leaders, including some female ones, didn't devote much time or detail to women's issues in their speeches. In Norway, the prime minister, the parliament speaker and over 40% of parliamentarians and government ministers are women.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YIYSPURFNFEKHLMZWOFUALZ7IM.jpg)
Bangladeshi hospital owner arrested over fake virus tests
DHAKA Security officials in Bangladesh have arrested the owner of two hospitals that issued thousands of fake coronavirus test reports as he attempted to flee the country to India, officials said Thursday. Shahed is chairman of the Regent Group and owner of two Regent hospitals in the capital, Dhaka. Officials said the hospitals had issued more than 10,000 coronavirus test results and about 60% were fake even though patients were charged for them. The hospitals allegedly arranged for the remaining tests to be conducted by another hospital. Last week, Italy suspended all flights from Bangladesh to Rome after some Bangladeshis reportedly presented fake negative test reports for the coronavirus.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/JEA2VZ4YNFBFPAO2NZTLIRIYGM.jpg)
Muslims in India, Bangladesh celebrate Eid subdued by virus
Published: May 25, 2020, 2:53 am Updated: May 25, 2020, 9:02 amIndian Muslims gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers inside their house in New Delhi, India, Monday, May 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)DHAKA Muslims in India and Bangladesh joined prayers to celebrate a subdued Eid-al Fitr on Monday, marking the end of the Ramadan holy month by seeking blessings for a world free from coronavirus. Across India, government leaders and imams appealed to Eid celebrants to follow lockdown norms and maintain social distance. Its been 1,400 years since the Islam religion was founded, ... even our elders could never imagine that we will have to celebrate Eid in such a way, said businessman Shehzad Khan. "That money we have given them so that they too can celebrate Eid with us, Khan said.