Author: Asian Bangla

Asianbangla Desk : The grainy black-and-white photo, printed in a new book on the Rohingya crisis authored by Myanmar’s army, shows a man standing over two bodies, wielding a farming tool. “Bengalis killed local ethnics brutally”, reads the caption. The photo appears in a section of the book covering ethnic riots in Myanmar in the 1940s. The text says the image shows Buddhists murdered by Rohingyas — members of a Muslim minority the book refers to as “Bengalis” to imply they are illegal immigrants. But a Reuters examination of the photograph shows it was actually taken during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : Despite some measures taken by the authorities to ensure road safety following the recent student movement, the number of road accidents and causalities has increased during the Eid rush this year compared to last year’s figures, according to a passenger welfare platform. At least 259 people were killed and 960 injured in 237 road accidents in 13 days (August 16-28) when the transport sector saw a huge rush of passengers during the Eid-ul-Azha festival, Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity said yesterday. Besides, 15 people were killed and seven others wounded in 19 incidents involving railways and four people…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : Since its inception four decades ago, the BNP formed government four times — once under the leadership of its founder Ziaur Rahman and thrice under the leadership of his widow Khaleda Zia. Arguably the second largest political party in the country after the ruling Awami League, it ruled the country for 14 years. But as it observes its 40th founding anniversary today, the BNP faces the “toughest time” yet since its formation in 1978. Party chief Khaleda, 73, is in jail for seven months now after being convicted in a corruption case, and faces at least 34…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : According to the Financial Times (US), the USD 3.7 billion Padma Rail link, for which Beijing has provided more than USD 3 billion, will serve as “a physical reminder of China’s growing presence” in Bangladesh. Other media outlets and commentators too have been making similar remarks about China’s increasing role in Bangladesh’s development and economic activities recently, and for good reasons. The Daily star. As pointed out by Gateway House, “China has committed to USD 31 billion worth of projects in Bangladesh, making it the second-biggest recipient of money in South Asia behind Pakistan,” including on “roads,…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : The fourth Bimstec Summit concluded in Kathmandu yesterday with the member states inking a deal for cross-country energy grid interconnection and reaffirming strong commitment to working out a comprehensive approach to combat terrorism. In the two-day summit, Bimstec leaders agreed to turn the Bay of Bengal region peaceful and prosperous by building common strengths through collective efforts. They also agreed to make the organisation a dynamic, effective and result-oriented body for intensifying regional cooperation, alleviating poverty and promoting connectivity, energy and free trade. The summit ended with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on establishing…

Asianbangla Desk : Bad news for those who enjoy what they think is a healthy glass of wine a day. A large new global study published in the Lancet has confirmed previous research which has shown that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The researchers admit moderate drinking may protect against heart disease but found that the risk of cancer and other diseases outweighs these protections. A study author said its findings were the most significant to date because of the range of factors considered. How risky is moderate drinking? The Global Burden of Disease study looked at…

Asianbangla Desk : Suspected rebels shot dead four police officers while security forces killed two militants in Indian Kashmir yesterday as tensions rose before a major Supreme Court hearing on the troubled region. Afp, Srinagar Five police officers who had stopped near the southern Kashmir town of Shopian to repair their vehicle were ambushed, Inspector General of Police Swayam Prakash Pani told AFP. Separately, two suspected rebels were killed in a gunfight with government forces not far from the attack on the police, officials said. The Muslim-majority Himalayan region, divided between India and Pakistan since their split in 1947, has…

Asianbangla Desk : US support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen is not “unconditional,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday, as he defended America’s ongoing role in the war. Afp, Washington The Pentagon chief’s comments came the same day as UN investigators said they had reasonable grounds to believe that warring parties in Yemen may have committed a “substantial number” of violations of humanitarian law that could amount to “war crimes.” The US provides weapons, aerial refueling to jets, intelligence and targeting information to the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen. “Our conduct there is to…

Asianbangla Desk : Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that nothing prepared her for “the extent and depth of suffering” she saw when she visited camps in Bangladesh for Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled a violent crackdown by Myanmar’s military. Ap, United Nations In her very different role as a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency, Blanchett said she heard “gut-wrenching accounts” of torture, rape, people seeing loved ones killed before their eyes, and children thrown into fire and burned alive. “I am a mother, and I saw my children in the eyes of…

Asianbagla Desk : Russia has deployed a dozen warships to the Mediterranean Sea in what a Russian newspaper on Tuesday called Moscow’s largest naval buildup since it entered the Syrian conflict in 2015. The reinforcement comes as Russia’s ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is believed to be considering a major assault on the last rebel-held enclave in northern Idlib province, which is home to nearly three million people and has a large al-Qaeda presence in addition to several Syrian rebel groups. Upping the ante, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday described IDlib militants as a “festering abscess” that needed to…