Author: Asian Bangla

Asianbangla Dhaka : The expatriates’ welfare ministry will issue show cause notices to 10 recruiting agencies whose alleged monopoly in labour recruitment in Malaysia has led to the suspension of SPPA, an online system for recruitment of foreign workers, from September 1. Suspension of SPPA means Malaysia will not approve any new demand for labour from the employers until a new system is introduced. However, those who have already got visas will be allowed to enter the country. Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam yesterday said, “We will issue show cause notices. We are collecting data now.” He…

Asianbangla Dhaka : Just about four months before the national polls, the Election Commission is planning to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in around 100 out of the 300 constituencies. EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed made the disclosure yesterday amid strong opposition from different political parties, including the BNP, regarding the use of EVMs. “If everything goes well, including legal reforms and the opinions of political parties, the Commission will be able to use electronic voting machines in one-third of the constituencies in the parliamentary polls,” he said, adding that the polls would be held in the last week of December.…

Asianbangla Desk : Myanmar rejected today the findings of a UN probe alleging genocide by its military against the Rohingya, in a strident government response to a damning report on the crisis. Myanmar has come under immense pressure this week over last year’s military crackdown that pushed more than 700,000 of the Muslim minority into Bangladesh. Monday’s report by a UN fact-finding mission said there was evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity “perpetrated on a massive scale”. In a session of the UN Security Council late Tuesday several countries — including the United States — called for Myanmar’s military…

Asianbangla Desk : Google has revised an erroneous description on its website of how its “Location History” setting works, clarifying that it continues to track users even if they’ve disabled the setting. The change came three days after an Associated Press investigation revealed that several Google apps and websites store user location even if users have turned off Location History. Google has not changed its location-tracking practice in that regard. But its help page for the Location History setting now states: “This setting does not affect other location services on your device.” It also acknowledges that “some location data may…

Asianbangla Desk : Rescue workers use helicopters and boats to evacuate hundreds of people stranded on their home rooftops following unprecedented flooding in the southern Indian state of Kerala where more than 160 people have died. With torrential rains stopping on Friday, thousands of rescuers worked quickly to shift the marooned people to 1,200 state-run camps where more than 150,000 people already have taken shelter. Heavy rains over the past eight days triggered flooding, landslides and home and road bridge collapses, severely disrupting air and train services in Kerala state, a popular tourist destination with beautiful beaches. State officials have…

Student movement: Families demand release of arrested children Asianbangla, Dhaka : Families of the students arrested during quota reform movement and safe road movement held a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Friday demanding their immediate release. Saleha Begum, mother of Rashed Khan, a joint convener of the quota reform movement, broke into tears while speaking at the human Chain programme under the banner of ‘Suffering Families’ claiming her son to be innocent. Rashed Khan was arrested on June 1 from Mirpur Bhashantake on two charges — one under the ICT Act and another for allegedly…

Asianbangla Desk : Gunmen attacked an intelligence training centre in Kabul yesterday, officials said, as families buried loved ones killed by a suicide bomber a day earlier in the war-weary Afghan capital. Afp, Kabul The attack on the training facility was the latest incident in a blood-soaked week that saw militants deliver crippling blows to government forces across Afghanistan. “Clashes are ongoing and the area is cordoned off by the Afghan security forces,” said Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai. The firefight erupted near a training centre overseen by the National Security Directorate — Afghanistan’s intelligence agency — with the gunmen…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : Twelve days into the attack on the vehicle of US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, the government yesterday condemned the incident and promised to take appropriate actions on completion of investigation. “The Government of Bangladesh strongly condemns the unfortunate incident. It is also committed to ensuring safety and security of all Diplomatic Corps in Bangladesh,” read a diplomatic note. Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies have actively been engaged in probing the incident on August 4, it said. According to a foreign ministry press release, an official US embassy vehicle carrying the ambassador “encountered an unfortunate incident” in Dhaka’s…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : Banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, which remained below law enforcers’ radar for many years, has lately been gathering strength through collecting funds mainly by robbery, counterterrorism officers said. JMB militants in jail are also convincing other inmates, who were jailed for robbery and other similar crimes, to share with JMB a portion of their loot, police officers said. They are telling inmates, “If you spend a portion of the loot for the welfare of Islam your sin will be forgiven,” an officer told. There is information that JMB men are trying to regroup and commit robbery…

Asianbangla Desk : Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar wait to be let through by Bangladeshi border guards after crossing the border in Palang Khali, Bangladesh. File Photo: Reuters Diplomatic Correspondent Dhaka has agreed to a request from Naypyidaw to replace the words “Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals” with “Displaced Persons From Rakhine State” on identity cards issued to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. As a result, the Rohingyas will have to return to their homeland without any identity and they will continue to be considered stateless. The request was accepted during a ministerial meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood…