Author: Asian Bangla

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…

Asianbangla Desk : Hundreds of US newspapers yesterday launched a coordinated defense of press freedom and a rebuke of President Donald Trump for denouncing some media organisations as enemies of the American people. Reuters, Los Angeles The Boston Globe and the New York Times took part along with more than 350 other newspapers of all sizes, including some in states that Trump won during the 2016 presidential election. The Globe said it coordinated publication among the newspapers and carried details of it on a database on its website. Each paper ran an editorial, which is usually an unsigned article that…

Asianbangla Sports : A nondescript Bangladesh girls team announced their arrival in the regional age-group football competition in style when they won the AFC Under-14 Girl’s Regional Championship 1-0 against hosts Nepal in Kathmandu in 2015. Since then it has been a spectacular work in progress and yesterday’s 5-0 thrashing of Bhutan in the second semifinal of the SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu was a continuation of a fearless and attractive brand of football. It was not the scoreline but the approach of the Bangladesh girls, understandably almost a new set with a few survivors…

Asianbangla, Desk : Charges for mobile phone calls have gone up for many users after the telecom regulator introduced a uniform minimum call rate on Monday. People, who usually make calls to numbers of the same carrier, saw their bills go up significantly, as much as 80 percent. Many termed the move anti-consumer interest and said it goes against the vision for Digital Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on Monday set a flat Tk 0.45 a minute minimum charge for a local voice call. Previously, there were two minimum charges — Tk 0.25 a minute for calls made…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said there is no doubt that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was also involved in the August 15 carnage conspiracy. “Zia’s wife [Khaleda] brought self-confessed killer of the Father of the Nation [Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman] to parliament by rigging votes. What does it mean? It was not only Zia but also his wife was involved in the conspiracy of the August 15 carnage. There is no doubt,” Hasina said. The PM was addressing a discussion organised by the Awami League at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre marking the National Mourning Day and the…

Asianbangla Desk : Three-time Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee died yesterday, sparking tributes from across the political spectrum as current leader Narendra Modi mourned the “irreplaceable loss” of the respected statesman. Afp, Ndtv The 93-year-old had battled poor health for years but his condition deteriorated sharply in recent days, with doctors placing him on life support. India has announced a seven-day mourning throughout the country and state funeral for the former prime minister. Governments in Delhi, Punjab and Uttarakhand have announced a holiday today as a mark of respect to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Read More Vajpayee: Poet-politician who led…