Page 61 - Bangladesh

India evaluating implications of FTA as Bangladesh mulls RCEP membership

India is worried because of Bangladesh's greater dependence on China for imports as compared to India and fears it can become an issue if Bangladesh joins RCEP

Asian buyers struggle with high price of onions after India's export ban

The world's biggest exporter of onions banned shipments on Dec. 8 after domestic prices more than doubled in three months following a drop in production.

Bangladesh to deploy Army to maintain order ahead of Jan 7 elections

Bangladesh Army said on Monday that it will deploy troops to maintain law and order as the country gears up for January 7 general elections that the opposition parties demand should be held under an interim non-partisan government. The Election Commission (EC) wants us (armed forces) to be deployed to stage a free and fair election in a healthy atmosphere. We ensured them of all-out support, the armed forces division's principal staff officer Lt Gen Wakar-uz-Zaman told a media briefing here. The announcement came after Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal and other commissioners met with concerned civil and military officials at the commission office. Zaman said the Army troops would be deployed across the country in aid of civil power for 13 days from December 29 and we will extend our support to the commission the way it wants. He said the armed forces deployment was not a new phenomenon as they were called out during past general elections as well but termed today's ...

Bangladesh in poll position

The exercise complicates geopolitics for India, the US & China

Bangladesh oppn party holds protest as it boycotts Jan 7 national election

Hundreds of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party supporters protested on Sunday to mark International Human Rights Day, as the country gears up for a general election on January 7 that the opposition says should be held under a non-partisan, caretaker government. The party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is boycotting the election, leaving voters in the South Asian nation of 166 million with little choice but to re-elect Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League for a fourth consecutive term. At Sunday's protest in front of the National Press Club in downtown Dhaka, opposition activists said they do not think a fair and free election can take place under Hasina's watch. The gathering took place weeks after a massive opposition rally on October 28 turned violent. The party's decision to boycott the polls comes amid a monthslong crackdown that has reportedly seen hundreds of opposition politicians jailed and critics silenced, an allegation authorities have ...

UN warns 2 boats adrift in Andaman Sea with 400 Rohingya aboard need rescue

An estimated 400 Rohingya Muslims believed to be aboard two boats adrift in the Andaman Sea without adequate supplies could die if more is not done to rescue them, according to the UN refugee agency and aid workers. The number of Rohingya Muslims fleeing by boats in a seasonal exodus - usually from squalid, overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh - has been rising since last year due to cuts to food rations and a spike in gang violence. There are about 400 children, women and men looking death in the eye if there are no moves to save these desperate souls, Babar Baloch, the agency's Bangkok-based regional spokesperson, told The Associated Press. The whereabouts of the other boat were unclear. The boats apparently embarked from Bangladesh and are reported to have been at sea for about two weeks, he said. The captain of one of the boats, contacted by the AP, said he had 180 to 190 people on board. They were out of food and water and the engine was damaged. The captain, who gave his

Tremors felt in Bengal as 5.6 magnitude earthquake hits Bangladesh

Tremors were felt in various parts of West Bengal as an earthquake of 5.6 magnitude hit neighbouring Bangladesh on Saturday morning. According to the National Center for Seismology, the earthquake took place in southeastern Bangladesh at a depth of 55 km at 9.05 am. "Earthquake of Magnitude: 5.6, Occurred on 02-12-2023, 09:05:31 IST, Lat: 23.15 & Long: 90.89, Depth: 55 Km, Location: Bangladesh, India," the NCS said on X. West Bengal Disaster Management Department said that as of now, no damage has been reported from anywhere in the state. "We are yet to get the final report. As of now, there is no report of any damage due to the quake," an official told PTI. Officials of the Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation also said no damage to life or property was reported from the eastern metropolis.

All gaps along Pak, Bangladesh border to be plugged in next 2 yrs: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India's two major borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will be completely secured in the next two years, with work underway to completely plug gaps in about 60 km stretch along these two fronts. Shah was speaking after taking salute from a ceremonial parade of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the occasion of its 59th Raising Day celebrations here. The minister said the Narendra Modi government has fenced and plugged gaps in about 560 km of the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders in the last nine years since it came to power at the Centre. These gaps were being used for infiltration and smuggling, he said. All the gaps in these two borders on India's western and eastern flank respectively are being plugged and work in only about 60 km is left. In the next two years we will entirely secure these two borders, Shah said. The two borders-- 2,290 km of India-Pakistan International Border and 4,096 km of India-Bangladesh border-- are

All gaps along Pak, Bangladesh border to be plugged in 2 years: HM Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India's two major borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will be completely secured in the next two years, with work underway to plug gaps in about 60 km stretch along these two fronts. Shah was speaking after taking salute from a ceremonial parade of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the occasion of its 59th Raising Day celebrations here. The minister said the Narendra Modi government has fenced and plugged gaps in about 560 km of the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders in the last nine years since it came to power at the Centre. He said all the gaps in these two borders on India's western and eastern flank respectively are being plugged and work in only about 60 km is continuing. In the next two years we will entirely secure these two borders, Shah said. The two borders-- 2,290 km of India-Pakistan International Border and 4,096 km of India-Bangladesh border-- are marked by long riverine, mountainous and marshy areas where it i

Russia accuses US of meddling in domestic affairs of poll-bound Bangladesh

Bangladesh politics became the focus of a war of words between the US and Russia on Saturday as Washington accused Moscow of making "deliberate mischaracterisation" of its foreign policy relating to the upcoming elections in the South Asian nation. Bangladesh is going to the polls on January 7 next year. During a regular weekly briefing in Moscow on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas and a high-ranking representative of the local opposition discussed plans to organise mass anti-government protests in the country during the meeting. Reacting to her statement, a US State Department spokesperson in Washington said, We are aware of Zakharova's deliberate mischaracterisation of US foreign policy and Ambassador Haas's meetings. Washington's response, issued by the US embassy, came hours after the Russian embassy in Dhaka updated its website detailing Zakharova's November 22 comments in Moscow. The US offic

Bangladesh reels under worst dengue outbreak; cases cross 300,000 mark

Dengue cases in Bangladesh have crossed the 300,000 mark as the nation grapples with its worst outbreak of the vector-borne disease, media reports said on Monday. Bangladesh's overall tally of dengue infections stood at 301,255, with the country logging 1,549 deaths by the viral disease this year, the bdnews24.com news portal reported, citing data from the Directorate General of Health Services. On Sunday alone, 1,291 new cases of the viral fever were reported, according to the report. A total of 4,949 patients, including 1,127 in Dhaka, are receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. After August saw 71,976 cases and 342 deaths, a record 79,598 dengue cases and 396 deaths were recorded in September amid the worst outbreak of the disease, while 67,769 cases and 359 deaths were reported in October. The death toll in the first 19 days of November was 201, while 30,080 new dengue cases were recorded during this period. According to the report, experts blamed a prolonged mon

Cyclone 'Midhili' to make landfall in Bangladesh coast, fishermen warned

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal on Friday intensified into cyclonic storm and will graze past the Sunderbans before making landfall on Bangladesh coast with a maximum wind speed of 80 kmph, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin. The cyclonic storm 'Midhili' will cross the Bangladesh coast on November 17 night or early hours of November 18, it said. The Met department on Friday warned fishermen not to venture into the sea in north Bay of Bengal and along and off West Bengal coasts till November 18. The deep depression existing over north Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclonic storm Midhili as it moved in a north-northeaster ward direction, lying 200 km south-southeast of the seaside resort town of Digha in West Bengal and 220 km southeast of Khepupara in Bangladesh on Friday morning, the Met said. "It is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast close to Khepupara with wind speed of 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph during

B'desh oppn calls nationwide strike, demands cancellation of Jan 7 polls

Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday called a 48-hour nationwide strike demanding the cancellation of the January 7 general elections, claiming that it was meant to install Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League government for a fourth straight term. The announcement came a day after Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said that the much-awaited general elections will be held on January 7. BNP's senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi called the two-day general strike starting from 6 AM Sunday. Former premier Khaleda Zia-led party has rejected the announcement of the election schedule and vowed to continue protesting against the government's decision to carry on with the election process. "Everybody in Bangladesh knows the outcome of this election," senior BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan said. Several BNP allies including far right Jamaat-e-Islami extended support for the strike call, prompting law enforcement agencies to intensify

Bangladesh set to hold general elections on January 7, says EC chief

Bangladesh will hold the much-awaited general elections on January 7, the country's chief election commissioner announced on Wednesday. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal announced the dates during an address to the nation that was telecast live. The announcement came amid mounting political tensions as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its far-right allies like the Jamaat-e-Islami have waged a street campaign demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government to allow a non-party interim government to conduct the general elections. The ruling Awami League has dismissed the demand, saying elections would be held under Premier Hasina, who also rejected proposals for dialogue with the Opposition by the US and other major Western countries, calling BNP a terrorist organisation. Since October 28, the opposition parties have been enforcing transport blockades and clashing with police and rival activists in support of their demand. The political viole

Bangladesh workers' protest: 150 factories shut, cases against 11k workers

Bangladesh's garment workers earn $95 a month as minimum wage and are demanding a minimum wage of $208 a month

Cambodian template for Bangladesh elections

The 2024 general election will clearly take place in an environment full of geopolitical and economic challenges, with the US seeing the China challenge in Bangladesh

Assam Accord: SC to hear Sec 6A of Citizenship Act challenge pleas on Dec 5

The Assam NRC is meant to identify illegal immigrants in the State who migrated from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971

Bangladesh, Sri Lankan cricketers hold their breath in smog-choked Delhi

An AQI reading between 0-100 is generally considered safe for playing cricket

Bangladesh PM Hasina appears on Time Cover, says tough to overthrow her

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has appeared on the cover page of Time magazine, in an interview asserted it is difficult to overthrow her government through a democratic system. Elections in Bangladesh are scheduled in January 2024. "I am confident that my people are with me They're my main strength It's not that easy to overthrow me through a democratic system The only option is just to eliminate me. And I am ready to die for my people," Hasina told Time magazine, according to the excerpts of the interview released by the news outlet. The November 20 edition of the magazine, which featured Hasina on cover page, will hit the stands on November 10, the New York-based outlet said. "At 76Bangladesh's Prime Minister is a political phenomenon who has guided the rise of this nation of 170 million from rustic jute producer into the Asia-Pacific's fastest-expanding economy over the past decade. "In office since 2009, after an earlier term from 1996 to 2001, she is the wor

Bangladesh PM's daughter nominated as WHO's South-East Asia director

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima Wazed, a mental health expert, has been nominated as the next regional director of the World Health Organization's South-East Asia region. Dr Shambhu Prasad Acharya, a senior WHO official, was the other candidate. He was nominated by Nepal. The member states voted to nominate Wazed to the post during a closed meeting at the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the South-East Asia Region. The nomination will be submitted to the WHO Executive Board during its 154th session which will take place from January 22 to 27 in Geneva, Switzerland, according to a statement from the world health body. Wazed will take office on February 1, 2024.