Author: Priya Saha

Catholics in a Bangladeshi diocese are protesting the murder of an elderly Catholic and looting of his house, saying criminals in the Muslim-majority area target them because of their peace-loving nature.Some 1,000 people demonstrated on the street for a third day on Feb. 3 seeking the immediate arrest of criminals who attacked the Catholic’s home in Padrishibpur village that comes under Barishal Diocese.“We are attacked because we are a minority. We don’t seek action or protest when attacked,” said Father Anol Terence D’Costa, convener of Barisal Diocese’s social media commission. Unidentified people attacked the house of 94-year-old Melcome D. Costa on…

Bangladesh has resumed the murder trial in the collapse of a textile factory after five years of appeals and legal holdups, court officials confirmed. More than 1,100 workers died when the Rana Plaza factory complex came down on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, on April 24, 2013.In 2016, 41 people were charged with murder for their suspected roles in the disaster, including the building’s owner, Sohel Rana, his parents and factory executives. They were accused of signing off on building standards and forcing employees to work inside the eight-story building despite knowing that it was not structurally sound. But…

In the latest incident of atrocities on minorities in Pakistan, a Hindu businessman was shot dead in Sindh province by influential elements allegedly belonging to the Dahar community. On Monday, local media reported that businessman Satan Lal was shot dead over a piece of land in Ghotki district. “There was an inauguration of a cotton factory and flour mill on the land of Satan Lal where some people shot and killed him,” The Express Tribune quoted Lal’s friend Mukhi Anil Kumar, who was present at the scene, as saying over the phone.In a video that went viral a few months…

Just 34% of BAME consumers agree the way people from their ethnic group are portrayed in advertising has improved in recent years, a new report from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reveals. Of the 1,000 BAME participants included in the ad watchdog’s study, 27% said they disagreed with the statement, while 38% were unsure (see chart below). The ASA conducted 22 focus groups and a survey of over 2,000 people for its study, which forms part of a “major” project looking at the extent to which portrayal of race or ethnicity in UK ads might give rise to harm or…

Military spouses of color report a greater need for two household incomes than their white peers. Additionally, they experience substantially higher unemployment rates and lower earnings than their civilian counterparts.​​ Discrimination and slurs ​ Culturally, the military may exacerbate efforts to combat racial and ethnic discrimination in the workplace. “Off-color jokes, racial slurs, and discriminatory comments that are (erroneously) used to build a sense of camaraderie negatively affect active-duty service members, spouses, and veteran respondents of color,” the report said. One in five active-duty service members, 14 percent of veterans and 10 percent of active-duty spouses of color report having…

Unknown gunmen shot and killed a Hindu businessman Satan Lal in Ghotki district district of Pakistan’s Sindh province on Monday. This is the most recent episode of atrocities against Pakistan’s minority communities. Sunil Kumar, a Hindu businessman, was shot and killed by unidentified individuals in Anaj Mandi, Sindh province, on January 4. According to news agency ANI, the businessman’s assassination caused the city to shut down. Unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in Pakistan’s northern Peshawar city on January 30, killing a Christian priest and injuring another.  Meanwhile, Khehal Das Kohistani, a politician from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), told…

Analysis 2 February 2022 After multiple invasions, Zoe Holman explores the ongoing appetite for change in Iraq. Children in school in the town of Karamles, 2019. Credit: Alexandra Rose Howland When British troops drove out their Turkish and German enemies and marched into Baghdad in 1917, their commander announced to locals that they came not as conquerors or enemies – but as liberators. ‘Your city and your lands have been subject to the tyranny of strangers,’ he said. It is difficult not to recall these words, as a young man from Mosul recounts how, a century later, he watched foreign…

A White House beaten down by voter unhappiness with inflation and supply shortages is pressing Democrats to move ahead quickly with a China competitiveness bill it believes can be sold to voters as a fix for those pocketbook issues.The legislation, which was introduced in the House just last week and is expected to get a floor vote on Friday, would boost domestic production of semiconductors, which have been in short supply and have contributed to rising prices for cars, among other products.The legislation would invest billions in production, manufacturing and scientific research of semiconductors in the United States.“We ended up…

MUMBAI, India – Catholic leaders in Pakistan have condemned the murder of an Anglican priest on Sunday. Father William Siraj, 75, was killed while on his way home after attending Sunday Mass in the city of Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. One of his traveling companions, Father Naeem Patrick, was wounded while a third priest was unharmed in the attack. The attackers fled the scene. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing. RELATED: Pakistani police widen manhunt, day after killing of priest “We condemn this incident,” said Bishop Samson Shukardin of…

In Bangladesh, China exports not only steel and concrete, but also corruption, opacity, and trash.According to Pia Sherman of Global Strat View, an independent media organisation based in Washington, China’s approach to economic recovery is characterised by waste, fraud, and political influence. Corruption fueled by China has now infiltrated all levels of Bangladeshi business, including government transactions.In a post-pandemic situation where Bangladesh too is looking at economic recovery, it runs the risk of becoming even more dependent on Beijing, which is rife with systemic corruption, paired with a lack of accountability.Several detailed case studies of Chinese projects in Bangladesh demonstrate…

The people of Assam have always had fears of being reduced to a minority in their own state. This fear was there from the time of the British Raj. In fact, when India was portioned in 1947, Gopinath Bordoloi, the then Prime Minister (yes, he was called  PM) of Assam, played a pivotal role in ensuring that the Sylhet area, which was then a part of Assam, was transferred to East Pakistan. This was because the Barak valley of Assam adjoins Sylhet,  both with Bengali speaking populations. Taken together, they could have overwhelmed the Assamese speakers of the state. Bordoloi,…

As some of the world’s top athletes gather in Beijing for the Winter Olympics, activists and human rights advocates are worried that participation in any form amounts to turning a blind eye to persecution. Ilham Mahmut is a member of a protest group that took to Tokyo’s streets to call on the Japanese government to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics. He is part of the Uyghur ethnic minority that claims the Chinese government is depriving them of their language, culture and basic human rights. Many are detained in camps. “Is it OK to hold the Olympics in a country where…