Author: Priya Saha

BANGLADESH hosts more than 1.1 million Rohingyas who fled neighbouring Myanmar during a genocidal campaign by the security forces in 2017. Most of them live in and around Kutupalong and Nayapara refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazar region, which have grown to become the largest and most densely populated camps in the world. Conditions in the camps are challenging and local infrastructure and services have been stretched to their limits. The United Nations has described the Rohingya as ‘the most persecuted minority in the world.’ The government of Bangladesh has been praised by the international community for taking in the…

(Photo: Courtesy Christian Concern)Mary Onuoha’s cross necklace. The dismissal of a medical nursing sister for wearing a cross necklace discriminated against her Christian beliefs, the UK Employment Tribunal has declared. It said on Jan. 5, her firing had been both victimization and harassment. Christian Concern said that the ruling against a National Health System Trust was a “landmark judgment” and that the Christian Legal Centre supported Mary Onuoha. Onuoha was removed from her role as an NHS theater practitioner at Croydon University Hospital in South London in June 2020 after facing what she describes as two years of hostility…

This article was originally published here J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2022 Jan-Feb;62(1):317-325. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.11.005. Epub 2021 Nov 10. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a public health priority, and vaccination is important for ending the pandemic. Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19 yet report high levels of vaccination hesitancy. OBJECTIVE: We conducted virtual town halls to address vaccine hesitancy among racial and ethnic minorities in South Florida. METHODS: Our approach used social influence and persuasion models. In a formative phase, we gathered meeting preferences from our communities and developed and tested our approach.…

Bangladesh will be chasing a momentous series victory against New Zealand while its smarting host is determined to give Ross Taylor a fitting farewell in Test cricket in the second and final match which starts on Sunday in Christchurch.Ninth ranked Bangladesh pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Test cricket when it beat world champion New Zealand by eight wickets in the series opener in Mount Maunganui. A draw will be enough for Mominul Haque’s team to become the first Bangladesh side to win a Test series in New Zealand and coach Russell Domingo knows what it could potentially…

Elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Punjab and Goa will litigate some key political questions that will have resonance across the country Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Punjab and Goa will litigate some key political questions that will have resonance across the country. There are at least six defining issues of these Assembly elections. Here’s a quick take. Congress, BJP defending the turf: Two national parties are defending one of their key turfs each this time — the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and the Congress in Punjab. To understand the importance of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in the…

More than a dozen of Airbnb’s listings in Xinjiang are on land reportedly owned by a company under US sanctions list since 2020.Two members of the US Congress have raised concerns about home rental firm Airbnb Inc’s business activities in China’s Xinjiang region, where Washington says Beijing is committing genocide against Muslim Uighurs and other ethnic groups. Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative James McGovern, two Democrats who respectively chair and co-chair the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, sent Airbnb a letter (PDF) asking about some of its listings in Xinjiang and other issues. The legislators said they were raising “questions about…

A Uyghur woman abducted from her home in China’s far-western Xinjiang region in the middle of the night more than four years ago was sentenced to 14 years in prison for providing religious instruction to children in her neighborhood and hiding copies of the Quran, sources with knowledge of the situation and local police said. Hasiyet Ehmet, now 57 and a resident of Manas (in Chinese, Manasi) county in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, has not been heard from since she was abducted by authorities in May 2017, said the source who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal by…

After Qatari terror-broadcast network Al Jazeera’s false claim of Bangladesh buying Israeli spyware, now another anti Awami-League media outlet in Dhaka has published a lengthy report on January 4, 2022 stating the Criminal Investigation Department of Bangladesh Police is using a high-tech device procured from an Israeli digital intelligence firm to “prosecute people by extracting data from their electronic devices in post-incident investigations”. The newspaper claimed that it has “examined” the forensic reports submitted in eight cases filed between 2019 and 2020 and found that the “flagship product of Israeli firm Cellebrite called the Universal Forensic Extraction Device was used…

Two Sisters are tribal and one is Bengali. The congregation, which has 168 members, was established in 1951 by the PIME mission. Bishop Sebastian Tudu led the Mass. “Now your job is to preach the Gospel,” he said. “You will be rewarded for God’s blessing in your life.” Dinajpur (AsiaNews) – The Catechist Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Queen of Angels (known as Shanti Rani Sisters) have three new members. Yesterday, novices Presilla Hembrom, Ratri Nirmola Reberio, and Shuvrota Lucy Mrong (two tribal and one Bengali), took their first vow of religious life. Bishop Sebastian Tudu led the…

Minority leaders call for separate ministry, national commission Staff Correspondent Sat Jan 8, 2022 12:00 AM Last update on: Sat Jan 8, 2022 03:44 AM As part of the Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad’s two-day 10th triennial council, a cultural event was held at the Institute of Engineers in Dhaka yesterday morning. Photo: Anisur Rahman”> As part of the Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad’s two-day 10th triennial council, a cultural event was held at the Institute of Engineers in Dhaka yesterday morning. Photo: Anisur Rahman Different religious and ethnic community leaders yesterday demanded that the government create a separate ministry and national…

Credit: Leiden University Self-employed workers’ hours have significantly decreased during the coronavirus crisis. Their average hours worked decreased most at the start of the crisis, by more than five hours per week. And it was difficult to return to their pre-crisis hours in the quarters that followed. This is the conclusion of research published by economists Ron Diris, Egbert Jongen and Olaf van Vliet from Leiden University in the journal Economisch Statistische Berichten. The figures for the self-employed are in stark contrast to the figures for the employed, for whom the effect of the coronavirus crisis has been limited and…

The Supreme Court Friday granted the “last opportunity” to the Centre to file its reply on a PIL seeking directions for framing of guidelines identifying minorities at the state level as Hindus are in a minority in 10 states and are not able to avail the benefits of schemes meant for minorities.A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh asked the Centre to file its response within four weeks after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought more time.Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for the petitioner, sought transfer to the Supreme Court of the petitions on similar issue…