Author: Priya Saha

Indian president Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates the newly refurbished building of Ramna Kali Mandir in Dhaka on Friday. — Star Mail photo Indian president Ram Nath Kovind left Dhaka for New Delhi on Friday afternoon after wrapping up his eventful three-day state visit. Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen saw the indian President off at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 12:45pm. Kovind came to Dhaka on Wednesday on a three-day visit to join the birth centenary celebrations of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Golden Jubilee celebration of Bangladesh’s Independence. Earlier on the day, Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated…

(Reuters) – At least 2,500 people including hundreds of children have fled a flare-up in fighting between the Myanmar army and ethnic minority rebels and have taken refuge across the border in Thailand, Thai authorities and an aid group said.Those displaced had poured into the Thai town of Mae Sot after fighting in the past few days between the Karen National Union (KNU) and Myanmar’s army, Somchai Kitcharoenrungroj, deputy governor of western Tak province, told a news conference.Myanmar was plunged into turmoil when the military ousted a civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1,…

Visiting Indian President Ram Nath Kovind today inaugurated the newly refurbished building of Ramna Kali Mandir in the capital. He inaugurated the renovated building this morning by unveiling a plaque. The Indian president also offered puja at the temple. He also exchanged greetings with the invited guests, the temple committee members, representatives of Hindu community and the devotees. The Indian President along with first lady Shrimati Savita Kovind and their daughter Swathi Kovind reached the Ramna Kali Mandir around 10.30. State Minister for Religious Affairs Md. Faridul Haque Khan received the Indian president at the temple. Kovind was welcomed at…

Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 17 (ANI): Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s information technology adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy came down heavily on Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for its wartime brutalities and conspiracies geared towards strengthening the footing of Pakistan and wiping out the dream of freedom cherished by Bangladeshis.Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who is also the son of Prime Minister Hasina, heavily criticized former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for entrusting war criminals with the charge of ministries.In a Facebook post from his verified account on Wednesday, he mentioned multiple anti-liberation activities Jamaat engaged in.”As the Liberation War was drawing towards the end,…

Dec 17 (Reuters) – Hundreds of people including many children have fled a flare-up in fighting between the Myanmar army and an ethnic minority insurgent group, taking refuge across the border in Thailand, Thai authorities and an aid worker said.About 700 people had fled to the Thai town of Mae Sot after fighting between the Karen National Union (KNU) and Myanmar’s army, authorities in the western Thai border province of Tak said in a statement.Ye Min, an official at the Aid Alliance Committee, a Thai-based Myanmar migrants group, said 2,503 people including 545 children were sheltering on the Thai side…

Story by Reuters The US Senate passed legislation on Thursday to ban imports from China’s Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labor, part of Washington’s continued pushback against Beijing’s treatment of the country’s Uyghur Muslim minority. The Senate passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by unanimous consent, sending it to the White House, where President Joe Biden has said he will sign it into law. The House of Representatives passed the bill with a unanimous voice vote on Tuesday. The measure rushed through Congress this week after lawmakers agreed on a compromise that eliminated differences between bills introduced in…

Senators gave final congressional approval Thursday to a bill barring imports from China’s Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove they were produced without forced labor, overcoming initial hesitation from the White House and what supporters said was opposition from corporations. The measure is the latest in a series intensifying U.S. penalties overChina’s alleged systemic and widespread abuse of ethnic and religious minorities in the western region, especially Xinjiang’spredominantly Muslim Uyghurs. The Biden administration also announced new sanctions Thursday targeting several Chinese biotech and surveillance companies, a leading drone manufacturer and government entities for their actions in Xinjiang. The Senate vote…

On the anniversary of the end of the 1971 liberation war, Dhaka is still coming to terms with the serious contradictions that characterized the separation from Pakistan. “But many members of the new generation want to turn the page and create a pluralist and truly democratic system,” says the well-known 24-year-old activist who founded Muktiforum in Dhaka     Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Fifty years after its birth, Bangladesh must start again from young people, giving space to their desire to overcome the old patterns of the past and to shape a “liberal, pluralist and truly democratic” country. This is the…

“Many companies have already taken steps to clean up their supply chains,” Rubio said. “For those who have not done that, they’ll no longer be able to continue to make Americans — every one of us, frankly — unwitting accomplices in the atrocities, in the genocide that’s being committed by the Chinese Communist Party.” As part of the Senate’s agreement to unanimously pass the Uyghur bill, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) secured votes on three stalled foreign policy nominations for later Thursday — including on Nicholas Burns, Biden’s pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to China. Rubio held up the defense…

The birth of Bangladesh in 1971 came as a surprise to many. For decades, media spaces highlighted political violence, climate disasters and other negative pieces of news originating from Bangladesh. The silent revolution that undertook inside Bangladesh remained unnoticed but seemed to have caught attention in international media recently. As one observer has put it, “50 years after independence, Bangladesh bursts into geopolitics”. Indeed, in its 50th year, the world is witnessing a sharp rise of a new Bangladesh.The Foreign Policy – leading publisher of international affairs – published an article titled “America should Bet on Bangladesh” that looks beyond…

On December 16, Bangladesh celebrates its 50th Victory Day to mark half a century since its freedom fighters fought valiantly with India’s support to defeat Pakistan’s military and establish a new sovereign country. The golden jubilee of that epic liberation war, which hived off what was known as East Pakistan from West Pakistan, is being commemorated as a historic milestone by Bangladeshis and Indians with nostalgic and emotional tributes to martyrs.  A geopolitical swing state Like the 1967 Arab-Israeli war that remade the political geography of the Middle East and gave Israel the upper hand, the 1971 Bangladesh war redrew the map…

Improving access to volunteering has emerged as a key part of the government’s vision for society post COVID-19 pandemic.   In 2021, it launched the Volunteering Futures Fund, which aims to boost volunteering across a raft of sectors and tap into a growing interest from the public amid the health crisis to support good causes.   A particular focus is on improving access to volunteering for disadvantaged and marginalised groups of people, who previously have felt locked out of volunteering.   Here we examine the details of the Fund, including how it is being funded and how charities are getting…