Author: Priya Saha

DANBURY – For 30 years Connecticut has had a law requiring businesses owned by women and minorities to get their fair share of state contracts.And for 30 years, as cities such as Danbury have become increasingly diverse, Connecticut has been unable to hold itself accountable to the law because there is no data about the talent pool of minority-owned businesses to prove that contractors of color are being denied state contracts. “We do not see ethnic minority contractors on highway projects that proliferate in and around urban centers in Connecticut, and we do not see major construction projects supporting Black…

Madrasa students don’t get the chance to learn about other faiths MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU And what the school curriculum can do about it Religions and different religious texts have crucial historical value, although the theological aspects of these get the most attention. When one reads different religious literature, like the Vedas, the Qur’an, the Bible, or the Tripitaka, those unveil the way of life that people used to have in the days when these religions came into being. Moreover, on many occasions, one learns about the social, political, and economical spectrum of life in different stages of history by studying…

Bringing a paddy pillage allegation, a man of Parbatipur Upazila of Dinajpur has filed a case accusing 22 people of the Indigenous community, including the president of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad (JAP) and his son. JAP is a rights watchdog of ethnic minority in the country. For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. The incident triggered a waveof panic among the ethnic minority people. Rabindranath Soren, 60, the President of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad (JAP) has been made the prime accused in the case while his only son Manik Soren 35, has also been sued in the case.…

Over the past few months, the Administrator of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep has introduced and sought comments on a set of draft regulations that have been heavily criticized. These draft regulations cover a range of particulars including a beef-ban, an archaic Goonda Act, a two-child policy for aspirants of panchayat posts, and a development authority act which locals deem anti-local. The locals have been protesting against these proposed regulations, some were even detained but released later because of a Kerala High Court order. The Islands’ geographical and cultural linkage to Kerala has also led the Kerala Legislative Assembly to…

5 June 2021, 10:00 WATNew Informate one hour wey don passWia dis foto come from, Getty ImagesBan on Twitter, Facebook, Internet Shutdown and online censorship no be new tin again at all.Yes o! Authorities for some kontries don bin carry out dis actions before, particularly to suspend Twitter.Nigerian goment na di latest to to ban [Twitter] di micro blogging site operations for undermining dia goment alias ‘interference’.One report for 2018 don reveal say up to 22 African goment don order network disruptions for di last four years.Na Di Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) bring…

June 5, 1971 US AMBASSADOR CALLS ON YAHYA KHAN In a telegram sent to the US State Department on June 5, 1971, US Ambassador in Pakistan Joseph Farland provided a detailed account of his conversation with Pakistan President Yahya Khan. The meeting was held on the same day.   For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. During the 50-minute conversation they discussed, among other subjects, the general refugee situation and the multitudinous problems which it presented. Farland introduced the subject by underscoring President Nixon’s satisfaction with the May 24 statement of Yahya. Noting that Washington was encouraged…

Migrants belonging to six non-Muslim minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who came to India on valid documents before 2014 are eligible to apply online for citizenship from any part of the country, a senior government official said.In March, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) wrote to all States, including Assam, sensitising them of the relevant provisions under the Citizenship Act, 1955 that could help the six communities- Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis, who entered India before 2014 and are here on long term visa (LTV), expedite their citizenship application.The official asserted that this particular awareness drive…

The fact that the United Arab Emirates are among the first to hold a physical book fair in 2021, while the pandemic is still ongoing, is indicative of just how keen the Emiratis are to take up the cultural and literary mantle of the Arab world’s former cultural centres: Cairo, Beirut, Damascus and Baghdad. Given that all these cities have been mired in decline for many years, we may be glad that at least someone values taking on this cultural responsibility – whatever else we might think of the Gulf states. Nor is it a bad thing that lively competition…

As the Ottoman Empire began to disintegrate in the midst of World War I, the British Empire announced its support for a “national home for the Jewish people” in then Ottoman-controlled Palestine. The State of Israel would be founded 31 years later, and in the years since, the area between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea — known as the Holy Land — has seen much violence and conflict, as both Palestinians and Israelis believe they have a right to the land.Over time, Israel has slowly expanded throughout the West Bank, encroaching on Palestinian territory. Vox, citing the growth…

A shadow government in Myanmar called on Rohingya minority on Thursday and urged them to join the fight to overthrow the military junta. It has promised citizenship and repatriation for the persecuted Muslim community in a future democratic Myanmar. Myanmar is currently in turmoil due to military rule. The military junta overthrew the civilian government run by Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. The country has since been on the boil with pro-democracy protests and clashes with military. A group of ousted lawmakers — mostly from the National League for Democracy (NLD) — later set up a shadow “National…

Traditional horse racing in Bac Ha District in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai is among 10 newly recognised as ‘national intangible heritage’ by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Horse racers are striving to head towards the finish. The traditional game in Bac Ha District, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai is among 10 newly-recognised national intangible heritages.Nine others in the list of ‘cultural heritage’ include a festival of the Ba Na ethnic minority in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum; a festival held in Dai Dong Commune in Vinh Tuong District, northern Vinh Phuc Province; and lace knitting in Thanh Ha Commune,…

The withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan has made many Afghans fearful of the Taliban’s return to power, prompting the country’s last remaining Jew to make plans to leave as soon as possible. “God willing, I cannot say seven to eight months, but I will definitely leave by the time the Taliban come,” said Zebulon Simentov, 62, who lives in Kabul. The Taliban have increased their attacks on government-controlled areas in recent weeks, just as the United States and its NATO allies started withdrawing their remaining forces from the country. The U.S. announced Tuesday that it had pulled…