Bangladesh's main opposition party starts a 48-hour general strike ahead of Sunday's election
Bangladeshโs main opposition party has started a 48-hour general strike on the eve on a general election, calling on people to boycott the vote because it says the government of incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina canโt guarantee its fairness.
Bangladesh TV hires country's 1st transgender news anchor
Bangladesh's first transgender news anchor Tashnuva Anan Shishir reads news bulletin , in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. A Bangladeshi satellite television station has signed up the South Asian county's first transgender news anchor with a hope to remove the deeply-rooted social stigma they face. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)DHAKA โ A Bangladeshi satellite television station has hired the countryโs first transgender news anchor, saying it hopes the appointment will help change society. Tashnuva Anan Shishir, who previously worked as a rights activist and actress, debuted on Dhaka-based Boishakhi TV on Monday, International Womenโs Day. AdBoishakhi TV said it wanted to be part of the changes and has hired a second transgender person in its drama department.
Rohingya refugees fear returning to Myanmar after coup
Rohingya refugee Mohammad Jaffar, 70, talks to the Associated Press at the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Feb.2, 2021. Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh are condemning the military coup in their homeland and saying it makes them more fearful to return. (AP Photo/Shafiqur Rahman)DHAKA โ Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh condemned the military coup in their homeland and said it makes them more fearful to return. Bangladeshโs Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it hopes the coup will not hamper the refugees' return. The United Nations has described the Myanmar military crackdown on the Rohingya as a form of genocide.
Bangladesh economy shows early signs of pandemic recovery
FILE - In this April 19, 2018 file photo, trainees work at Snowtex garment factory in Dhamrai, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. After months of decline in exports of its garment products, Bangladeshs economy is showing signs of recovery. Ahad, File)DHAKA โ A rebound in garment orders after demand crashed during spring shutdowns is helping to revive the Bangladesh economy. Apparel makers, the countryโs main export industry, say they are looking ahead to Christmas orders from the U.S. and other major markets. Bangladesh earns about $35 billion annually from garment exports, mainly to the United States and Europe.
Gas pipeline blast burns dozens praying at Bangladesh mosque
Doctors treat a burn Muslim worshipper in a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. Dozens of Muslim worshipers suffered burn injuries critically during evening prayers after explosions of a gas pipeline installed underground near a mosque outside Bangladesh capital, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)DHAKA An underground gas pipeline near a mosque exploded during evening prayers outside the capital of Bangladesh, leaving dozens of Muslim worshipers with critical burns, officials said Saturday. The blast occurred Friday night as people were finishing their prayers at Baitus Salat Jame Mosque at Narayanganj, local police chief Zayedul Alam said. TV stations reported that because of the impact of the gas line blast, at least six air conditioners also exploded inside the mosque.
South Asia counts losses from devastating monsoon floods
Across South Asia, more than 17 million people have been affected by this year's monsoon flood. Like him, an estimated 17.5 million people across South Asia are suffering as a result of the devastation of this year's monsoon floods. Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by 230 rivers, is the last channel through which waters are drained into the Bay of Bengal. Thousands have already been displaced from low-lying islands in the Sundarbans, the worlds largest mangrove forest straddling Bangladesh and India. When upstream countries like India or Nepal flush out waters, a district like Kurigram pays the price.
Bangladesh slum fire leaves 10,000 people homeless
ISHRAT JAHAN CHOWDURY via CNN(CNN) - More than 10,000 people have been left homeless after a massive fire engulfed a slum in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, destroying thousands of shanties, according to Bangladeshi officials. Zillur Rahman, the director of the Bangladesh Fire Service, told CNN that the fire started at around 7:14 p.m. local time Friday and was put out by 11:35 p.m. I don't know what I will do," Abdul Hamid, who worked in the slum, told Agence France-Presse. Rabbani told CNN that more than 2,000 huts were destroyed in the blaze, leaving more than 10,000 people homeless. Enamur Rahman, Bangladesh's State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, told CNN Sunday that around "80% of the slum has been completely or partially destroyed."