report in The Daily Star, Oct 6, 2023One of the top drug and arms dealers in Cox’s Bazar, Zafrul Islam Prakash used to smuggle 40 to 45 lakh pieces of yaba pills every month from a neighbouring country. Zafrul, who also goes by the name Babul Member, has a gang of 20 to 25 armed persons who assist him in his criminal activities, which include extortion, gold smuggling, illegal sand extraction, cattle smuggling, and razing…
Posts published in “Bangladesh”
report in Prothom Alo, Oct 6, 2023Internet freedom in Bangladesh declined during the period spanning from June 2022 to May 2023, said US-based think tank Freedom House. In a report titled ‘Freedom on the Net 2023, the think tank marked internet freedom in Bangladesh as “partly free” with a declining overall score of 41 out of 100 and painted a concerning picture of internet freedom here. In detail, the country received 12 points out of…
by Pranab Baul & Gazi Firoz in Prothom Alo, Oct 7, 2023Both Awami League and BNP in Chattogram South district are rife with inner conflict. The race to clinch nomination for the forthcoming national parliament election is fuelling these conflicts further. As a result, the conflict over positions in the committees of both parties has been overshadowed by the conflict over nomination. Nomination aspirants of both parties are active in the six constituencies of Chattogram…
Report in The Daily Star, Oct 7, 2023Bangladesh authorities must immediately and impartially investigate the attack on journalist Mosharraf Shah and hold the perpetrators accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Friday. CPJ said this in an article published on its website. Referring to a statement by “Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media” and the journalist, CPJ said Mosharraf, a reporter of the daily Prothom Alo, was severely beaten by 15 to 20 men…
Report in The Daily Star, Oct 7, 2023A six-member US pre-election assessment mission will arrive in Dhaka today on a six-day visit to determine whether to send a limited international election observation mission for the upcoming general election in Bangladesh. During its stay in Dhaka, the US delegation will meet with election stakeholders, including the Election Commission, government officials, political party leaders, and civil society organisations, according to a statement of the International Republican Institute…
by Mintu Deshwara in The Daily Star, Oct 7, 2023Out of 50 sawmills located in Madhabpur upazila in Habiganj, 40 lack necessary documentation from relevant departments. These sawmills have been established within a 10-kilometre radius of protected and social forest areas. Consequently, it is leading to depletion of valuable forest resources. Locals are concerned that if the trend persists, the existence of both social and protected forest areas could be jeopardised. According to the Forest…
report in The daily Star, Oct 7, 2023Unidentified criminals broke into a temple in Munshiganj town early yesterday and stole five idols of Hindu deities. The donation box of the temple, a silver swing, and other valuables made of brass were also stolen, said temple committee President Mahadev Halder. The stolen idols are an ashtadhatu idol of Radha-Krishna (40kg), a Gopal idol, a Ganesh idol, another brass idol of Radha-Krishna, and a brass idol of…
report in The Daily Star, Oct 6, 2023One of the top drug and arms dealers in Cox’s Bazar, Zafrul Islam Prakash used to smuggle 40 to 45 lakh pieces of yaba pills every month from a neighbouring country. Zafrul, who also goes by the name Babul Member, has a gang of 20 to 25 armed persons who assist him in his criminal activities, which include extortion, gold smuggling, illegal sand extraction, cattle smuggling, and razing…
report in Prothom Alo, Oct 6, 2023Internet freedom in Bangladesh declined during the period spanning from June 2022 to May 2023, said US-based think tank Freedom House. In a report titled ‘Freedom on the Net 2023, the think tank marked internet freedom in Bangladesh as “partly free” with a declining overall score of 41 out of 100 and painted a concerning picture of internet freedom here. In detail, the country received 12 points out of…
report in Dhaka Tribune, Oct 5, 2023A new report by the non-governmental human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has shed light on the alarming harassment faced by journalists in Bangladesh during the first nine months of 2023. The report uncovers a disturbing pattern of threats, violence, and obstruction encountered by media professionals while performing their duties. The ASK report, unveiled on Tuesday by ZI Khan Panna, chairperson of the executive committee of ASK,…