UK minister offers support to Bangladesh to recover billions in smuggled moneyThe UK’s Foreign Office Minister for Indo-Pacific Catherine West has expressed her country’s full support in helping Bangladesh recover the billions of dollars laundered abroad during the 15 years of Awami League rule. West told Yunus that it is important for him to know that the British government support Bangladesh. Yunus emphasised that recovering the smuggled funds, stolen by corrupt politicians, oligarchs, and bureaucrats, is a top priority for his administration. Citing a recent report by Transparency International Bangladesh, Yunus said that over $12 billion is being smuggled abroad annually. The interim prime minister also said Bangladesh would need India’s cooperation to achieve this goal.

I want them both in my life but don’t know how to make things right. At first, we chalked it up to someone with the same name having momentary confusion about their own email address. (This is an email address my husband has had for 20 years.) We don’t know the email address these are intended for, or we’d forward the messages. A letter seems to be the best course of action, since you still don’t know the correct email address.

Scientists say conservation of the Amazon is vital to curbing climate change because of the vast amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide its trees absorb. In his four-hour stopover in Manaus, Biden plans to announce an additional $50 million for the Amazon Fund, initially funded by Norway and Germany to back conservation of the rainforest, bringing the effective US contribution to $100 million. Last year, Biden said he would request $500 million from the US Congress to support the Amazon Fund. Trump has called climate change a hoax and plans to roll back much of Biden's landmark climate legislation to help pay for the extension of tax cuts secured in his first term. The incoming Republican president also aims to boost record US oil and natural gas production and eliminate rules imposed by Biden to wean gasoline-powered cars off US roads

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2024 (BSS) – Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma today said that Delhi would continue to seek a stable, positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh in which people of both the countries are the main stakeholders. “India takes a long-term view of its relations with Bangladesh and believes that the peace, security, progress and prosperity of the two countries are interlinked,” he said. The envoy was speaking on India-Bangladesh relations during the ongoing Bay of Bengal Conversation organized by the Centre for Governance Studies in the capital, said a press release issued by the Indian high commission here. He also described India-Bangladesh cooperation as an anchor for regional integration envisaged under architectures such as BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multiu-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). High Commissioner expressed India’s commitment to working together with the government and people of Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations for peace, security and development, ensuring that it continues to bring benefit to the common people on both the sides.

Yunus continued: "We have maintained regular communication with political parties and have been incorporating their feedback into government decisions. Electoral reforms are a core commitment of this government, and it is a mandate you have entrusted to us." Yunus highlighted that the election process has begun and will not stop, but its progress depends on the consensus of political parties. Yunus continued, "We will continue to ask the people, especially political parties, what reforms they would like to implement before the election. Some reforms may take place during the election process, and the election could be delayed by a few months if necessary for reforms."

Israeli military vehicles drive through the so-called Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Sept 13, 2024. REUTERS/Amir CohenIsraeli military vehicles drive through the so-called Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Sept 13, 2024. A statement from the defence ministry said it would work with community leaders to ensure ultra-Orthodox soldiers could preserve their religious lifestyles while serving. Leaders of the rapidly growing ultra-Orthodox community say that forcing seminary students to serve alongside secular Israelis including women risks destroying their identity as religious Jews. The government faces increasing pressure from Israeli reservists, of which many have served for the majority of the past year, to draft ultra-Orthodox members.

REUTERS/StringerA multi-storey residential building lies in ruins following an Israeli strike, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, Nov 17, 2024. It said it has killed hundreds of militants in those three areas, which residents said Israeli forces had isolated from Gaza City. Later on Sunday, an Israeli strike killed five Palestinians, tasked with escorting aid trucks that entered the enclave, according to residents in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, an Israeli air strike killed at least 10 people in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip, when a missile hit a house, medics said. Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis that day, and still hold dozens of some 250 hostages they took back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

A man has allegedly stabbed his nephew to death during an altercation over an unpaid debt in Chattogram's Patiya Upazila. The victim, identified as 22-year-old Md Russell, was the son of Jamal Mia, said Abu Zayed Md Nazmun Nur, chief of Patiya Police Station. His uncle, Md Jalal, fled the scene after the attack, according to the police. During the confrontation, Jalal stabbed Russell in the neck, leading to his death," said Nur. At one point, Jalal grabbed a knife and stabbed Russell on both sides of his neck.

The Department of Immigration and Passports has reportedly suspended the processing of former speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury's application for a general passport due to her implication in a murder case. “Shirin surrendered her diplomatic passport a month and a half ago and applied for a general passport. A passport application is scrutinised at different phases and only then does the applicant receive one. Shirin Sharmin’s application to have a general passport issued instead of a diplomatic one is still at the preliminary phase. However, he declined to comment on the reported suspension of passport processing for the former speaker and her husband.

Workers from Beximco Industrial Park have blocked the highway in Gazipur’s Sarabo for a second consecutive day, pressing for overdue wages. They began descending on the Chandra-Nabinagar highway in Sarabo’s Chakrabarty area from 9am on Sunday, said Saiful Islam, the chief of Kashimpur Police Station in the Gazipur Metropolitan Area. According to OC Saiful, as many as 41,000 employees work at the garment and ceramic factories at Beximco Industrial Park. Meanwhile, the workers of the garment factories have been protesting on the streets for a week, demanding unpaid wages for the month of October. On Saturday, protesters occupied the Chandra-Nabinagar highway for 10 hours before lifting the blockade around 7:15pm.

The speech will be broadcast live on all state-run media channels at 7pm on SundayChief Advisor Muhammad Yunus is set to address the nation to mark his interim administration's 100th day in office. In his first address that day, Yunus declared that the interim government aimed to serve the entire nation and meet the people's aspirations. Despite the calamity, Yunus delivered a second national address on Aug 25, urging the public to remain patient. In his second address, he also presented the government's priorities and action plan, promising to restore democracy. On Sept 11, about a month after taking office, Yunus delivered a third national address.

A mob protesting the deaths of six hostages have attempted to break into the residence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the Indian state of Manipur. The attack sparked another flashpoint involving security forces and protesters in the violence-hit state on Saturday, broadcaster NDTV reports. Security forces later deployed tear gas to disperse the protesters. The Manipur government has requested the central government to reconsider and revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a controversial law that grants sweeping powers to the armed forces. The Indian central government has deployed additional security forces and pledged firm action against violent elements in both communities.

In the Chimbuk Range of Bandarbans, the 'Achiote' or 'Lipstick Tree' grows in the hillside crevices along the roadside. Its seeds are used to make a variety of cosmetics, including lipstick, while locals also rely on the fruit for treating wounds, itching, and inflammation. Photo: Samir Mallik

REUTERSRepublican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump greets a Michigan Muslim community leader at a rally in Novi, Michigan, US, October 26, 2024. Muslim support for Trump helped him win Michigan and may have factored into other swing state wins, strategists believe. Trump picked Republican senator Marco Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel for Secretary of State. Another key Trump ally, Massad Boulos, the Lebanese father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, met repeatedly with Arab American and Muslim leaders. Rola Makki, the Lebanese American, Muslim vice chair for outreach of the Michigan Republican Party, agreed.

During her visit, Minister West will meet Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, said a press release issued by British High Commission here. This marks the first UK ministerial visit to Bangladesh since the formation of the interim government in August last. The UK minister will also hold discussions with political leaders, business representatives, and civil society members. British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke welcomed the visit, stating, “I am delighted to host UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West in Bangladesh. Minister West is also expected to meet with student leaders and political parties to discuss the UK’s support for Bangladesh’s democratic recovery.