Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Bangladesh rethinks plan to move Rohingya refugees  

BANGLADESH is reconsidering a plan to relocate Rohingya refugees to a flood-prone island located hours by boat from its coast, junior minister for disaster management and relief Enamur Rahman told on Wednesday (26).

The proposal to move 100,000 people to Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal to ease overcrowding at camps near the Myanmar border had been opposed by many refugees, and some rights experts had warned it could spark a fresh humanitarian crisis.


A United Nations investigator who visited last year expressed doubts whether the island was even habitable.

"We have not taken a final decision yet, but we're no longer interested in moving them there," Rahman said.

Dhaka was instead "focusing instead on a safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation", he added, saying China was actively engaged in talks with Myanmar to expedite this process.

"We're hopeful of a positive outcome," Rahman said.

Camps near the border town of Cox's Bazar are home to more than one million Rohingya Muslims who have fled neighbouring Myanmar following a military-led crackdown since August 2017.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar last month to protect the Rohingya against further atrocities and preserve evidence of alleged crimes, after Gambia launched a lawsuit accusing the country of genocide.

A Myanmar government-appointed panel established to probe allegations of abuses against the Rohingya said last month it had found no evidence of genocide.

Densely populated Bangladesh has struggled with the growing number of refugees. Local communities have been increasingly hostile towards Rohingya after a second failed bid to send thousands back to Myanmar in August.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina's government has already spent tens of millions of dollars to turn Bhasan Char into a permanent landmass and a temporary home for the refugees. It was unclear if the government planned to repurpose the facilities already built on the island.

Humanitarian and human rights groups had criticized the relocation proposal, saying the island is flood-prone and vulnerable to frequent cyclones, and could be completely submerged during a high tide.

Yanghee Lee, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said after visiting last year that she feared a "new crisis" if Rohingya were taken to the island.

"There are a number of things that remain unknown to me even following my visit, chief among them being whether the island is truly habitable," Lee said.

(Reuters)

More For You

King Charles

The palace said in a statement that after receiving scheduled treatment in the morning, the king had 'temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital.' (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

King Charles cancels engagements after cancer treatment side effects

KING CHARLES has postponed his engagements for Thursday and Friday after experiencing side effects from his ongoing cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace announced.

The palace said in a statement that after receiving scheduled treatment in the morning, the king had "temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital."

Keep ReadingShow less
Salman Rushdie to release first major work since stabbing
Rushdie was stabbed about 15 times: in the head, neck, torso and left hand, blinding his right eye and damaging his liver and intestines. (Photo: Getty Images)

Salman Rushdie to release first major work since stabbing

BRITISH-AMERICAN novelist Salman Rushdie will publish his first major work of fiction since the brutal stabbing that blinded him in one eye, his publisher said on Thursday (27).

The Eleventh Hour, is a collection of short stories examining themes and places of interest to Rushdie who narrowly escaped death during the 2022 attack. It will be released on November 4, 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
King Charles Enjoys Bollywood Melody at Commonwealth Day Event

A cross-cultural moment that captured widespread attention

Getty

King Charles welcomed with Bollywood tune at Commonwealth Day ceremony

During the Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeted with an unexpected and memorable musical performance. The Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band played the iconic Bollywood song “Dhoom Machale,” creating a cross-cultural moment that captured widespread attention.

This unique performance combined traditional Scottish bagpipes with the Bollywood tune, surprising many of those in attendance and on social media. The Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band, which was established in the early 1950s, is known for blending Scottish musical traditions with elements of Hindu culture. With branches in the UK, India, the USA, and Kenya, the band has performed at numerous high-profile events over the years. Among their previous notable appearances is a performance for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech at Madison Square Garden.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patient’s kindness averts terror attack as hospital worker jailed for 37 years

St James’s Hospital in Leeds

Wikipedia

Patient’s kindness averts terror attack as hospital worker jailed for 37 years

A FORMER hospital worker was jailed for 37 years last Friday (21) after a patient talked him out of detonating a homemade pressure cooker bomb in a maternity ward.

Prosecutors said Mohammad Farooq was a “self-radicalised lone wolf terrorist” inspired by Daesh (the Islamic State group).

Keep ReadingShow less
Powerful Earthquake Shakes Myanmar and Thailand – Details Here

Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building after the tremors of a strong earthquake that struck central Myanmar on Friday affected Bangkok, Thailand, on March 28. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Strong earthquake hits Myanmar and Thailand

A POWERFUL earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, with tremors felt in neighbouring Thailand, causing a 30-storey building under construction to collapse in Bangkok. Dozens of workers were trapped, and authorities declared a state of emergency.

The 7.7-magnitude quake was recorded northwest of Sagaing in Myanmar in the afternoon at a shallow depth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A 6.4-magnitude aftershock followed shortly after in the same region.

Keep ReadingShow less