NEW DELHI, 12 December 2022, (TON): Russia has offered India help in overcoming oil price cap being imposed by western nations amid the war in Ukraine.

Russian embassy in New Delhi said "in order not to depend on the ban on insurance services and tanker chartering in the European Union and Britain, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak has offered India cooperation on leasing and building large-capacity ships.”

It said “Alexander Novak held a meeting with Indian ambassador to Moscow Pavan Kapoor.”

The statement said "in the first eight months of 2022, Russian oil exports to India grew to 16.35 million tonnes; in the summer, Russia ranked second in terms of oil shipments to India.”

DHAKA, 12 December 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged the international partners to support Bangladesh in implementation of its multi-billion dollar national plan on adaptation to climate change.

The National Adaptation Plan for 2023-2050 will require a total of US$ 230 billion for its execution, the premier said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation at Foreign Service Academy through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganabhaban.

She said “we shall need 230 billion US Dollar for implementing our NAP from both domestic and international resources. Bangladesh continues to seek a 50-50 distribution between adaptation and mitigation from international climate financing.”

DHAKA, 12 December 2022, (TON): As part of pre-commission, flushing of systems with the open reactor has commenced at unit-1 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

According to a message received, chemically dematerialized water is supplied to the reactor vessel through the connection pipeline and primary circuit pipelines to remove impurities left after the installation of the equipment and the pipelines at this stage.

Alexey Deriy, Vice President of ASE and Director of RNPP Construction Project said "flushing of active and passive safety systems with the open reactor is one of the most important pre-commissioning operations. This is the first of a whole series of inspections of equipment and process systems.”

By Ali Hassan

The political unrest in Bangladesh is creating disharmony in the nation further leading the country to a destructive perspective as the current ruling party AL’s head Sheik Hasina and her senior members are not willing to leave their seats at any cost in the forthcoming elections. Bangladesh has paid much earlier and now facing the worst consequences in the form of autocracy in the state. The current government claimed to promote democracy in the state but in fact, it create fragility in democratic values in the state throughout its tenure. No doubt Bangladesh went through many developmental stages during the government of Sheikh Hasina but it has faced many rising challenges in long-term phases such as the mega projects were introduced by the current government but the heavy loans taken to govern these projects are leading Bangladesh to the economic crises as it is currently facing trade deficit which has reduced the import capability of the state. Moreover, the pro-Indian stance of the current government in Bangladesh has also ignited questions about the state’s sovereignty and also criticized within the state. Moreover, the rejection of other political parties and their prospective in Bangladesh has also remained a key element of the current ruling party which is again a threat to democracy.

Currently, the upcoming elections in Bangladesh have also created a point of critical concern for the ruling party and opposition. BNP headed by Begum Khaleda Zia is a major opposition party conducting different political activities in the state under democratic rights but still, the violence is being recorded throughout the state which is either due to the misconduct of the activists of the party or they are being stopped to utilize their democratic rights. In both cases, the failure of the government is concluded because of false policy options which are creating rivalries and become the reasons for violence by the establishment and the citizens within the state and not leading them to peaceful activities.

Moreover, following formal charges against over 2,300 members of the main opposition political party for three different offenses, including attacking Dhaka police, Bangladeshi police detained over 500 people on Thursday. In connection with the hours-long skirmishes on 8 December 2022 in the Naya Paltan neighborhood of the city, police brought 450 BNP activists and leaders in front of a local court and secured physical remands for 14. According to a senior police official named Arafatul Islam Khan, three different complaints have been brought against BNP officials and activists in relation to altercations with the Dhaka police in which one person was killed and numerous others were hurt. Further Police have accused BNP officials and activists of unlawfully assembling, assaulting police officers while they were on duty, and concealing explosives. Although According to a BNP delegation, the Golambagh field would be the site of the gathering on December 10. Ahead of the general elections next year, the BNP has organized divisional rallies across the country in an effort to galvanize anti-government opposition amid growing inflation and power and money crises. In order to reduce the magnitude of their public demonstrations, the BNP claimed that transport operators and workers had generally gone on strike in every region where they were staging rallies.

But this is how the public is being frightened as the elections are approaching so that the current government could set its destiny by itself. But the citizens of Bangladesh have witnessed the policy orientations of the government which are taking Bangladesh into decline according to the experts of the state. The restoration of democracy in the state is much more important for improvements and progress of the state. Whosoever comes in power and forms government or the government remains the same in Bangladesh, there is an essential need of changing policy orientations within the state and the policies set by the founder of the nation, Bangabandhu, must be implemented. Bangladesh is a Muslim state, it should not degrade the policy of Islam in the name of modernization as it is translating westernization whereas Islam is the complete code of life. Furthermore, the pro-Indian factor must be reduced and Bangladesh must polish its foreign policy objectives within the limits of state sovereignty. The resource allocations must be highlighted by the state’s concerned departments so that country’s economy could be improved and hence many of the current problems could be resolved in near future.

By Usman Khan

As the country starts preparing for national elections in 2023Opposition groups are reporting an escalation of repression by Bangladesh authorities and attacks by ruling party supporters, Human Rights Watch said today. Bangladesh authorities should respect the rule of law and protect political opposition supporters’ right to freedom of association, and peaceful assembly. Mass arrests and police raids of opposition party members’ homes raise serious concerns about violence and intimidation ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. Bangladesh election campaigns are often accompanied by violence, but the authorities have failed to properly investigate and prosecute members and supporters of the ruling Awami League, who have targeted opposition public meetings and assaulted participants.

Prime Minister has repeatedly said that Bangladesh is a mature democracy capable of conducting elections and a peaceful transition of power, but instead previous polls have been marked by violence, attacks on the opposition, and voter intimidation. According to Human Rights Watch the recent cases of political attacks and arrests set an ominous tone for the upcoming parliamentary elections. At least four people have reportedly died and hundreds have been injured in clashes between police, supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and Awami League supporters, since August 22, 2022,

when the BNP staged a series of protests over fuel and commodity price increases. There are concerning reports of the killing of BNP activists during other recent clashes. Each side has accused the other of instigating the violence. However, while police have carried out mass arrests of opposition supporters, those affiliated with the ruling party appear to have impunity for violent attacks. Among those injured was BNP executive committee member and former mayoral candidate for the northern section of Dhaka, the capital. According to BNP leaders, at least 20,000 cases have been filed against its supporters, in many cases with the accused unnamed.

The use of criminal complaints against large numbers of “unknown” people is a common abusive practice in Bangladesh, allowing the police to intimidate and threaten virtually anyone with arrest, to repeatedly re-arrest detainees even though they are not the named accused in the cases, and to thwart bail requests. Law enforcement officers have used these open cases as warrants to raid the homes of political opposition members in what appears to be overt political harassment and intimidation. In a video that went viral in September, a member of the ruling party’s youth league, reportedly threatened that if ruling party supporters are unable to quash the BNP protests, then “we will start the raids.”

The authorities are also increasingly targeting relatives of expatriate dissidents as a means to threaten critics into silence under Criminal Procedure Code Section 54, a law criticized as a loophole to enable torture because it authorizes the police to arrest people without a warrant and detain them for up to 15 days without allowing them to be represented by a lawyer.

Bangladesh authorities appear poised to further extend the reach of their repression beyond the country’s borders. Previously in a parliamentary foreign affairs standing committee meeting on September 13, Foreign Minister presented a list of Bangladeshis living abroad identified as committing “anti-state” activities and called on embassies to bring the individuals to justice. Prime Minister as well as Awami League and BNP party leaders, should condemn political violence and call on their supporters to respect the right of all Bangladeshis to safely and peacefully gather, and to run for office without fear, Human Rights Watch said.

International human rights law calls for authorities to uphold free expression and peaceful assembly. The UN Human Rights Committee, which interprets the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, says in its General Comment No. 37, concerning the right to peaceful assembly, “that states have an obligation to “respect and ensure” the right of peaceful assembly without discrimination, and to allow such assemblies to “take place without unwarranted interference.” In case “an assembly provokes or may provoke a hostile reaction from members of the public against participants,” the state has a duty to allow the assembly to go ahead and to protect participants. Bangladesh law enforcement are under increased scrutiny following the US human rights sanctions and with parliamentary elections on the horizon. Diplomats in Bangladesh should raise concerns publicly and privately that such repression threatens the conditions for a free and fair election.

MADINAH, 11 December 2022, (TON): Saudi Press Agency reported “Tunisian President Kais Saied arrived in Madinah on Saturday from Riyadh to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque.”

Upon his arrival at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport, he was received by Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman and other senior officials.

The president of the North African country arrived in the Saudi capital to attend the Riyadh Arab-Chinese Summit for Cooperation and Development, hosted by the Kingdom.

DHAKA, 11 December 2022, (TON): Prime minister’s private sector industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman has urged the businessmen of United Kingdom to invest more in Bangladesh’s environment-friendly sectors, including the recycling industry.

A press release in Dhaka said “UK entrepreneurs can benefit from the favourable environment that Bangladesh has created for investment.”

In his speech, Salman said that Bangladesh needed huge investment in the recycling industry, especially for recycling in the garment sector.

Referring to environment, social and governance issues, which are currently widely discussed across the world, he said that there was a large scope for long-term investment in ESG risk management and opportunities in Bangladesh.

KYIV, 11 December 2022, (TON): The head of NATO expressed worry that the fighting in Ukraine could spin out of control and become a war between Russia and NATO, according to an interview released.

“If things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in remarks to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

He said “it is a terrible war in Ukraine. It is also a war that can become a full-fledged war that spreads into a major war between NATO and Russia.”

“We are working on that every day to avoid that.”

Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, said in the interview that “there is no doubt that a full-fledged war is a possibility.”

LONDON, 11 December 2022, (TON): Britain’s foreign secretary has criticized “sordid deals” between Iran and Russia, saying they threaten global security.

James Cleverly’s comments came following the release of information by the US that shows Iran has become one of the Kremlin’s top military backers.

The information has highlighted the extent of Iran’s military support for Russia in its offensive in Ukraine, which includes the provision of hundreds of drones used to kill Ukrainian civilians.

Cleverly said “Iran is now one of Russia’s top military backers; their sordid deals have seen the Iranian regime send hundreds of drones to Moscow, which have been used to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and kill civilians.”

LONDON, 11 December 2022, (TON): A UK government adviser has resigned from her post over what she claims are differences of opinion about women’s rights and race with Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

Nimco Ali OBE, a close friend of Carrie Johnson, wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, quit on air during a conversation on Times Radio a few days before her contract with the government as an adviser on violence against women and girls was due to expire.

Ali said “I’m committed to ending violence against women and girls, and I think there (are) many avenues in order to continue that.”

He added “I think I can definitely say that I wouldn’t feel comfortable in serving under Suella or actually saying that she is somebody that we probably have the same feminist ideals as.”