Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina quits after weeks of deadly protests

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina quits after weeks of deadly protests
In this handout photograph taken and released on July 25, 2024 by Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the media at a vandalized metro station in Mirpur, after the anti-quota protests. (AFP/File)
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Updated 05 August 2024
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Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina quits after weeks of deadly protests

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina quits after weeks of deadly protests
  • Around 300 Bangladeshis were killed in deadly government crackdown
  • Bangladesh’s army will oversee the formation of an interim government

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday, ending 15 years in power as thousands of demonstrators defied a nationwide curfew and stormed her official residence. 

In a televised address, Bangladesh’s military chief Waker-Uz-Zaman announced he was assuming control at a “critical time for our country” and confirmed that Hasina has left Dhaka for a “place of safety,” as local media reported neighboring India as her initial destination. 

“I am taking responsibility now and we will go to the president and ask to form an interim government to lead the country in the meantime,” he said. 

Zaman said the army would stand down and that an investigation would be launched into the deadly crackdowns that fueled outrage against the government. 

“Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible … I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing,” he said. 

“Now, the students’ duty is to stay calm and help us.”

After the army confirmed Hasina’s resignation, thousands of people poured into the capital’s streets in jubilation and shouted slogans. Television visuals showed masses storming Hasina’s official residence in the capital, pumping fists, making victory signs, and removing furniture and other household items. 

Hasina had ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and was elected for a fourth consecutive term in a January vote that was boycotted by her main opponents, sparking concerns over how free and fair the vote was. 

She was forced out by weeks of protests that started out peacefully but turned into deadly clashes with security forces, leading to communications blackout, curfews, and around 300 deaths. 

Students were the ones leading earlier protests that began in July to demand reforms to a quota system for government jobs, which the Supreme Court eventually scaled back. But as the rallies turned deadly and authorities attempted to quell the violence with force, the movement escalated into a campaign to oust Hasina. 

At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks, with the unrest leading to closure of schools and universities across the South Asian nation and authorities issuing a shoot-on-sight curfew at one point. 

Student activists called for a march to Dhaka on Monday in defiance of the latest curfew to press for Hasina’s resignation. This comes after nearly 100 people, including over a dozen police officers, were killed on Sunday following a fresh wave of deadly clashes across the country. 

“SECOND REVOLUTION”

Hasina, 76, was one of the world’s longest ruling female leaders and has played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s politics, a nation of about 170 million people that declared its independence in 1971. 

She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s charismatic founding leader, who was killed in 1975 in a military coup when Ms. Hasina was 28. She served as prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and regained power in 2009.

Under her leadership, Bangladesh became one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, with World Bank estimates showing that more than 25 million people in the country have been lifted out of poverty in the last two decades.

But critics say she has grown increasingly autocratic and called her a threat to the country’s democracy, with many saying that the recent unrest reflected a broader discontent against her rule. 

“Bengalis have witnessed the second revolution in its history of 52 years since independence,” Prof. A.S.M. Amanullah, a professor of sociology at Dhaka University, told Arab News. 

Amanullah said the students had demanded “total reform” of the country, and said all of the nation’s institutions were corrupt, with the government of the last 15 years to blame. 

“It is the people’s power. It is a voice to the rest of the world. It is a voice to the rest of the Indian subcontinent,” Amanullah said. 

“If you work against your people, whatever you may be, whoever you may be, you cannot sustain in the long run.”


Europe has ‘avoided bearing burden of its own security’: Macron

Europe has ‘avoided bearing burden of its own security’: Macron
Updated 2 sec ago
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Europe has ‘avoided bearing burden of its own security’: Macron

Europe has ‘avoided bearing burden of its own security’: Macron
Macron said he was “delighted” that other nations were falling in line with his longstanding call to collectively invest more in defense
“It’s the agenda of European strategic autonomy that will allow us to have more money, to build capacity and autonomy for the Europeans“

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday renewed his calls for Europe to assume more responsibility for its own defense, saying it had for “too long avoided bearing the burden of its own security.”
Speaking alongside NATO chief Mark Rutte, who was visiting Paris in the wake of Donald Trump’s reelection as US President, Macron said he was “delighted” that other nations were falling in line with his longstanding call to collectively invest more in defense.
“It’s the agenda of European strategic autonomy that will allow us to have more money, to build capacity and autonomy for the Europeans, and an ability to cooperate with our non-European allies as part of the alliance,” Macron said.
Trump has questioned Washington’s commitment to defend NATO allies and spoken of slashing support to Ukraine or striking a deal with Russia to end its years-long invasion.
His return to the White House is a renewed spur to Europeans — long used to conventional and nuclear protection from the US military — to reexamine their own defense.
“Nothing should be decided about Ukraine without the Ukrainians, nor about Europe without the Europeans,” Macron said, adding that “building up homegrown military capacity would be “a long-term effort.”
He joined Rutte in calling North Korean troops’ appearance alongside Russian soldiers “a serious escalation” in the Ukraine conflict that widened the threat to the Pacific, increasingly the Americans’ priority theater.
“Russia, working together with North Korea, Iran and China, is not only threatening Europe, it threatens peace and security, yes here in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and North America,” Rutte said.
“We must stand together — Europe, North America and our global partners... We have to keep our trans-atlantic alliance strong,” he added.
Rutte pointed to backing Russia has received from Iran, North Korea and China.
“We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight. We need to raise the cost for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his enabling and authoritarian friends by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict,” he told reporters.

Dumaliang sisters continue fight for Philippines’ biodiversity haven despite constant threats

Dumaliang sisters continue fight for Philippines’ biodiversity haven despite constant threats
Updated 34 min 39 sec ago
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Dumaliang sisters continue fight for Philippines’ biodiversity haven despite constant threats

Dumaliang sisters continue fight for Philippines’ biodiversity haven despite constant threats
  • Ann and Billie Dumaliang were featured in TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders last month
  • In 2024, Philippines was named deadliest country in Asia for environmental defenders for 11th year in a row

MANILA: On the outskirts of Manila, a 2,600-hectare nature reserve has been lauded by top climate activists and film stars after it gained international recognition for one of the largest collaborative reforestation efforts in the Philippines.

Behind the rescue of over 2,000 hectares of that land is sisters Ann and Billie Dumaliang. They have been at the forefront of conserving the biodiversity-rich Masungi Georeserve and nurturing it as a geotourism site, which is home to lush rainforests, 60-million-year-old limestone formations and over 400 species of flora and fauna.

They have become the faces of conservation in the Philippines, a country named in 2024 as the deadliest in Asia for environmental defenders — for the 11th year in a row — with the killings of 17 activists.

The Dumaliang sisters and the nearly 100 rangers at the reserve are no stranger to the deluge of threats that come with their work, which range from physical to legal, and include disinformation and harassment campaigns.

Over the years, rangers at the reserve have been shot at by intruders and were the targets of booby traps and improvised explosives set across the landscape.

But the dangers that come with their conservation efforts have not deterred them from the mission to protect Masungi.

“We’re a small group and a team of young people. All of these groups that we’re up against have unlimited resources … how do we compete with these very powerful and well-resourced interests?” Billie, 31, told Arab News.

The sisters were among the trailblazers featured in TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders last month, recognized for their work protecting Masungi from illegal loggers, land grabbers and quarrying companies.

Billie says TIME’s “empowering” recognition was a “symbol” that the international community has been paying attention to their team’s work and the challenges they face.

“A lot of times when you don’t have enough support at home, if your organization is repressed or harassed, sometimes it’s really the international community that provides the much-needed support,” Billie said.

The Dumaliang sisters help manage the Masungi Georeserve Foundation, which they founded in 2015 to lead and strengthen conservation efforts that began in the 1990s.

Through a private conservation model and a highly controlled geotourism program, Masungi has shot to fame as a showcase for sustainable reforestation.

Their work has also garnered support from prominent figures, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio.

Despite the real dangers they face every day, some of Ann and Billie’s earliest memories were attached to the reserve — experiences that keep them passionate about their work today.

As children, they would visit Masungi with their father, a civil engineer and conservationist, as he worked on development, and later, conservation efforts.

“Instead of taking us to the mall on weekends, our dad would take us to these nature areas where he had projects,” Billie said.

The reserve was a regular destination for the Dumaliangs, back when it was still heavily barren — initially to give way to government housing projects that had eventually fallen through.

“The appreciation that we have for the outdoors, for the natural world came from seeing Masungi evolve from a place that was like that to the lush forest that it is now,” Ann, 33, said.

“The motivation for me and for Billie is really just to make sure that that stays and that it continues to exist past our time.”

Their foundation’s approach to conservation follows assisted natural regeneration, which allows these areas to naturally restore their ecosystems and regenerate through mitigating and preventing disruption.

This means the bulk of their work was focused on preventing encroachments on the area and securing the expansive reserve’s boundaries, with rangers guarding the area from intruders and deterring illegal activities such as logging and quarrying.

“They said in the early nineties, all that you could hear was the sound of chainsaws in the area. Today, it’s birds and different types of animals and the wind and the leaves. So, what it looks like now is a jungle and a thriving ecosystem,” Billie said.

“It took more than 20 years for that whole ecosystem to come back, and it started when we were able to make sure that we could manage disturbances to the landscape,” she added. “So we let nature do its thing, regenerate, reheal, and we assist through mitigating the threats.”

For Ann, the recent TIME feature was an encouragement not only for their team, but for the “frontliners of this work” in the Philippines and around the world, whose safety is often at risk for simply protecting the environment.

“These are constant harassments faced by the people who learn to love their land the most. And more often than not, they’re poorly heard, yet they’re the ones who are threatened the most.”


German teen held over suspected Islamist attack plot

German teen held over suspected Islamist attack plot
Updated 12 November 2024
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German teen held over suspected Islamist attack plot

German teen held over suspected Islamist attack plot
  • The Bild daily reported that the suspect had planned to attack a Christmas market with a truck.

Berlin: German prosecutors on Tuesday said that a 17-year-old had been arrested for plotting an Islamist terror attack, with media reports saying he wanted to target a Christmas market.
He is suspected of “preparing a serious violent attack” and “conspiracy to commit murder,” and had “extreme Islamist views,” said the prosecutors in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The suspect is a German national and was arrested on Wednesday last week in the town of Elmshorn, they said.
The Bild daily reported that the suspect had planned to attack a Christmas market with a truck.
In December 2016 a truck rampage at a Berlin Christmas market killed 12 people, the deadliest jihadist attack ever committed in Germany.
Alongside several other countries, Germany has been on high alert for Islamist attacks since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel sparked the devastating war in the Gaza Strip.
Authorities say they have foiled several planned attacks.
However, three people were killed and eight wounded in a knife attack at a street festival in the western city of Solingen in August, allegedly carried out by a Syrian asylum seeker and claimed by the Daesh group.
In June, another knife attack killed a policeman in the town of Mannheim, with an Afghan national the prime suspect.


COP 29: UK’s Starmer sets out new 2035 climate goal

COP 29: UK’s Starmer sets out new 2035 climate goal
Updated 12 November 2024
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COP 29: UK’s Starmer sets out new 2035 climate goal

COP 29: UK’s Starmer sets out new 2035 climate goal
  • Starmer said the British public would not be burdened because of the new target

BAKU: Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 81 percent by 2035 as he committed the country to a more ambitious climate goal at the United Nations COP29 climate summit.
The new goal is in line with a recommendation from a committee of climate advisers who said last month the target should exceed the current 78 percent cut to emissions, measured against 1990 levels.
“At this COP, I was pleased to announce that we’re building on our reputation as a climate leader, with the UK’s 2035 NDC (nationally determined contributions) target to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81 percent on 1990 levels,” Starmer told a press conference at the climate gathering in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Starmer said the British public would not be burdened because of the new target, which excludes international aviation and shipping emissions.
“What we’re not going to do, is start telling people how to live their lives. We’re not going to start dictating to people what they do,” he said.


Moldova protests to Russian envoy over election meddling denied by Moscow

Moldova protests to Russian envoy over election meddling denied by Moscow
Updated 12 November 2024
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Moldova protests to Russian envoy over election meddling denied by Moscow

Moldova protests to Russian envoy over election meddling denied by Moscow
  • Foreign ministry hands protest note to Russian envoy
  • Moldova accuses Russia of election meddling

CHISINAU: Moldova handed Russia’s ambassador to Chisinau a protest note on Tuesday over alleged interference by Moscow in a presidential election and a referendum on joining the European Union.
The Moldovan foreign ministry said in a statement that Russia had sought to delegitimize the democratic process of the country’s presidential election, won by pro-Western President Maia Sandu, and an Oct. 20 referendum on inserting a clause in the constitution defining EU membership as a goal.
Moscow has denied the allegations.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented today to the Ambassador ... a note of protest in connection with the illegal and deliberate interference of the Russian Federation in the electoral process of the Republic of Moldova,” Moldova’s foreign ministry said.
Russian ambassador Oleg Ozerov said of the meeting: “The conversation made it possible to clarify issues related to our acute and complex bilateral relations.”
Moldova has accused Moscow and fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor of meddling throughout the run-up to voting, saying a scheme he ran sought to buy the votes of 300,000 people.
Shor, who lives in Russia, denies wrongdoing. Russia has said the election, in which there were two rounds of voting on Oct. 20 and Nov. 3, was unfair and that it does not see Sandu as the legitimate president.
Ties between Russia and Moldova, which was formerly part of the Soviet Union, have deteriorated as the Moldovan government accelerated the push to integrate with the EU. Last month’s referendum narrowly backed enshrining the wish to join the EU in Moldova’s constitution.

Violation of airspace
Moldova’s foreign ministry also used Tuesday’s meeting with Russia’s ambassador to condemn a violation of its airspace by two drones which it said crashed on its territory on Sunday.
Ozerov said there was no evidence the drones were Russian and that Moscow did not fly drones through countries neighboring Ukraine.
Russia has regularly attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles since its full-scale invasion of Moldova’s neighbor in 2022. Moldova has on several occasions recovered weapons debris on its territory.
It said on Sunday that two Russian “decoy” drones had been found in the northern village of Borosenii Noi and the southern village of Firladeni, after a Russian drone attack on Ukraine. No one was reported hurt.