Hopes run high over June 6

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Dhaka on June 6 on his first state visit to Bangladesh, as the two countries move to further strengthen ties and enhance cooperation in the fields of connectivity, infrastructure and trade.

Dhaka and New Delhi yesterday simultaneously announced that Modi would visit Bangladesh on June 6-7 at the invitation of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina.

According to diplomatic sources in both countries, it will be a 36-hour trip. Modi will fly in on June 6 morning and depart in the afternoon the next day.

The Indian PM might make certain positive announcements during the visit, said diplomatic sources in New Delhi.

He might declare some economic facilities for Bangladesh to address

outstanding issues, including trade imbalance, they said.

Modi could also announce supply of additional 500megawatt power to Bangladesh, easing of visa regime, and e-Tourist Visa facilities for Bangladeshi citizens.

On the other hand, the Bangladesh PM is expected to offer an exclusive economic zone for Indian investments, said diplomatic sources in Dhaka.

The Indian PM will hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladesh counterpart. The two sides are expected to sign about a dozen important deals covering trade and investment, road, rail and sea connectivity, energy and disaster management.

Setting the tone for Modi's upcoming visit, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said India and Bangladesh would soon approve the long-pending Teesta river water-sharing agreement.

"Both the countries will give their approval to it very soon. We are hopeful that we will get full cooperation from West Bengal government", Singh said at a press conference in Kolkata yesterday.

Ties between India and Bangladesh have been on an upswing ever since the Hasina government came to power in January 2009.

In a statement yesterday, Bangladesh foreign ministry said, “The visit is expected to further strengthen the excellent relationship between the two countries.”

India's external affairs ministry made a similar announcement saying the visit "reflects the importance attached by India to the bilateral relationship.”

This will be Modi's 19th foreign visit since he assumed power on May 26, 2014. The announcement comes at a time when the BJP celebrates the Modi government's one year in power.

As part of a policy to deepen engagement with India's immediate neighbours, Modi had earlier visited Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Following the passage of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) bill by the Indian parliament, The Daily Star first reported on May 8 that Modi would visit Bangladesh in the first week of June.

A diplomatic source in New Delhi said Modi had made a commitment to visit Dhaka after resolving at least one of the two major pending issues -- the LBA and Teesta water sharing.

Yesterday afternoon, high-ups of Bangladesh foreign ministry had a meeting with Pankaj Saran, Indian high commissioner in Dhaka. Senior officials of various line ministries attended the meeting that finalised the draft schedule of the Indian PM's visit.

Source: The Daily Star

Shia militias deployed in bid to wrest Iraqi city of Ramadi back from ISIL

Shia paramilitaries were deployed to Iraq's western province of Anbar on Monday after ISIL fighters overran the provincial capital Ramadi in the biggest defeat for the Baghdad government since last summer.

Iraqi authorities called on the Shia-led militias to lead a counteroffensive against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) after days of vicious fighting left hundreds dead and thousands displaced. At least 3,000 fighters arrived near Ramadi on Monday and entered a military base at the provincial capital. Their presence was accompanied by an increase in US-led air strikes on ISIL positions. 

But the decision to call on Shia fighters to assist in the pushback has prompted fears that their involvement may alienate many in the mainly Sunni province. Following the recapture of Tikrit from ISIL earlier this year, Shia militias were accused of a range of human rights abuses.

Tarik al-Abdullah, secretary-general of the Al Anbar council, a group of provincial tribal leaders, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the Shia militias are “not very welcome.”

Abudullah said the government should be supplying weapons and training to volunteer fighters in the province, instead of using militias.

“We need the support of the government. We have a big number of volunteers waiting to participate to liberate our province from [ISIL],” he said.

Source: Aljazeera

Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's ex-leader, sentenced to death

Morsi is already serving a 20-year prison term for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters while in power.

Egypt's religious authorities will now have to give their opinion before the sentence can be carried out.

Morsi's supporters from his Muslim Brotherhood movement have described the charges against him as "farcical".

He was deposed by the military in July 2013 following mass street protests against his rule.

Since then, the authorities have banned the Muslim Brotherhood and arrested thousands of his supporters.

In a separate case on Saturday, an Egyptian court banned hardcore football fan clubs known as the Ultras, who played a leading role in protests during the 2011 uprising against then-president Hosni Mubarak. 

At the scene: Sally Nabil, BBC Arabic, Cairo

Inside the dock, Morsi and members of his Muslim Brotherhood group chanted, "Down with military rule!" after the judge read out his ruling against him.

The judge's request for the death sentence in connection with the jailbreak case was referred to the grand mufti, a high religious cleric, for ratification.

However, the mufti's recommendation is not binding. Even if he advises against the death sentence, the judge can still go ahead with it.

The Brotherhood issued a statement condemning the sentence and called for an escalation of protests.

But the tight security grip in Egypt means that it is highly unlikely to see mass demonstrations.

Hundreds of Brotherhood supporters are already behind bars, while others are keeping a low profile for fear of a crackdown.

Morsi raised both fists in defiance as the sentences were given.

Morsi, who escaped from Wadi Natroun prison in January 2011, was accused of colluding with foreign militants in a plot to free Islamists during the mass prison breaks.

Many of his 104 co-defendants were Palestinians accused of being members of militant group Hamas, and were charged in absentia.

The court also issued rulings on another case, sentencing 16 Muslim Brotherhood members, including deputy leader Khairat al-Shater, to death on spying charges.

Morsi, who also faces espionage charges, will be issued a verdict in that case at a later date.

Hundreds of people have been sentenced to death in a crackdown on the Brotherhood following Morsi's removal in 2013.

However, it is thought that only one such death sentence has been carried out so far.

All death sentences must first be sent to the grand mufti, Egypt's highest religious authority, for his non-binding opinion on whether they should stand.

Convictions are still open to appeal, even if the grand mufti gives his approval.

'Erasing democracy'

Morsi's supporters have condemned the cases against him as a political show trial.

Amr Darrag, a former minister in Morsi's government, described Saturday as "one of the darkest days" in Egypt's history.

"These latest charges are another deeply disturbing attempt to permanently erase democracy and the democratic process in Egypt," he said in a statement.

The death sentence was also condemned by Amnesty International, which said it had become a tool "to purge the political opposition", and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who likened it to a return to "ancient Egypt".

Morsi was Egypt's first freely elected president, but protests began building less than a year into his rule when he issued a decree granting himself far-reaching powers.

The armed forces, led by then-military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, ousted Morsi in July 2013.

In May 2014, Mr Sisi became president after securing a landslide victory in presidential elections with a turnout of 46%.

Source: BBC

6000 Bangladeshi, Rohingya migrants floating at sea

About 1,600 Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia in the past day, apparently after human traffickers abandoned their virtual floating prison ships and left the passengers to fend for themselves, reports AP. But an estimated 6,000 Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar remain trapped in crowded, wooden boats, migrant officials and activists said Monday. With food and clean water running low, some could be in grave danger, reports the Associated Press. 

Worried that vessels will start washing to shore with dead bodies, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the United States and several other foreign governments and international organizations held emergency meetings in recent days, but participants say there are no immediate plans to search for vessels in the busy Malacca Strait waterways. One of the problems was determining what to do with the Rohingya if a rescue was launched, participants said on condition they not be named. Seven boats were rescued Sunday after human traffickers abandoned the ships and left passengers to fend for themselves, officials said. Nearly 600 migrants were brought to shore in western Indonesia and just over a thousand others to Malaysia's Langkawi island. Denied citizenship in Myanmar, the Rohingya are effectively stateless. "At this point, I'm not sure what the concrete next steps are or should be," said Vivian Tan, the UNHCR's regional press officer in Bangkok, Thailand. 

"There is a real sense of urgency, but there doesn't seem to be a clear mechanism in this region for responding to something like this." Moreover, she said, the location of the boats and the number of people on board needed to be clarified. Some weak and hungry survivors waded to shore, others swam. 

Chris Lewa, director of the non-profit Arakan Project, which has been monitoring boat departures and arrivals for more than a decade, estimates more than 100,000 men, women and children have boarded ships since mid-2012. Lewa believes up to 7,000 Rohingya and Bangaldeshis are still on small and large boats in the Malacca Strait and nearby international waters, some after more than two months at sea. 

Tightly confined, and with limited access to food and clean water, their health is deteriorating, Lewa said, adding that dozens of deaths have been reported. Police found a big wooden boat late Sunday night trapped in the sand in shallow waters at a beach in Langkawi and have since located 865 men, 101 women and 52 children, said island deputy police chief Jamil Ahmed. He added many appeared weak and thin and that at least two other boats have not been found. He said a Bangladeshi man told police the boat handlers gave the passengers directions on where to go once they reached Malaysian shores before abandoning the group and escaping into other boats. "We believe there may be more boats coming," Jamil said. When the four ships neared Indonesia's shores, some passengers jumped into the water and swam, said Steve Hamilton, of the International Organization for Migration in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. Since May 1, police have unearthed two dozen bodies from shallow graves in the mountains of southern Thailand, the apparent victims of smuggling rings, they say. Thai authorities have since arrested dozens of people, including a powerful mayor and a man named Soe Naing, otherwise known as Anwar, who was accused of being one of the trafficking kingpins in southern Thailand. 

More than 50 police officers are also under investigation. Reuters adds: First Admiral Maritime Zulkifli bin Abu Bakar, the head of criminal investigations in the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, said the arrivals in Malaysia were a surprise and couldn't say if they were linked to the Thai crackdown. "We didn't expect large numbers like this to come down," he said. Of those rescued off Indonesia, around 50 were taken to hospital. "In general, they were suffering from starvation and many were very thin," said North Aceh police chief Achmadi. Some of the migrants had initially believed they had arrived in Malaysia. The refugees were being held in a gymnasium in the town of Lhoksukon, about 20 km (12 miles) from where they were brought ashore. 

Mohammad Kasim, a Bangladeshi migrant on one of the boats, told Reuters that each passenger paid 4,400 ringgit ($1,200) for the journey to what they thought would be Malaysia. Three people died on the journey and were dumped in the sea, he said. "We are hearing the passengers were left close to shore and were told that this is Malaysia and you got what you paid for. They came onshore and found out it wasn't Malaysia," said Mark Getchell, head of the International Organization for Migration in Indonesia. An agency official estimated that around 300 people had died at sea in the first quarter of this year as a result of starvation, dehydration and abuse by boat crews. Kasim, 44, said he had left the Bangladesh town of Bogra a month ago on a small boat with 30-40 other people in the hope of finding a job in Malaysia. An agency in Bogra helped arrange the trip. "Before, I worked in Malaysia for three years in construction when

I was 16. I wanted to go back because it is very difficult to find work in Bangladesh," Kasim, speaking in Malay, told Reuters. After leaving Bogra, they arrived at a Thai beach where he said they stayed for 21 days before leaving on a larger ship with hundreds of passengers. "I didn't know where I was but I was on the beach," Kasim said. 

Source: The News Today 

Greece two weeks from cash crisis - Yanis Varoufakis

Yanis Varoufakis gave the warning after eurozone finance ministers met in Brussels to discuss the final €7.2bn tranche of Greece's €240m EU/IMF bailout.

Ministers said Greece had made "progress" but more work was needed.

The Greek government is struggling to meet its payment obligations.

Earlier, Greece began the transfer of €750m (£544m, $834m) in debt interest to the International Monetary Fund - a day ahead of a payment deadline.

"The liquidity issue is a terribly urgent issue. It's common knowledge, let's not beat around the bush," Mr Varoufakis told reporters in Brussels.

"From the perspective [of timing], we are talking about the next couple of weeks."Greece has until the end of June to reach a reform deal with its international creditors. Its finances are running so low that it has had to ask public bodies for help.

The crisis has raised the prospect that Greece might default on its debts and leave the euro.

The eurozone is insisting on a rigorous regime of reforms, including cuts to pensions, in return for the bailout, but Greece's anti-austerity Syriza-led government is resisting the tough terms.

In a statement, the eurozone finance ministers said they "welcomed the progress that has been achieved so far" in the negotiations, but added: "We acknowledged that more time and effort are needed to bridge the gaps on the remaining open issues."

Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said there had to be a full deal on the bailout before Greece received any further payments.

"There are time constraints and liquidity constraints and hopefully we will reach an agreement before time runs out and before money runs out," he said.

There had been fears that Greece would default on its IMF debt repayment due on Tuesday.

Referendum

However, a Greek finance ministry official was quoted as saying that the order for repayment had been executed on Monday. Almost €1bn has been handed over to the IMF in interest payments since the start of May.

It is unclear how the government came up with the funds, but the mayor of Greece's second city Thessaloniki revealed last week that he had handed over cash reserves in response to an appeal for money.

Syriza has said it will not break its anti-austerity electoral promises, and that has raised the prospect of a referendum on any deal agreed in Brussels.

Germany's finance minister, Wolfgang Schaueble, has lent support to the idea.

"Maybe this would be the right measure to let the Greek people decide if it is ready to accept what is necessary," he said.

Source: BBC

Assault on woman activist in Bangladesh: A Mother’s Day gift from police!

She looked like a doe trying to run away from the tiger's paws. And then the brutes came thundering down, kicking and beating her, knocking her down on the pavement. That is what our police force did to this girl who was there to protest the sexual assault near TSC on Pahela Baishakh, the Bangla New Year.

What a gift from the police on the Mother's Day!

And what was her “crime”? She threw an earthen pot on an armoured personnel carrier after police swooped on students who were protesting police failures to arrest those sex predators.

We have seen the videos and still pictures of Sunday's assault time and again and shuddered in aghast, thinking how brutal our police force that we raised with our tax could be on our children. We saw them hitting a young boy of about 20 with a truncheon with so much force that the stick got broken. The truncheon fell right across the forehead of the lean boy and his body wreathed with agony. I wonder whether he had any brain injury.

They were all commies, as the capitalists would taunt them. They belonged to the Bangladesh Chhatra Union, the leftist student organisation. Interestingly, when numerous girls were groped and molested by a group of boys at TSC, no organisations other than Chhatra Union protested it. The ruling Awami League's student front Bangladesh Chhatra League remained mysteriously and shamefully silent.

And what was the Dhaka University's stance? The vice chancellor, AAMS Arefin Siddique, after a lot of protests had been made, came up with the explanation that while it is a natural tendency of protesters to overdo, the administration always plays things down. He also said if even 10 percent of what the media reported was true, then it would be very condemnable and embarrassing!

Police who so valiantly attacked the protesters on Sunday also claimed there was no such incident and no sexual assault and that only some “pushing and shoving” happened during the New Year celebration. As if shoving a girl is okay with them. Not a single criminal has been arrested.

So when police swooped on the protesters, it only reflected the government and the administration's indifferent attitude towards the New Year incident. We are shocked because we as civilised human beings expected rational reaction from the authorities. We should not have.

Suddenly, I remember the 2013 incident in Rajshahi where one brave woman rescued a police officer who came under brutal attacks by Jamaat activists.

Source: The Daily Star 

Houthis cautiously welcome plan for Yemen ceasefire

Rebels push for talks under umbrella of UN, not the Saudi-led coalition which has continued air raids since March.

Houthi fighters have said in a statement that they would deal "positively" with any efforts to lift the suffering of the Yemeni people, a sign that they could accept a five-day humanitarian ceasefire proposed by Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis political council said on Sunday that they would like to see humanitarian aid delivered to the Yemeni people as soon as possible.

The statement added that the Houthis want talks between political factions to be held under the umbrella of the United Nations. Rebel sources told Al Jazeera that the group would never accept talks to be held in Riyadh, or any other nation involved in the Arab coalition that has been bombing the country since March 26.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced a proposal on Thursday for a five-day ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians, but only on the condition that the Houthi rebels also halt the fighting. The proposed truce, if agreed, would begin on Tuesday

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Saudi capital, Riyadh, said that a Houthi foreign affairs spokesman had also written on social media that the rebels may accept the truce, if it was "real and serious".

"We still wait for more confirmation from the Houthi side - more official confirmation," our correspondent said.

"For the first time since the Saudis offered the truce, these are signs that [the Houthis] might be thinking of accepting the truce."

Saleh's residence bombed

Meanwhile, warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition bombed the residence of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital, Sanaa, but Yemen's former president is believed to be safe, witnesses have said.

Three air strikes hit Saleh's residence, but the ex-president and his family are "well", Yemeni news agency Khabar said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Social media accounts later posted pictures of what appeared to be Saleh speaking in front of his ruined home after the strike. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the photos.

Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the area in the latest strike in Sanaa following a night of intensive air raids against rebel positions after rebels shelled Saudi border town on Thursday.

Saleh, who stepped down in 2012 following a year of deadly nationwide protests against his three-decade rule, is accused of siding with Houthi fighters who ousted UN-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in February. 

The latest strikes in the capital came after the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen said that the coalition's recent air strikes on Saada city in Yemen are in breach of international law. 

The raging conflict in Yemen has killed over 1,400 people - many of them civilians - since March 19, according to the United Nations

 

Source: Al Jazeera