Bangladesh recovers thousands of guns looted during revolution

Bangladesh‘s army has recovered 6,000 guns that were stolen during the student-led bloody revolution in August that forced prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the nation.

The army on Wednesday said it arrested 2,500 people for allegedly looting thousands of weapons during the deadly protests and in the aftermath of unrest.

Intekhab Haider Khan, the Colonel Staff of the Directorate of Military Operation, said 6,000 weapons were recovered along with 200,000 rounds of ammunition. The operation to recover illegally held firearms was still ongoing, he told reporters.

The Bangladesh army in September had recovered 3,700 weapons of different varieties during an amnesty to surrender guns.

The military was given magistracy powers on 17 September to address instability across the country in the days following the month-long unrest.

The interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus said more than 1,000 people were killed in the violent agitation in capital Dhaka. The death toll included children, law enforcement agents and journalists.

Police in Bangladesh were accused of using lethal force to contain the protests before stepping back in the wake of the prime minister’s minister.

“More than 400 students and members of the general public have lost their sight,” said Nurjahan Behun, the health adviser in the interim government.

Colonel Intekhab on Wednesday said the military has managed to control over 700 violent incidents, which included 141 instances in educational institutions, 86 in government offices, and 98 political conflicts. “In most cases, our timely measurers had helped prevent many unpleasant situations including losses of life and properties,” he told reporters.

He said more than 700 drug dealers or people associated with drug trading have been arrested and large quantities of banned substances have been recovered.

The army is “highly conscious” of upholding human rights and preventing “extrajudicial killings was a top priority” under orders from the government, he added.

Bangladesh’s interim government last week said it would request Interpol to bring back the ousted prime minister from India to face trial for “crime against humanity”.

“Those responsible for the indiscriminate killings during the mass uprising in July and August will be brought back from wherever they have taken refuge”, law advisor Asif Nazrul said on Sunday.

Song Jae-lim death: South Korean actor dies, aged 39

South Korean actor Song Jae-lim has died, aged 39.

The actor, who is also known as Song Jae-rim, was found dead in his home in the Seongdong Ward in Seoul at midday on Tuesday (12 November). He was due to meet a friend for lunch when his body was discovered, according to Korean media.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious, and a note was found at the scene according to Variety.

The K-Drama star first rose to fame for his role as a loyal warrior in Moon Embracing the Sun, a fantasy drama about a mediaeval King and a female shaman who fall in love.

He made his debut in the 2009 film Actresses. He gained further popularity after appearing on the reality show We Got Married in 2014.

The actor’s family have told media that they would hold a small and private funeral for the star on Thursday (14 November). The event took place at the Yeouido St. Mary’s Funeral Hall.

Jae-lim began his career as a runway model, appearing in national magazines including Vogue Girl Korea, Dazed Korea, Nylon Korea, GQ Korea, and Marie Claire Korea.

Tributes from the Korean entertainment industry poured in as his co-stars and other celebrities paid tribute to the star.

Actor Yoo Sun, who co-starred with Jae-lim in the drama Our Gap Soon in 2016, shared a photo of them together on Wednesday (13 November), writing: “It’s too sad, it hurts so much… May you find peace and rest.”

Please Take Care of My Refrigerator actor Hong Seok-cheon also posted a tribute, sharing a smiling photo of Jae-rim and writing, “I mourn that I’ll never see that wonderful smile again. It hurts me to let you go without a proper goodbye. I’m so sorry.”

Fellow actor Kim Min-kyu, said she had spoken with the star only a month ago. He recalled their last conversation as he said that the actor seemed upbeat about his future projects.

“You told me about your ongoing performances with such a bright voice… Why…?” he said.

An official confirmation for the cause of Jae-lim’s death is yet to be announced.

Hong Kong closes schools as Typhoon Toraji triggers warning

Hong Kong shut down schools and some businesses after authorities raised the third-highest typhoon warning for Tropical Storm Toraji which passed about 150km south of the city.

Toraji is expected to weaken and move away on Thursday, with winds gradually moderating throughout the day, allowing the warning signal to be lowered to 3 by 10.20am local time.

This is the second time the Hong Kong Observatory issued a T8 alert this year, following Super Typhoon Yagi, which passed south of the city in September. Typhoon Signal 8 (T8) indicates that gale or storm-force winds are currently impacting or are expected to impact the city.

“In the past few hours, Tropical Storm Toraji adopted a more northerly track towards the coast of Guangdong,” the government forecaster said on Wednesday evening. “With Toraji edging closer to the Pearl River Estuary, local winds will strengthen further.”

“It is expected that Toraji will skirt within around 200km (125 miles) to the south of the territory [Thursday] morning,” the Hong Kong Observatory said in a statement.

Hongkongers with long or challenging commutes, as well as those residing on outlying islands, were advised to start heading home on Wednesday. Evening school classes were also cancelled on Wednesday, and the city’s education bureau announced that schools would stay closed on Thursday.

Public transport routes were also disrupted.

However, the education bureau said on Thursday morning that classes of afternoon primary and secondary schools will resume today.

People in Hong Kong were advised to avoid the shoreline and refrain from water sporting activities. Authorities have stepped up efforts this year to crack down on surfing during bad weather, with two people “found to have committed the acts of illegal surfing during hoisting of red flags” at Big Wave Bay Beach on 25 October this year.

Toraji was one of three storms in the region on Wednesday. Although Hong Kong’s typhoon season runs from May to November, the peak period is July to September.

Experts warn that climate change could lead to more frequent and severe typhoons. Due to the warming seas, these tropical cyclones are becoming more intense and destructive, experts note.

In November this year, four tropical cyclones simultaneously formed in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea – a phenomenon reportedly not seen since record-keeping began in 1961.

On Thursday morning, it was reported that Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing continued operating during the storm, marking the first time it stayed open under new rules that allow trading during typhoons and heavy rains since their introduction on 23 September.

Meanwhile, Chris Au Young from the Airport Authority, noted that airport operations should remain mostly unaffected throughout the day.

​​“According to the Civil Aviation Department’s assessment, runway operations today are expected to be normal,” he said.

However, he advised tourists to check with their airlines before going to the airport.

Flights resume to Bali after cancellation due to huge volcanic ash

Limited flight services resumed in Bali on Thursday after several airlines cancelled their flights to the popular holiday destination due to a volcanic eruption nearby.

Around 83 international routes, mostly from Australia and Southeast Asia, were cancelled on Wednesday after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the Indonesian island of Flores, located about 500km east of Bali, spewed a 9km tower of ash.

At least 10 people have died and about 15,000 evacuated since the volcano began erupting last week.

Thousands of passengers were stranded on Wednesday after nearly a dozen airlines grounded all flights scheduled to reach and depart from the Denpasar Airport in Bali.

On Thursday, Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia resumed some of their services from Bali to Australia, noting “improved” conditions.

Jetstar will operate six flights, while the Qantas group will operate one scheduled flight and two delayed flights from yesterday.

“We will continue to contact guests whose flights have been cancelled to accommodate them on recovery flights in the coming days,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Jetstar said six flights will depart for Bali on Thursday, including two “ad-hoc flights” to clear the backlog. “We will continue to monitor the changing conditions and volcanic activity and work on plans to operate more recovery flights…,” the airline said in a statement.

The Qantas group said three aircraft will depart for Bali from Australia and passengers impacted by the cancellation on 12 and 13 November will be given rebooking options.

Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, the general manager of Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport, said 26 domestic flights and 64 overseas ones were cancelled on Wednesday alone. That included flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, India, and Malaysia, some of which resumed on Thursday.

All flights to and from the island of Lombok in the West Nusa Tenggara province, another popular destination for tourists in Indonesia, were cancelled on Wednesday as well.

Air New Zealand said it cancelled a flight to Denpasar scheduled for Wednesday and a return service to Auckland for Thursday. It said the passengers would be given the option to rebook while it monitors the movement of ash in the coming days.

Two of the Korean Air flights were forced to return on Wednesday because of the volcanic ash.

Bali’s airport on Thursday morning recorded another 32 international flight cancellations while 180 international flights were scheduled, Mr Shahab told AFP. “We hope affected airline passengers can resume their travel on Thursday,” he added.

The volcano erupted again overnight into Thursday morning, spewing thick ash column as lava poured from its crater.

The 1,584m volcano on the remote island of Flores has shot billowing columns of ash dozens of times since last Thursday, said Hadi Wijaya, the head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

While visiting the devastated areas, officials found craters where rocks fell during eruptions, up to 13m wide and 5m deep, in several places including a destroyed school.

Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of a pair of stratovolcanoes in the East Nusa Tenggara province, known locally as the husband-and-wife mountains. “Laki laki” means man, while its mate is Lewotobi Perempuan, or woman.

Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of the 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago of 280 million people. The country is prone to earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

Town sterilises hundreds of monkeys after years of menacing behaviour

A Thai town famous for its macaque population rounded up and sterilised hundreds of monkeys that had reportedly been showing aggressive behaviour for years.

Authorities in Lopburi, nearly 150km northeast of Bangkok, sterilised some 1,600 monkeys to tame their aggression and to curtail their population.

The animals had reportedly turned aggressive after the pandemic.

The lockdown deprived the city’s 3,000 or so macaques of food scraps they would get from tourists and they soon became unruly, swarming buildings, stealing food, and sometimes attacking people.

Lopburi is known as “Monkey City” and draws thousands of tourists every year. The Lopburi Monkey Banquet Festival, celebrated annually on the last Sunday of November, is a big attraction.

The festival, started in 1989, is meant to honour the monkeys, who get special treats on the occasion as they are thought to bring luck to the area.

Macaques are classified as a protected species under Thailand’s wildlife conservation law.

After the pandemic, when food became scarce, the monkeys resorted to snatching food from residents and tourists. Frustrated by this behaviour, city authorities resorted to using catapults and traps for them.

As of mid-2024, they had captured and sterilised some 1,600 monkeys to reduce their numbers and aggression.

“Their method is robbery, by all means,” Wisarut Somngam, local researcher with NGO Ecoexist Society told Reuters.

“They were ready to snatch anything off your hands, any bags they suspect contain food or items like mobile phones.”

There was public uproar in March after a woman dislocated her knee when a monkey yanked her to the ground to snatch food. In another such incident, a man was knocked off his motorcycle by a hungry monkey.

“I do not want humans to have to hurt monkeys, and I do not want monkeys to have to hurt humans,” Athapol Charoenshunsa, the head of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said earlier.

Lopburi’s macaque population has flourished thanks to regular feeding by residents and visitors to the city’s temples and tourist spots. Seen as symbols of protection and good luck in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the monkeys have become a cultural fixture.

In May, authorities intensified attempts to control the monkey population, including by expanding sterilisation measures initiated during the pandemic. Veterinarian Patarapol Maneeorn said the goal was to neuter all monkeys and relocate them to a designated area for care.

“Our goal is to neuter all the monkeys, 100 per cent of them,” he said.

Now with some 1,600 of the macaques in captivity and neutered, some local residents said they felt a sense of relief.

“If there were monkeys, no customers would dare to come by and park their cars here,” Chalit Nithiwkram, 64, a local businessman, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Some residents and animal rights advocates, however, said the monkeys should be managed more humanely and not kept in cages. “The monkeys are suffering because currently they are in a cage that is not designed for them,” Edwin Wiek, founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, said. “It’s not proper for them.”

First-ever cargo vessel from Pakistan docks at Bangladesh port

A cargo vessel from Pakistan’s Karachi has docked at Bangladesh’s southeastern coast, marking the first-ever direct maritime contact between the two countries since the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

The vessel from Karachi docked in Bangladesh’s Chittagong port on Wednesday, the Pakistan High Commission in Bangladesh said.

The docking of the vessel underscores a historic shift in the traditionally complex Pakistan-Bangladesh diplomatic relationship, signalling a warming of ties under the new interim government led by Mohammad Yunus following the ousting of the India-friendly Sheikh Hasina administration.

Bangladesh, formerly known as East Pakistan, emerged as an independent nation after a war with West Pakistan (now Pakistan) in 1971. The nine-month conflict, marked by widespread atrocities, left deep scars and has long affected relations between Dhaka and Islamabad, with many in Dhaka holding Pakistan responsible for the mass atrocities.

Over the years, Bangladesh forged close ties with India, the country that intervened in support of the independence movement, leading to a decisive victory for the Bangladeshi forces over Pakistan and on 16 December 1971, Bangladesh formally gained independence, marking a historic shift in South Asian geopolitics.

Ms Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, often called the “Father of the Nation” in Bangladesh, became the country’s first prime minister of newly founded Bangladesh.

Pakistan High Commission in Bangladesh hailed the move as a “major step in bilateral trade”.

“This new route will streamline supply chains, reduce transit time and open new business opportunities for both countries,” it said.

High Commissioner Syed Ahmed Maroof said the first-ever direct maritime link between the two countries highlights the growing demand for direct trade.

He also proposed launching more direct shipping transport between Pakistan and Bangladesh and said, “The system will help to take forward the eco-social relations of the two countries”.

Ms Hasina was ousted following a mass student uprising in the country against her government, forcing her to offer her resignation and flee to India on a helicopter as protesters stormed the presidential palace.

Following her ouster, symbols of the 1971 war, including portraits and a statue of her father Mujibur Rehman, who was assassinated along with Ms Hasina’s mother and three brothers.

Since Ms Hasina’s ouster, both Islamabad and Dhaka have called for forging closer ties and normalisation of relations.

Mr Yunus and Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif met at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, underscoring the need to revitalise bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

“It’s very essential we revive our relations,” Mr Yunus said in New York, calling for a “new page” in their relations to enhance cooperation in different sectors.

This marks a significant shift from the policies in Ms Hasina’s administration. In August 2022, the Bangladesh government denied permission to a newly-commissioned Chinese-built frigate warship PNS Taimur to dock at Chattogram Port, according to the Hindustan Times newspaper.

The warship finally docked at a port in Sri Lanka following its maiden voyage following exercises with Cambodian and Malaysian navies.

Sri Lanka allowed PNS Taimur to make a port call in Colombo while on its way to join the Pakistan Navy here on August 15 after the Bangladesh government denied it permission to dock at Chattogram Port.

Under Ms Hasina’s 15-year rule, India enjoyed close ties with the country as she oversaw an economic boom and drew the two countries closer on business, energy and defence. Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia, with bilateral trade of just under $16bn.

India’s top court cracks down on use of bulldozers to demolish homes

The Supreme Court of India has come down heavily on state governments for demolishing the properties of those suspected of crimes, issuing strict guidelines for such actions.

The top court took a tough stance on “bulldozer justice” in response to a batch of petitions against the demolition of homes and businesses of suspected criminals by authorities as a form of punishment.

In many such cases, the victims have claimed innocence and said they were targeted because of their religion.

State officials claim the demolitions only target illegal buildings, but rights groups and critics say they are meant to harass and marginalise religious minorities, especially Muslims, pointing to rising religious polarisation under Narendra Modi’s rule since 2014.

“Depriving innocent people of their right to life by removing shelter from their heads, in our considered view, would be wholly unconstitutional,” the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.

“The executive cannot become a judge and demolish properties. The chilling sight of a bulldozer demolishing a building, when authorities have failed to follow the basic principles of natural justice and have acted without adhering to the principle of due process, reminds one of a lawless state of affairs, where ‘might was right’.”

The “high-handed and arbitrary actions” have no place in the rule of law, it added, and such excesses have to be dealt with the “heavy hand of the law”.

Putting out guidelines, the court said no demolition should happen without a reason being given as well as a minimum 15-day notice.

The notice should be sent to the owner or occupier by registered post and clearly displayed on the outer part of the targeted building. The demolition should be videographed.

Any violation of the guidelines will invite contempt of court charges, making the officials involved liable to pay damages from their salaries.

Supreme Court lawyer Vivek Tankha, who is also a member of the opposition Congress party, described it as a “historic judgment”.

“Supreme Court has thrashed the state for this ‘Bulldozer Raaj’ or ‘Bulldozer justice’,” he told the news agency ANI. “The way state governments were behaving with arrogance, it looked very uneducated and as if they would use it as a political tool.

“All this has stopped now, there can be no ‘Bulldozer Raaj’ now. If you want to demolish anybody’s house, you have to give them a notice and a minimum of 15 days time.

“So, now the Supreme Court has also opened the gates for the prosecution of all those people who committed such illegality in the past, be it in any state of India.”

Sambit Patra, a spokesman for the ruling BJP, said: “Today in India, there is the rule of law, there is the rule of the Constitution.

“The public should feel safe, and criminals should be afraid. This should happen by following all the rules, and we welcome the Supreme Court’s verdict on this.”

India has seen an increase in demolition drives in states ruled by Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party where such action is taken immediately after communal violence or a suspected crime takes place.

In one such case in June, authorities in Madhya Pradesh state bulldozed the homes of 11 people after police reportedly found beef in their refrigerators and cows in their backyards.

Cow slaughter is punished by seven years in jail in Madhya Pradesh, and the burden of proof is on the accused. Slaughter of the cow, which some Hindu people worship as a deity, and its progeny is banned in most of India as is the consumption of their meat.

Pakistan Scrabble team says denied visas to compete in India

Scrabble players from Pakistan have said they were denied visas to compete in a tournament held in India, a claim denied by Delhi.

Pakistan Scrabble Association (PSA) director, Triq Parvez, told The Independent that more than half of the team members were not issued visas without any explanation, alleging that authorities played “dirty tricks” to obstruct the entry of players, including the one who won the 2022 World Youth champion.

The visas that were issued were delayed to make it impossible for them to participate, he said.

Indian foreign ministry sources have, however, denied the allegations as “incorrect”, saying visas have been issued well in time.

“This is the half truth which is worse than a full lie,” Mr Parvez said, responding to the foreign ministry’s denial.

“Visas were not issued to more than half of the members. Team was weakened after some top players and key officials were eliminated.

“Every tactic was used to make sure that the team is unable to participate. It was deliberate and planned,” he said.

Sources in the Indian foreign ministry said on Tuesday the “reports are factually incorrect”.

“Twelve visas were issued to the Pakistani team on 7 November 2024, well in time for them to travel to India for these events. This included the defending champion of the Asia Cup and the reigning World Youth Champion,” it said in a statement.

According to PSA, a request was made to issue visas in August for 25 people, including players who were set to take part in the 10-12 November Asia Cup Youth Scrabble Championship and Delhi, as well as some parents and officials.

The team said they received information on 29 October from the organisers that the security clearance of 23 out of 25 had been approved but the passports were not returned on time.

“I had the confirmed news that security is cleared for everyone in end of October and also that passports of all 25 are ‘being stamped’ on 1 Nov but they kept delaying it to make sure it becomes impossible for us to travel,” Mr Parvez said, adding those passports have not been returned till now.

He said a few passports were given by hand in Islamabad at 6.30pm on 7 October, while the team was scheduled to leave from Karachi the next morning, embarking on a 1500km-journey.

The visas stipulated that entry is not allowed before 9 November, a day before the Youth championship and exit not after 18 November, the next day after Delhi Cup.

“It made it practically impossible to manage as the venue in Delhi is 10-12 hour drive from the border (even longer due to the smog these days) and it takes a long time at the immigration/customs/security at the border,” he said.

“We were left with no option. They never responded to any emails, phone calls, or texts. There were numerous dirty tricks used, including the removal of key individuals and delays to ensure the trip became logistically unfeasible,” he added.

The Independent reached out to the Indian foreign ministry and the Indian High Commission in Islamabad on Wednesday for comments.

It comes as India and Pakistan are at odds over the 50-over Champions Trophy that will be hosted in Lahore in February next year. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) claimed that India has said it will not allow its international cricket team cross the border into Pakistan.

Owing to ongoing political tensions and downgraded diplomatic ties, India has not sent a team to play in Pakistan for the past 16 years.