Cyclone Mocha lashed Myanmar’s Rakhine state on Sunday with devastating winds and heavy rain, killing at least six people and causing extensive damage, the UN and local media reported. The big picture: The storm, which packed maximum sustained winds of 155 mph as it moved ashore just north of the …
Read More »Cyclone Mocha Heads to Bangladesh, Myanmar Coasts
A powerful storm packing winds of up to 175 kph barreled towards the coasts of eastern Bangladesh and Myanmar on Saturday, threatening around a million Rohingya refugees and others living in low-lying areas. After brewing in the Bay of Bengal for days, Cyclone Mocha is likely to intensify further and …
Read More »Rohingya won’t return to Myanmar to be ‘confined in camps’
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh said on Saturday they would not return to Myanmar to “be confined in camps” after making a visit to the country as part of efforts to encourage their voluntary repatriation. Nearly one million Rohingya Muslims are living in camps in the Bangladeshi border district of Cox’s …
Read More »Cyclone lashes Bangladesh, killing 15, causing power cuts
A cyclone roared into the Bangladesh coast on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people, destroying houses, uprooting trees and disrupting road, power and communication links, officials said. Mass evacuations before Cyclone Sitrang made landfall on the west coast helped save lives, but the full extent of the casualties and damage …
Read More »Bangladesh tells UN that Rohingya refugees must return to Myanmar
UN rights chief says the return of Rohingya refugees is not possible currently due to concerns about their safety in Myanmar.
Read More »57 dead, millions stranded as floods ravage Bangladesh, India
Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in parts of Bangladesh and India, leaving millions stranded and at least 57 dead, officials say. In Bangladesh, about 2 million people have been marooned by the worst floods in the country’s northeast for nearly two decades, The Guardian reported. At least 100 villages …
Read More »Bangladesh detains 450 Rohingya celebrating Eid on beach
Bangladesh police detained 450 Rohingya celebrating a Muslim festival on a beach, officials said on Thursday, in a further sign of growing intolerance towards the refugees.
Read More »Bangladesh ferry fire: At least 40 dead, 150 injured
At least 40 people died and over 150 others were injured after a ferry caught fire on the Sugandha river in Bangladesh’s Jhalakathi district. At least 40 people died and over 150 others were injured early Friday after a packed three-story ferry carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the …
Read More »Two Hindu men killed in fresh Bangladesh religious violence
Two Hindu men have been killed in fresh religious violence in Bangladesh, police officials said on Saturday, taking the death toll to six from recent unrest in the Muslim-majority country. Protests began on Wednesday after footage emerged of a Quran being placed on the knee of a Hindu god during …
Read More »Third day of clashes in Bangladesh of Quran ‘desecration’
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of protesters in Bangladesh’s two main cities on Friday, on the third day of religious disturbances in the Muslim-majority nation, authorities said. The protests began on Wednesday after footage emerged of a Quran being placed on the knee of a god …
Read More »UN deal offers no guarantees of free movement for Rohingya on island: Leaked copy
A deal for the United Nations to start work on a remote Bangladeshi island where the government has sent thousands of Rohingya refugees offers no guarantee they will be allowed to move freely to the mainland, according to a copy of the agreement. The Bangladesh government has moved nearly 19,000 …
Read More »UN signs deal with Bangladesh to help Rohingya refugees on remote island
UN officials signed a deal with Bangladesh on Saturday to help provide basic services to thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who have been moved to camps on a remote island in the Bay of Bengal. The Bangladeshi government has moved nearly 19,000 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char island from border …
Read More »Bangladesh vows ‘stern action’ against killers of Rohingya leader
Bangladesh’s foreign minister vowed “stern action” on Saturday against the killers of Rohingya refugee leader Mohib Ullah as calls grew to investigate his shooting. Mohib Ullah, who was in his late 40s, was killed by unknown gunmen in a camp in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday night. He led one of …
Read More »Prominent Rohingya Muslim leader shot dead in Bangladesh refugee camp
A prominent Rohingya Muslim leader has been fatally shot in a refugee camp in southern Bangladesh following months of deteriorating violence in the world’s largest refugee settlement. Mohib Ullah, who was in his late 40s and led the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARPSH), died on Wednesday evening …
Read More »Rohingya refugee leader shot dead in Bangladesh camp
An international representative of ethnic Rohingya refugees was shot to death in a camp in Bangladesh by unknown gunmen late Wednesday, police said. Mohibullah, who is in his 40s, was a teacher who emerged as a key refugee leader and a spokesman representing the Muslim ethnic group in international meetings. …
Read More »Child refugees mark anniversary of Myanmar’s crackdown on Rohingya
Hundreds of children have staged a protest rally at refugee camps in Bangladesh to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Myanmar’s crackdown on the Rohingya Muslims that forced thousands to flee across the border into the neighboring country. Community leader Mohammad Osman said between 3,000 and 4,000 children participated in the …
Read More »At least 27 Rohingya refugees missing after boat sinks near island camp
At least 27 Rohingya refugees were missing after their boat sank Saturday during an attempt to escape a Bangladeshi island camp criticized by human rights groups, officials said. Nearly 20,000 Rohingya have been relocated to Bhashan Char island, which takes the full force of cyclones that roar across the Bay …
Read More »Bangladesh begins COVID-19 vaccinations for Rohingya refugees amid virus surge
Bangladesh began vaccinating thousands of Rohingya Muslims on Tuesday in the world’s largest refugee settlement amid a surge in COVID-19 infections in the country, officials said. Aid workers have long warned of a potential humanitarian disaster if there is a significant outbreak in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, the …
Read More »Lightning strikes kill 16 at Bangladesh wedding
Several lightning bolts hit a Bangladesh wedding party within a few seconds Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring the groom, officials said. The group had just left a boat at the riverside town of Shibganj to take shelter from the thunderstorm when the lightning struck, a government administrator for the …
Read More »Rescuers pull 394 migrants from dangerously overcrowded boat off Tunisia
Two humanitarian rescue ships pulled 394 migrants from a dangerously overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean overnight on Sunday in an operation lasting about six hours, a Reuters witness said. The German and French NGO ships Sea-Watch 3 and Ocean Viking rescued the migrants in Tunisian waters 68 km (42 …
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