Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

New scheme pays Bangladeshi militants to return to normal life

TWO Bangladeshi Islamist militants received cheques from the government on October 5 in return for pledging to return to normal life, under a new scheme attempting to halt rising extremism.

Police said Abdul Hakim, 22, and Mahmudul Hasan, 17, had been members of banned local Islamist outfit Jamaayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), blamed for a cafe siege that left 20 mostly foreign hostages dead.


Elite Rapid Action Battalion spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan said the pair had recently reached out to police for assistance as part of a new scheme announced by the national police chief.

“They were involved with the organisational activities of JMB. They issued a plea to us through their parents to return to a normal life, therefore, we facilitated their return,” Khan told reporters.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan handed the pair cheques each for 500,000 taka (£5,000) to restart their lives in a ceremony in the northern district of Bogra and broadcast on television.

A string of attacks by Islamist groups targeting religious minorities, secular and liberal activists as well as foreigners have blighted Bangladesh over the last three years.

The government was left reeling after Islamist militants hacked to death and shot their hostages in a siege on an upmarket Dhaka cafe in July.

The Daesh (Islamic State) organisation claimed responsibility but prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s secular government blamed the JMB.

Little is known about the two recruits, but Hakim told the ceremony he had chosen “a dark path when there was no aim in life and he had no wish to live”.

“We made a mistake. We don’t want anyone else to come to this path,” Hakim said.

Three siblings belonging to another banned outfit, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, also surrendered to police on October 3, authorities have said.

Security analyst Shahab Enam Khan applauded the scheme which comes after the government’s hardline crackdown on opposition activists that has seen thousands arrested and raised allegations of human rights abuses.

“It is good that the government is pursuing a liberal policy rather than only focusing on hard approaches,” Khan, who teaches at Bangladesh’s Jahangirnagar University, told reporters.

More For You

Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less