A Dhaka court has placed five people on a three-day remand each in a case filed over the death of five passengers in a launch capsize at Sadarghat. Naqib, a sub-inspector of Sadarghat thana  River Police, pleaded to place the accused before the court and sought a seven-day remand each for "fair investigation" on Friday (April 12). The accused are Md Abdur Rauf Hawlader, and Md Selim Hawlader, Md Faruk Khan, Md Mizanur Rahman, and Md Moniruzzaman. On behalf of the accused, lawyers appealed for bail seeking cancellation of the remand. But the bail application was opposed by the state. Dhaka's Chief Judicial Magistrate, Arifa Chowdhury Himel, placed each of the accused on a three-day remand. Additional Public Prosecutor Anwarul Kabir Babul confirmed the information. Meanwhile, joint director of River Securty and Traffic Management, Ismail Hossain, filed the case at South Keraniganj Police Station.

Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has detained assistant proctor Din Islam and the accused student classmate Amman Siddique in connection with the suicide of Fairuz Abontika, a student of Jagannath University (JnU) of 2017-18 academic session. They were detained on Saturday (March 16) evening. DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman confirmed the matter. He said the two had been under surveillance since the death of the university student. They are in police custody. A team of Cumilla district police ison the way to Dhaka. The two detainees will be handed over to them.  

Myanmar's junta has been accused of launching an attack on a refugee camp in which at least 29 people were killed, according to local media reports. The alleged artillery strike, which hit a refugee camp in the northern state of Kachin late Monday, is one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the military coup of 2021. "We found 29 dead bodies including children and older people... 56 people were wounded," Colonel Naw Bu of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) told French news agency AFP. Circumstances of attack unclear There were differing reports from local media relating to the nature of the attack. Some reported that warplanes had dropped bombs, while other sources claimed that drones and artillery were used and as such, the circumstances of the attack remain unclear. The KIA said they are investigating the nature of the strike. Local media showed images of the refugee camp where rescue operations appeared to be taking place. Kachin Human Rights Watch said that 13 of the dead were children while 60 people had been injured. The KIA said that 42 people were being treated at a hospital in Kachin state. Trading blame for attack The region has been embroiled in fighting since the  2021 military take over, which resulted in political turmoil.  Rebel groups and ethnic minority militias regularly  clash with junta forces. While the KIA and human rights organizations have accused the junta for the attack, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said the military was "investigating" the reports. The junta has instead accused rebel groups in the area and said the military believes a store of bombs belonging to the rebels in the area caused an explosion. Reacting to the attack on the refugee camp, the United Nations in Myanmar said on Facebook it was deeply concerned by reports of the incident, adding that "civilians should never be a target."

The mixed martial artist has denied the allegations. The incident allegedly took place during a basketball match between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. The Irish Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Conor McGregor on Thursday was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at an NBA Finals game in Miami. The survivor said that McGregor "violently" assaulted her in the bathroom during a match between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets that took place last Friday, reported ESPN and TMZ Sports who cited letters from the woman's attorney. The NBA and the Miami Heat have opened investigations into the allegations against the UFC champion. McGregor denies the allegations McGregor allegedly "aggressively kissed" the woman before attempting to force her into multiple sexual acts. The survivor has provided the Miami police with the clothing she wore that night and a report was filed, said her attorney Ariel Mitchell. In a statement released by McGregor's attorney Barbara Llanes on behalf of the Irishman he called the allegations "false" and said that he "will not be intimidated." The Miami Heat said that they are conducting a "full investigation." The NBA also said that they're looking into the allegations and working with the Heat to gather information. A history of misdemeanors McGregor's conduct at Friday's game had already come under scrutiny after an incident during the match's timeout hour. The mixed martial artist punched a Miami Heat mascot after the mascot appeared on court for a pre-planned promotional gimmick. The employee who posed as the mascot was taken to the hospital after the attack. McGregor is one of the biggest stars on the mixed martial arts circuit. He hasn't fought since 2021, after he injured his leg during a match. His last win was in January 2020. Previously, McGregor has been accused of sexual assault four times but never convicted, reported ESPN. He has also been accused of getting violent, making racist comments and homophobic slurs. 

A US court has approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian businessman of Pakistani descent, to India where he is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana was arrested in the US on an extradition request by India for his role in these attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing over 160 people, including six Americans, at iconic and vital locations of Mumbai. The US court consented to the Indian request, through the US Government for his extradition. "The Court has reviewed and considered all of the documents submitted in support of and in opposition to the Request and has considered the arguments presented at the hearing," US Magistrate Judge of the US District Court of California, Judge Jacqueline Chooljian, said in a 48-page court order dated May 16, which was released Wednesday. "Based on such review and consideration and for the reasons discussed herein, the Court makes the findings set forth below and certifies to the Secretary of State of the United States the extraditability of Rana on the charged offenses that are the subject of the Request," the Judge wrote in the order. Tahawwur Rana has been accused by the Indian government of participating in the planning and execution of the Lashkar terrorist attacks in Mumbai by collaborating with his childhood buddy David Coleman Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani," and others. According to the judge, India has accused Rana of the following offences and issued an arrest warrant, on which, now, the US is also proceeding: (a) conspiracy to wage war, to commit murder, to commit forgery for the purpose of cheating, to use as genuine a forged document or electronic record, and to commit a terrorist act (b) waging war, (d) murder, (e) committing a terrorist act and (f) conspiracy to commit a terrorist act. Rana was convicted in Chicago in 2011 of providing material support to the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which planned the Mumbai terror attack and for supporting a never-carried-out plot to attack a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed in 2005. He was accused of allowing David Coleman Headley to open a branch of his Chicago-based immigration law business in Mumbai as a cover story and travel as a representative of the company in Denmark. On the other hand, the extradition was contested by Rana's lawyer. India and the United States have an extradition agreement in effect. The judge determined that Tahawwur Rana's extradition takes place under the treaty's jurisdiction. The judge ruled that there is sufficient competent evidence to establish reasonable cause that Rana is the person accused in India. The Court concluded that Rana is extraditable for the offenses for which extradition has been requested and on which the United States is proceeding. "It is therefore ordered that Tahawwur Hussain Rana be and remain committed to the custody of the United States Marshal pending a final decision on extradition and surrender by the Secretary of State to India for trial of the offences as to which extradition has been granted pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, section 3186 and the Treaty," the Judge ruled. Mumbai had come to a standstill on November 26, 2008, when 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who entered the city via sea route from Pakistan carried out a series of coordinated shootings and bombings that injured over 300 and claimed the lives of 166 people in India's financial capital. The attacks took place at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station, Cama Hospital, Nariman House business and residential complex, Leopold Cafe, Taj Hotel and Tower and the Oberoi-Trident Hotel.

A prominent Turkish human rights legal consultant, who had accused India of "war crimes against Kashmiri Muslims", has admitted that he paid one of the suspects in the European Parliament corruption scandal for "ethical lobbying services" that included resolutions condemning war crimes in Syria and Yemen , the Financial Times reported. The firm had put up a "legal appeal" against the Indian Army Chief and Home Minister to London's Metropolitan Police following an investigative report on alleged "war crimes in Jammu and Kashmir." Camuz told the Financial Times he only spoke with Giorgi and believed the company was legitimate. The Financial Times reported that Giorgi has admitted to helping his boss use a web of companies to disguise payments from foreign governments including Qatar and Morocco, according to evidence from the investigation seen by the FT. "The payments [from Camuz-related entities] were in return for petitions to condemn war crimes in Syria and the protection of refugees," the Financial Times wrote quoting Camuz, the lawyer who has good connections with the administration of Turkish President Erdogan. Italian prosecutors last week expanded the Belgian-led investigation into suspected corruption by opening a separate money laundering probe. The prosecutors are looking into payments worth almost 300,000 euros into Italian bank accounts held at Intesa Sanpaolo by a consultancy set up by Panzeri's accountant, according to documents seen by the Financial Times. Two of the three entities that paid the consultancy a total of EUR 75,000 are connected to Camuz, according to payment invoices seen by the FT. A separate Istanbul-based company was issued with two invoices totalling EUR 200,000 by the Italian consultancy company. The first invoice, issued at the end of 2018, came when Panzeri was still an MEP and chair of the EU parliament's human rights committee. There is no evidence the Istanbul-based company is linked to Camuz, as per the report by the Financial Times. Camuz said he is "devastated" by the allegations made by Giorgi and said he "was lied to". He is considering taking legal action against Giorgi: "[He] honey trapped us into thinking he was the perfect person with whom we can work with." Camuz said: "Francesco [Giorgi] approached me suggesting that he can help us do ethical lobbying services in Brussels at low cost which was very impressive because he was talking about helping war crimes victims and victims of human rights abuses," the Financial Times reported. The Financial Times reported that Giorgi's boss Panzeri, who has been in jail since December, agreed to a plea deal with Belgian authorities in February, after admitting to receiving payments of up to EUR 2.6 million from the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania between 2018 and 2022. A lawyer for Bellini in Milan, who is awaiting a decision this week on her transfer to Belgium after being arrested in January and released on February 10, did not reply to multiple requests for comment. At the time Giorgi was still working as assistant to MEP Panzeri, who left the EU parliament the following year and then set up the campaign group at the centre of the corruption scandal, Fight Impunity. "I would never knowingly do anything illegal nor would I allow any illegal activity in any of the entities I am involved in," the Financial Times wrote quoting Camuz. Camuz said he never knew Bellini nor Panzeri's daughter. "Giorgi said they were his staff and partners and I never questioned his own internal staffing details."

Pakistan Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq accused former prime minister Imran Khan of the resurgence of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and said that the dialogue initiated with the banned outfit by the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government has "emboldened" the Taliban as they increased their footprint and activities in the country, the Dawn reported. While referring to rise in terror attacks and the dialogue with the banned outfit initiated by the PTI government last year, the PML-N leader said the nation had seen the result of Imran Khan's strategy of opening talks with the Taliban. "Imran Khan (while in power) did not curb terrorism. Rather he allowed negotiations with those who had martyred children at the Army Public School (in Peshawar). And now a new wave of terrorism has begun because of those negotiations," the Dawn reported. A document prepared by the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) presented to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior blamed the 'peace talks' with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for an increase in terror attacks across the country. "TTP, during peace talks process gained considerable ground; increased its footprint and magnitude of activities," the Nacta document said. It added the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan "gave impetus to TTP activities with its base [still] intact in Afghanistan". In an allusion to the resurgence of the terror outfit in Swat and adjoining areas, the report said the "presence [of TTP men] in Swat can be attributed to their efforts to gain pulse of locals and response by the state". The document termed the Malakand division "vulnerable" to terrorism due to its "central location and access to settled areas". The former Speaker also urged former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa to reveal his "role" in the 2018 general election in "ensuring" the victory of the PTI. He said the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) representatives said they were under pressure in 2018 to join the PTI. He said the support extended by Bajwa to Imran Khan when he was prime minister had never been given to any other premier in the past. But, the PTI chairman is "ungrateful to his benefactors" as he was now maligning the ex-COAS. He said Khan did the same thing to Aleem Khan and Jahangir Khan Tareen. He advised Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi to remain "vigilant" while doing favours to Imran Khan since his "characteristics cannot change as I know him since the 1960s". Sadiq further attacked Imran Khan for using the religious card in politics, abusing and victimising rivals, as well as preferring his personal interest over national interest. "The one who had been talking of the state of Madina committed corruption by taking away gifts from Toshakhana worth Rs6 billion, declaring one of them (in his tax statement) and devouring the rest. The claimants of the Madina state would neither steal nor conceal (one's wealth)," he added. He lamented that Imran Khan always foul-mouthed PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who always addressed the PTI chairman decently. He alleged that Khan got spying cameras installed even in the bathrooms of the jail where Maryam Nawaz Sharif was imprisoned. The PML-N leader said those who brought Imran Khan to power were responsible for the financial damage caused to the country during the around four-year rule of PTI as the national debt doubled in the PTI regime, which took USD 44 billion in loans. In reply to a question, he said while listening to the conversation between Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi one "gets the impression that the PML-Q got just 20 seats" in return for a promise to dissolve the Punjab Assembly at the directives of Imran Khan. He, however, cautioned the 'Q' leadership that the crutches available during the 2018 polls would be missing in the next general elections and they as well as the PTI would have to stand on their own legs. In response to a question, the minister said if the PTI chairman intended to dissolve the Punjab and KP assemblies he would have done so at once after the announcement during a Pindi rally in November. He said that local government elections would be held in the month of April, while the general election would be held after Aug 15, 2023, when the assemblies would complete their five-year constitutional terms. As per the Nacta document, in August 2022, TTP militants held LEAs hostage in Swat's tehsil Matta and released them after 12 hours. In September 2022, militants fired on police in Swat. TTP also claimed responsibility for an IED attack on a vehicle in which a member of the Peace Committee and two policemen were martyred, the Dawn reported. The militants also abducted seven staffers of a cellular company and demanded at least Rs10 million in ransom.

The death references of 14 accused who were awarded death penalty in connection with attempt to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her electoral area at Kotalipara in Gopalganj, have reached before the High Court. The information was confirmed by Supreme Court Special Officer Barrister Saifur Rahman on Tuesday. On March 23 the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 awarded death penalty for 14 militants in connection with plotting to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by planting bomb at the public meeting place at Kotalipara. Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Judge Abu Jafar Md. Kamruzzaman delivered the verdict. The death penalty awarded accused were- Mofizur Rahman, Mahmud Azhar, Rasheduzzaman, Tareq, Wadud Sheikh alias Gazi Khan, Azizul Haque, Lokman, Yusuf alias Moshab Morol, Mohsab Hasan alias Rashu, Sheikh Md. Enamul Haque, Anisul Islam, Sarwar Hossain, Amirul Islam and Rafiqul Islam Khan. In this connection three cases were lodged. The verdicts of two cases were delivered earlier. Mentionable, the powerful bomb was seen while making the dias at the public gathering place of Sheikh Hasina’s meeting at Sheikh Lutfar Rahman Government Ideal College at Kotalipara on July 22, 2000. A team of Bangladesh Army recovered the 76 kg bomb later. On the following day another bomb weight 40 kg was recovered. In this connection police filed three cases with Kotalipara police station under attempt to kill, plotting to kill and explosives control acts. AH    

Twenty-two accused in BUET student Abrar Fahad murder case, expressed no-confidence on the judge of the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 on Thursday. No-confidence pleas said that the depositions of witnesses were recorded in the case for a second time illegally which has triggered doubts over proper justice. Besides, the Tribunal prosecutor Abu Abdullah Bhuiyan said the accused have filed no-confidence pleas against Tribunal Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman to prolong the trial process. The Tribunal has fixed December 6 to hear the matter, he said. So far, depositions of 40 witnesses among 60 have been recorded in the case. On Sep 15, charges were framed against 25 accused in the murder case. Abrar, 21, a second-year student of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was beaten to death reportedly by then Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders at Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university. He was found dead on the staircase of the hall in the early hours of October 7 after he was taken to room No-2011 around 8pm on October 6 and beaten mercilessly. His murder sparked nationwide outcry. On November 13, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) submitted a charge sheet before the court. On November 18 last, the court accepted the chargesheet against 25 accused. On January 13, the case was shifted to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court from Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. On March 12 this year, Abrar murder case was shifted to Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 after his parents met the Law Minister and urged to shift the case to a Speedy Trial Tribunal. Source: UNB AH

The court has delivered verdict of life term imprisonment for the accused Majnu in connection with raping a female student of Dhaka University at Kurmitola in the capital. The verdict was delivered within 13 work days of hearing. On Thursday Judge of the Dhaka women and children repression prevention tribunal-7 Begum Mosammat Kamrunnahar delivered the verdict at around 3 pm. State lawyer Afroza Farhana Ahmed Orange said, the allegation of rape has been proved against the lone accused Majnu. Besides, he gave confessional statement before the court. We are satisfied regarding the life term imprisonment verdict. On the other hand, Majnu’s lawyer Rabiul Islam said that they are not willing to make any comment but they will go to the appellate division. Judge of the tribunal Begum Mosammat Kamrunnahar fixed the date for delivering verdict on November 19 after completion of arguments presentation of the both sides on November 12. Mentionable, on January 5 at around 5:30 pm the DU student got on a bus and reached at the Kurmitola bus stand at around 7 pm. Later an unknown person forcefully took her behind the road and physically assaulted her and raped her. In this connection victim’s father filed a case. General students of Dhaka University came down to the streets demanding punishment of the accused. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Majnu within 72 hours according to the source of selling the victim’s mobile phone. AH