Clashes broke out betweeen film actors and FDC journalists. This incident happened on Tuesday (April 23) around 6.30 pm. Reporter Mithun Al Mamun and several journalists including his cameraman were injured in this incident. The injured have been sent to hospital for immediate treatment.  

The Chinese Coast Guard used a water cannon against Philippines' ships attempting to deliver supplies to Filipino troops at an outpost in the South China Sea, according to Manila. Philippine naval vessels were involved in a clash with the Chinese coast guard on Saturday while attempting to resupply troops at a contested outpost in the South China Sea. A Philippine civilian boat, escorted by two navy ships and two coast guard vessels, was on a monthly supply run to a small number of Filipino marines stationed on the "Sierra Madre" – a warship intentionally run aground on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 in order to reinforce The Philippines' territorial claims in the area. Manila says Chinese ships were 'irresponsible' According to a statement from the Philippine coast guard, one of its ships was "impeded" and "encircled" by a Chinese coast guard vessel and two ships from the Chinese maritime militia. Philippine authorities said one of its vessels had been damaged by a water canon during the "dangerous maneuvers" undertaken by the Chinese, who it said had showed a "disregard" for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). The statement accused he Chinese ships of "irresponsible and provocative behavior."  China, which claims most of the South China Sea as its territorial waters, has regularly deployed vessels to monitor and disrupt efforts to resupply the "Sierra Madre" and described Saturday's operation as "control measures." In a similar incident in March, Manila claimed that four Filipino sailors had been injured and two boats damaged. No injuries have been reported this time. US, Japan support Philippines The United States and Japan immediately expressed support for the Philippines and alarm at the aggression of Chinese forces off Second Thomas Shoal. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Washington "stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the dangerous actions by the People's Republic of China against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea." Japan's ambassador-designate to Manila, Endo Kazuya, reiterated his country's "grave concern on the repeated dangerous actions by the Chinese coast guard in the South China Sea, which resulted in Filipino injuries." Meanwhile, Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu said the Philippine vessels intruded into what he said was China's territorial waters despite repeated warnings.  Several countries compete for dominance in South China Sea. China has even constructed artificial islands in the region and fortified them to underline its claims.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Steinberg, An Israeli Commander and more than 300 soldiers have been killed after the Palestine group of Hamas fired over 3000 rocket in Israel.  According to Aljazeera, Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel earlier the day.  The Israeli army said that several Israeli citizens including soldiers, had been taken hostage in the fighting and were being held in the Gaza Strip. But they didn't say the exact number.  A Hamas spokesman later claimed that "dozens of soldiers" were being held in Gaza. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to defeat Hamas. He said in media that, we never saw this before today, and vowed to take "mighty vengeance for this black day."

Ahead of BNP's planned sit-in, members of Law enforcement agencies including Police have been deployed of Capital Dhaka's importance entry points including Aminbazar, Gabtoli, Sayedabad, Mohakhali and Abdullahpur. On Saturday Morning, Police and BNP leaders and activists clashed at different parts of the city including Dholaikhal, Matuail and Jatrabari. Around 12 pm, BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy got injured at Dholaikhal area, during the clash between police and the activists of BNP, after that Police picked up him from the spot. After 50 minutes clash, Police took the road under their control. Police also detained BNP's Dhaka Metropolitan North convener Aman Ullah Aman from Gabtoli area when counter sit-ins program was going on.  In the meantime, around 1 pm two buses were set on fire during a clash between BNP leaders, activists and police at Matuail area of Dhaka’s Jatrabari.  Police and BNP leaders and activists clashed in Narayanganj also. During the clashes, Police detained some activists of BNP.

A disagreement over the Lachin Corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh turned deadly when parties on both sides of the border fired on each other. At least five people were killed in a flare-up of violence along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on Sunday. Officials on both sides blamed each other for the exchange of fire. Armenia said three police had been killed, while Azerbaijan said two of its soldiers "became martyrs." Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said a shootout occurred when soldiers went to check vehicles suspected of transporting weapons. Armenia said the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire on the car of a Passport and Visa Department of the police. The two former Soviet nations have been locked in a conflict for decades over the mountainous region, which in 2020 boiled over into full-blown war. Lachin Corridor a flashpoint A Russian-brokered peace deal was reached late in 2020 after more than 6,000 lives were lost. There have been several flare-ups between the two sides since the agreement was signed. The agreement to end the 2020 war left a winding road called the Lachin Corridor as the only authorized connection between Nagorno- Karabakh and Armenia, a lifeline for supplies to the region's approximately 120,000 people. However, traffic on that road has been mostly blocked since December by Azerbaijani environmental activists to protest what they say is illegal mining. Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of backing the protesters to create blockade. "Sending an international fact-finding team to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh is becoming a vital necessity,"  Armenia's foreign ministry said after the shooting. Azerbaijan's ministry of defence said, "Today's incident once again shows that Azerbaijan needs to create an appropriate checkpoint on the Lachin-Khankendi road."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Wednesday) said the culture has no clash with the religions referring to numerous attacks on the culture including killing people by bombings during celebration of the Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali New Year. "Some people want to create confrontation between culture and religions. This is not correct at all. Religions are for individuals, but festivals are for all. We celebrate our festivals together," she said. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the newly constructed buildings of Shilpakala Academies in eight districts -- Dhaka, Kushtia, Khulna, Jamalpur, Narayanganj, Pabna, Manikganj, Moulvibazar and Rangpur. She virtually joined the programme held at Shilpakala Academy from her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital while offices of the deputy commissioners of the eight districts were remotely connected to it.  The premier stressed the need for protecting Bangalees own culture and heritage particularly area-based ones alongside culture of small ethnic groups and tribal people.  She also advocated for knowing modern culture and musical equipment by protecting the local culture and heritage and thus flourish own culture.  Sheikh Hasina said they had faced obstruction to observe the Pahela Baishakh-1414 when they were in opposition and even people were killed by bombings at Ramna Batamul aimed at stopping Bangalees cultural practices. The Pahela Baishakh is the only festival which is celebrated by all, she said, adding that this year, the festival will be celebrated on limited scale after two years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She however asked all to take precautionary measures as the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to end, despite it is under control. A documentary on the newly constructed buildings of Shilpakala Academies in the eight districts was also screened at the function. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid and Secretary of Cultural Affairs Ministry Md Abul Monsur spoke on the occasion while Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky gave the welcome address. The design of the eight districts’ Shilpakala Academies’ buildings was formulated highlighting the districts' cultural heritage and history. Each of the building has all the required modern facilities that included modern sound system and open stage. Sheikh Hasina said her government, after assuming power in 1996, had taken every possible measure to flourish the Bengali culture and heritage as the post 1975 governments had no idea and zeal about the culture. The Prime Minister asked all concerned to work for further spreading the distinctiveness of the Bengali culture across the globe.      In a bid to enrich the Bengali culture and provide scope to the people to practice it largely, she said her government has a plan to build a cultural complex in all upazilas across the country. "We will build cultural complex in all 493 upazilas across the country so that our children from each upazila can get opportunity to flourish their talents and do cultural practices," she said. The Prime Minister asked all concerned to build the multipurpose hall in the cultural complex in the upazila level in such a way so cinemas including feature films and short films could be screened. "So, you have to prepare the projects keeping that in your mind," she said, adding that then the people will get chance to be amused. Sheikh Hasina said that the practices of the Bengali culture would have to be continued. "We must not forget our tradition, and at the same time, we have to go with the trend of the new era. Our children need to cope with modern culture and they have to adopt and practice that," she said.  She put emphasise on attaining knowledge of modern technology alongside practicing and protecting Bangalees tradition. She said that tradition, modern technology and knowledge cannot be separated from each other. The Prime Minister said that people from all religions along with small ethnic group lives in Bangladesh. "We have created scope to flourish all cultures," she said, adding special attention needs to enrich those further. The premier said that for a country it is urgently needed to practice own culture for its further progress.      She stressed the need for required measures to enrich the area based culture such as songs, literature, Jatra, Kobi Gaan and others. "These are our invaluable assets and we have to give special attention for its progress," she said. Sheikh Hasina reiterated that her government has allocated a fund of Tk 1000 crore to modernise the old cinema halls, build new ones and overall development of the film industry. She urged the owners of the halls to avail the opportunity and modernise their cinema halls. Source: BSS AH

With war clouds gathering over Ukraine, international diplomacy goes into overdrive on Monday with the French and Russian presidents to meet in Moscow and the German chancellor heading to the White House to meet with US leader Joe Biden.     Also Monday, the German, Czech, Slovak and Austrian foreign ministers were expected in Kyiv, which has played down dire US warnings that Moscow had stepped up preparations for a major incursion into Ukraine.     US officials have said the Kremlin has assembled 110,000 troops along the border with its pro-Western neighbour but intelligence assessments have not determined whether President Vladimir Putin has actually decided to invade.     They said Russia is on track to amass a large enough force -- some 150,000 soldiers -- for a full-scale invasion by mid-February.     Such a force would be capable of taking the capital Kyiv in a matter of 48 hours in an onslaught that would kill up to 50,000 civilians, 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 10,000 Russian troops and trigger a refugee flood of up to five million people, mainly into Poland, the officials added.     On top of the potential human cost, Ukraine fears further damage to its already struggling economy.     And if Moscow attacks Ukraine it could face retaliation over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline -- set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany -- with Berlin threatening to block it.     Russia is seeking a guarantee from NATO that Ukraine will not enter the alliance and wants the bloc to withdraw forces from member states in eastern Europe.     - 'Apocalyptic predictions' -     Moscow denies that it is planning to invade Ukraine, and Kyiv's presidency advisor said the chances of a diplomatic solution to the crisis remained "substantially higher than the threat of further escalation".     On Twitter, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sought to calm tensions, saying: "Do not believe the apocalyptic predictions. Different capitals have different scenarios, but Ukraine is ready for any development."     President Emmanuel Macron of France, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, will be in Moscow on Monday and Kyiv on Tuesday to spearhead efforts to de-escalate the crisis.     He is expected to push forward a stalled peace plan for the festering conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.     The trip will be a political gamble for Macron, who faces a re-election challenge in April.     Also on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet with Biden in Washington.     Biden has reacted to the Russian troop buildup by offering 3,000 American forces to bolster NATO's eastern flank, with a batch of the troops promised arriving in Poland on Sunday.     But US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told Fox News Sunday that Biden "is not sending forces to start a war or fight a war with Russia in Ukraine".     "We have sent forces to Europe to defend NATO territory," he said.     Scholz said Sunday that Berlin was prepared to send extra troops to the Baltics in addition to 500 soldiers already stationed in Lithuania under a NATO operation.     While he is in Washington, his foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, will be in Kyiv along with her Czech, Slovak and Austrian counterparts for a two-day visit.     Scholtz will be in Moscow and Kyiv next week for talks with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Source : AFP/BSS AH

Three teenagers were killed in clash at Jashore juvenile correctional center. The incident took place at the correctional center in the afternoon. The dead bodies were sent to the morgue of Jashore 250-bed General Hospital in the evening. The deceased are- Nayeem Hossain (17), son of Nannu Pramanik from Shibganj in Bogura, Parvez Hasan Rabbi (18), son of Roza Mia from Daulatpur in Khulna and Rasel Hossain (18). The detail address of Rasel yet to be known. Nayeem Hossain was an accused of rape case and Parvez was an accused of murder case. Additional Police Super of Jashore Touhidul Alam confirmed the incident. According to the eyewitnesses, the staffs of the correctional center brought three dead bodies in the hospital in three phases and left the spot. Jashore DSB Inspector M Moshiur Rahman said, an incident of clash took place in the correctional center and three teenagers were killed. But we could not confirm why and when the killing took place. Hospital physician Amiya Das said, all were brought dead in the hospital. There were marks of injury in their bodies. AH

At least 20 Indian soldiers have been killed in a border skirmish high in the Himalayas between the world's two most populated countries - India and China. This is seen as the first deadly violence since the two nuclear armed neighbours faced off in a border dispute 45 year ago. The Indian and Chinese troops fought each other with fists and rocks along the high-altitude Himalaya terrain in a clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead, Indian authorities said Tuesday, reports AP. China accused Indian forces of carrying out "provocative attacks" on its troops and has not said if any of its soldiers have died. The Indian army said in its statement that the two sides had "disengaged" from the disputed Galwan area where they clashed overnight on Monday. The army originally reported that three Indian soldiers had died, but later said 17 additional soldiers succumbed to injuries they suffered in the sub-zero temperatures where the clash occurred in the Himalayan region of Ladakh. Thousands of soldiers on both sides have been facing off for over a month along a remote stretch of the 2,100-mile Line of Actual Control, the border established following a war between India and China in 1962 that resulted in an uneasy truce. The clash Monday — during which neither side fired any shots, according to Indian officials — is the first deadly confrontation between the two Asian giants since 1975. Vivek Katju, a retired Indian diplomat, said the deadly violence represented a dramatic departure from the four-decades-old status quo of troops from the two countries facing off without any fatalities. "The political class and the security class as a whole will have to do very serious thinking about the road ahead," he said. The Indian army said in a statement earlier Tuesday that a "violent faceoff" took place in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on Monday night, "with casualties on both sides." Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian gave no details of any casualties on the Chinese side, but said that China had strongly protested the incident while still being committed to maintaining "peace and tranquility" along the disputed and heavily militarized border. "But what is shocking is that on June 15, the Indian troops seriously violated the consensus of the two sides, crossed the border illegally twice and carried out provocative attacks on Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical conflicts between the two border forces," Zhao said. India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that the incident happened "as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo" in the Galwan Valley. Source: UNB AH

Delhi remains on edge after the third consecutive night of rioting, with reports of Muslim homes and shops being targeted by violent mobs. Twenty-three people have been killed so far in the deadliest violence the Indian capital has seen in decades. The clashes first broke out on Sunday between protesters for and against a controversial citizenship law. But they have since taken on communal overtones, with reports of people being attacked based on their religion. Photographs, videos and accounts on social media paint a chilling image of the last few days - of mobs beating unarmed men, including journalists; of groups of men with sticks, iron rods and stones wandering the streets; and of Hindus and Muslims facing off. The Delhi High Court, which is hearing petitions about the violence, has said it cannot let "another 1984" happen on its "watch". In 1984, more than 3,000 Sikhs were killed in anti-Sikh riots in the city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Wednesday, three days after the violence broke out, appealing for peace. He added that he had reviewed the situation and police were working to restore normalcy. Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi has called for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah, saying he is "responsible" for the violence. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has described the situation as "alarming" and demanded for the army to be called in. The unrest is centered around Muslim-majority neighborhoods - such as Maujpur, Mustafabad, Jaffrabad and Shiv Vihar - in north-east Delhi. The streets in these areas are littered with stones and shattered glass, broken and burnt vehicles are strewn about, and the stench of smoke from smouldering buildings fills the air. What is happening now? While fresh clashes have not been reported on Wednesday, the city continues to simmer. BBC reporters saw Muslim residents in Mustafabad leaving their homes with bags and bundles of their belongings, fearing further clashes. Judging by the names released so far, both Hindus and Muslims are among victims. Some 189 people are injured, according to officials at the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital where many of them have been admitted. BBC reporters at the hospital say they saw people with all sorts of injuries, including bullet wounds, scrambling for treatment. They say the hospital seemed "overwhelmed", and many of the injured were "too scared to go back home". Many, including journalists, have tweeted and spoken of mobs demanding to know their religion. At least one photojournalist said he was asked to remove his pants to prove his identity. This has also happened during religious riots in the past to identify Muslims as they are usually circumcised. Why did it turn deadly so quickly? It appears to have started with a threat issued by Kapil Mishra, a leader from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), against protesters opposing the citizenship law. On Sunday, he led a rally in Jaffrabad - and asked people via Twitter - to gather in the area. In his tweet, he told the Delhi police they had three days to clear the protest sites and warned of consequences if they failed to do so. The first reports of clashes emerged later that day. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which grants amnesty to illegal non-Muslim immigrants from certain Muslim-majority countries, has sharply polarized India. Critics say it discriminates against Muslims, while the government denies this, saying it only offers citizenship to persecuted minorities. But it has sparked huge protests, including those led by Muslim women. Some of these - such as the one in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh - have become the target of right-wing vitriol. At least three BJP leaders, including Mr Mishra, have been accused of inciting violence through hate speeches - the Delhi High Court is currently hearing petitions to register a police complaint against them. Source: BBC AH