South Asia | The Daily Star
  • Use of modern contraception among Bangladesh

    Use of modern contraception among Bangladeshi women low

    Bangladeshi women shows a slow performance in using modern contraception in the world. In a wider perspective, an ambitious goal to boost the number of women using modern contraception by tens of millions by 2020 is falling far behind, said experts.

  • 'Forced repatriation' to pose security risk

    The International Crisis Group has warned of serious security risks of “forced repatriation” of the Rohingya, just as Myanmar and Bangladesh prepare for the November 15 return of the refugees sheltered in Bangladesh.

  • Srisena usurped MPs' powers

    Sri Lanka's parliamentary Speaker yesterday accused President Maithripala Sirisena of "usurping" the rights of legislators and asked public servants not to carry out his "illegal orders".

  • Organised crime, organised crime in South Asia

    Organised crime: Bangladesh less affected in South Asia

    Bangladesh is ranked among the countries in South Asia which are less affected by organised crimes. The four South Asian countries- Nepal (107), Bangladesh (97), India (90) and Sri Lanka (85), are among the group of the countries that have been less affected by organised crime as compared to Pakistan, according to data published by World Economic Forum.

  • Rohingya refugees

    'Can't eat, can't sleep': Rohingya on Myanmar repatriation list

    For Nurul Amin, a Rohingya Muslim living in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, the days since learning he and his family were among a group of people set to potentially be repatriated to Myanmar have been among the most frightening since they fled their home.

  • Case dropped against Myanmar journalists

    The incitement case against three Myanmar journalists who reported critically on the financial management of Yangon's government has been withdrawn,

  • Blasphemy Case: Asia Bibi freed from Pak jail

    A Pakistani Christian woman has been freed from prison yesterday a week after the Supreme Court overturned her conviction and death sentence for blasphemy against Islam, and she is at a secure location in the country, officials said.

  • Begging in Beijing?

    Pakistan has removed the acting chief of state-run television after a caption read “Begging” instead “Beijing” during a broadcast of Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to China, which has promised economic aid to the impoverished South Asian country.

  • Fears grow over ethnic war in Afghanistan

    The Taliban have infiltrated a strategic district in southeastern Afghanistan and fought with members of the Shia Hazara minority, officials said yesterday, a week after militants and a Shia militia clashed in a central province.

  • Sri Lanka crisis paralyses govt

    A prolonged power-struggle between Sri Lanka's president and his sacked prime minister has paralysed the island's government and must be solved immediately, a key MP said.

  • Rohingya refugee girls

    Rohingya Refugees: UN expert warns of rushed plans for Rohingyas

    The United Nations' human rights investigator on Myanmar urged Bangladesh on Tuesday to drop plans to start repatriating hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to Rakhine state this month, warning they would face a "high risk of persecution".

  • Pakistan bank

    'Almost all' Pakistani banks hacked in security breach: FIA

    In a shocking revelation, the head of the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing says data from "almost all" Pakistani banks was looted in a recent security breach.

  • India's Faizabad will now be called Ayodhya

    In yet another name change, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh yesterday announced that Faizabad district in the state will be henceforth known as Ayodhya. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath made the announcement at a function to mark the Deepavali function in Ayodhya in the afternoon.

  • 435 Afghans killed or injured in poll: UN

    More than 400 Afghans were killed or wounded in poll-related violence during three days of voting last month, the UN said yesterday, making the parliamentary ballot the deadliest on record. The vast majority of the 435 casualties happened on the first day of voting on October 20.

  • Congress beats BJP in Karnataka by-polls

    India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party yesterday suffered a jolt when it failed to retain a parliamentary seat which has been its long-held bastion in the southern state of Karnataka as ruling Congress and its alliance partner Janata Dal (Secular) won two other parliamentary constituencies and won both the assembly seats that went to by-polls last weekend.

  • Myanmar human rights violation

    Should do more to fight Myanmar violence: Facebook

    Facebook Inc says a human rights report it commissioned on its presence in Myanmar showed it has not done enough to prevent its social network from being used to incite violence.

  • Lanka crisis deepens

    Sri Lanka's speaker of parliament said yesterday he would not accept a former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the new prime minister until he proves he commands a majority in parliament.

  • Jailed Myanmar Reuters reporters file appeal

    Lawyers for two Myanmar Reuters journalists yesterday filed an appeal against their seven-year jail sentence linked to their reporting on the Rohingya crisis, the news agency said.

  • Twitter suspends Pak cleric's account

    Twitter suspended the account of a ultra-right Pakistani cleric on Sunday following inflammatory statements targeting the judiciary, prime minister, and military after the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy, the government said.

  • Sri Lanka speaker says won't accept Rajapaksa as PM until he proves a majority

    Sri Lanka's speaker of parliament says he would not accept a former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the new prime minister until he proves he commands a majority in parliament.

  • Samsung Galaxy A7: A solid performer

    Will you be in seventh heaven thanks to Samsung’s new mid-range offering, the Galaxy A7 (2018)? Jump in and find out.

  • Aasia's acquittal: Over 1,100 held during protests

    Punjab police arrested 1,100 suspects till Sunday evening and registered 130 cases against them for their involvement in injuring policemen and people and damaging public and private properties during the protests following the Supreme Court verdict acquitting Aasia Bibi of blasphemy charge.

  • Govt 'surrenders' to hardliners

    Pakistan government was criticized yesterday for reaching a controversial deal with protesting Islamist hardliners, who were incensed

  • Hydropower Producer in Asia

    Bangladesh remains lowest in Asian hydropower production

    Bangladesh remains the lowest hydropower producer among other countries in Asia since 2017. However, Bangladesh, with a capacity of 230 megawatts, is working towards increasing their capacity by commissioning more projects, says a latest report.

  • Court orders arrest of military chief

    A Sri Lankan court yesterday ordered the arrest the country's top military officer over the abduction and murder of 11 people during the Tamil civil war.

  • Speaker defies president

    Sri Lanka's speaker yesterday summoned parliament to meet next week in defiance of the president as a constitutional crisis darkened with an MP saying he was offered millions of dollars and a minister's post to defect to a rival camp.

  • Ex-Maldives president ends exile

    Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed returned home from exile yesterday, two days after the country's Supreme Court withdrew a warrant for his arrest.

  • POK BUS SERVICE: India lodges protest with Pak, China

    India has lodged a strong protest against a proposed bus service from China using a road through Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir saying the move will be “ in violation ” of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

  • PM praised for his stance

    Pakistan's Imran Khan won praise for his stance against religious hardliners yesterday, as demonstrators blocked major roads to protest the Supreme Court's overturning of a blasphemy conviction.

  • President's party u-turns on parliament suspension

    The Sri Lankan president's party yesterday reignited a constitutional crisis over which of two rival prime ministers heads the government by insisting that parliament will remain suspended.

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