Rani becomes first transgender to enter electoral politics fray in Bangladesh: Report

Dhaka: Anowara Islam Rani, a young transgender from Bangladesh’s northern region has emerged as the first candidate of her gender to enter electoral politics, a symbol of resilience and change in the country, according to a media report on Saturday. The participation of Rani, who is running for office from the Rangpur-3 constituency in the … Read more

Bangladesh police arrest opposition members over train fire

DHAKA, Bangladesh: Police on Saturday (Jan 6) arrested seven opposition party members blamed for an alleged pre-election arson attack on a packed commuter train that killed four people and injured another eight. Friday night’s blaze engulfed the intercity Benapole Express in central Dhaka, with hundreds scrambling to pull passengers from burning carriages. It was the … Read more

Bangladesh deploys army to keep peace ahead of Sunday’s election

DHAKA: Troops deployed across Bangladesh on Wednesday (Jan 3) amid fears of violence ahead of a national election which the main opposition party is boycotting. Soldiers travelled in armoured vehicles to temporary camps set up across the capital Dhaka to help the civil administration maintain peace and security. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is boycotting … Read more

Nobel winner Yunus convicted in Bangladesh labour law case

DHAKA: Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus was convicted on Monday (Jan 1) of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws in a case decried by his supporters as politically motivated. Yunus, 83, is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering microfinance bank but has earned the enmity of longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has … Read more

Traveling to every country on one of the worst passports in the world

Maliha Fairooz said her first memory of traveling was from Bangladesh to London when she was four years old.  “Most kids, when they’re on an airplane, they’re crying and throwing tantrums,” she said. “But not me — I was so excited. I remember flying through the clouds, looking down at the sky and thinking ‘I’m … Read more

As temperatures rise, dengue fever infections keep surging around the world

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. In Bangladesh, roughly 300,000 people have been infected with dengue this year during the country’s worst-ever outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted disease. … Read more