obviously this is trivial but i can't imagine any cricket teams visiting bangladesh for the next...indefinite period (see pakistan)
― imago, Saturday, 2 July 2016 10:07 (seven years ago) link
i say trivial but it must be these goons' partial intention to cut bangladesh off from the world
― imago, Saturday, 2 July 2016 10:08 (seven years ago) link
England are touring in October. Wouldn't be enormously surprised to see it switched to UAE but the World Cup went ahead without any problems .
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Saturday, 2 July 2016 10:20 (seven years ago) link
what is the likely policy response to this do you think
― imago, Saturday, 2 July 2016 10:47 (seven years ago) link
Probably even more of a crackdown on generic 'Islamists' targeting both Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen who have been responsible for most of the bombings / attacks not attributed to ISIS and Jamaat-e-Islami who form a fair proportion of the political opposition. 3000 people were arrested last month, hundreds of them opposition political activists not linked to militant activity. It'll probably be used as a tool to consolidate power. The interesting thing will be whether Hasina acknowledges that ISIS is proliferating as a brand. She has been extremely reluctant to do so.
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Saturday, 2 July 2016 10:55 (seven years ago) link
The Bangladeshi government has rejected ISIS' claim of responsibility for the cafe attack and decided it was the work of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and a former army major who has supposedly been trying to organise a coup.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/bangladesh-names-two-masterminds-behind-dhaka-attack/story-nOurUyHk2j3uUAe5r7zcwM.html
Nine 'suspected militants' were killed by the police in a recent raid.
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Tuesday, 2 August 2016 14:03 (seven years ago) link
The Canadian 'mastermind' of the cafe attack was killed alongside two other people in a police raid yesterday:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/bangladesh-police-kill-main-dhaka-cafe-attack-suspect-160827050800585.html
Which is arguably quite handy if you don't want anyone contradicting the government line that it wasn't ISIS.
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Saturday, 27 August 2016 07:29 (seven years ago) link
Someone hacked into the Bangladesh Central Bank and started sending transfer requests to the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, tapping into the country's foreign currency reserves. NY eventually cottoned on, noticing a combination of higher-than-average traffic and elementary spelling mistakes, but not until the hackers had pinched $100m. Had it all gone to plan, they would have received $1bn.
The language training institute i went to see today ran a series of ads last week along the lines of "had you learned your English with us, you'd have got the full $1bn!", which went down very badly with the government but was pretty funny.
obviously this is trivial but i can't imagine any cricket teams visiting bangladesh for the next...indefinite period
They're staying at the same hotel as me rn!
The government announced yesterday that they'd killed 33 militants since the cafe attack, which given that they killed 11 this week, seems a pretty conservative estimate. It's BAU at the moment, though. The only change is that if you're standing outside an office block the armed guards will casually wander across to stand in front of you in case you get shot.
Myanmar say nine police officers were killed on the Bangla border this week during clashes with Rohingya rebels:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/10/myanmar-nine-police-killed-insurgents-bangladesh-border
India / Pakistan is heating up again with Modi more or less putting the country on a war footing over Kashmir. He has ordered arms manufacturers to stand by to ramp up production and has suggested that Indian troops will move into Pakistan if they feel the need to go looking for terrorists there - having bombed Pakistani Kashmir last month.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Will-breach-LoC-to-hunt-terrorists-India-tells-Pakistan/articleshow/54774376.cms
― Bubba H.O.T.A.P.E (ShariVari), Monday, 10 October 2016 15:49 (seven years ago) link
This is...bold.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37906742
Modi announced earlier today that 500 and 1000 Rupee notes are being withdrawn from midnight, will cease to be legal tender for transport or state business from Friday and may not be accepted for bank deposits after December the 31st. There are varying estimates but around half of all daily cash transactions (by value) are in those denominations and over 80% of cash wealth is held in them - which for a lot of families, will be how they keep their savings.
It's a bit like saying all US notes over $10 are being cancelled at the end of the week and anyone with $100 or more in cash will have to swap it for new bills and explain its origins. It could bring a lot of cash into the system or it could go horribly wrong. The big complaint from Indian capitalist reformers has often been that too many people keep their money in cash or gold and banks don't have enough liquidity.
― Bubba H.O.T.A.P.E (ShariVari), Tuesday, 8 November 2016 18:55 (seven years ago) link
man do all the announcements have pictures of him on them? that's kind of weird.
― xiphoid beetlebum (rushomancy), Tuesday, 8 November 2016 21:54 (seven years ago) link
Nawaz Sharif has just been ordered to resign by Pakistan's Supreme Court! He was linked to corruption exposed in the Panama Papers. Unanimous 5-0 verdict.
― Wag1 Shree Rajneesh (ShariVari), Friday, 28 July 2017 07:32 (six years ago) link
This seems like it could be huge and a bit surprising to me, coming from Modi/BJP. The fact that they seem to have no detailed plan on how to pay for it is a little worrying.:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/business/india-modi-health-care.html?emc=edit_th_180202&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=64660325&referer
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Saturday, 3 February 2018 22:46 (six years ago) link
Nepal's ruling coalition partners CPN-UML and CPN Maoist Centre unify to form Communist Party of Nepal, with Marxism and Leninism as the governing ideology: https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/uml-maoist-centre-unify-party-named-communist-party-nepal/
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Friday, 23 February 2018 23:03 (six years ago) link
This seems like good news. Aiui they’ve never really gotten along well and merging the parties is designed to put barriers in the way of one or the other pulling out of the coalition.
The move to bring Maoist parties into the democratic process as been legit impressive and seems to have a much better prospect of long term success than the fairly fragile peace in Colombia.
― Wag1 Shree Rajneesh (ShariVari), Saturday, 24 February 2018 02:19 (six years ago) link
That all makes sense. I'm interested to see what this government can achieve.
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Sunday, 25 February 2018 02:35 (six years ago) link
Congrats to the Awami League on winning, uh, 96% of the seats in the Bangladeshi election:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-46718393
― ShariVari, Monday, 31 December 2018 17:39 (five years ago) link
Er...
― Locked in silent monologue, in silent scream (Sund4r), Wednesday, 2 January 2019 01:54 (five years ago) link
https://scroll.in/article/902177/no-hindi-hindu-hindustan-implemented-fully-bjps-hindutva-renaming-will-wipe-out-a-lot-of-india
interesting piece on the BJP's current renaming drive. reminds me of efforts to purge english of latinate and greek words like percy grainger's 'blue eyed english'. quaint can turn to fascist p quick.
― ogmor, Wednesday, 2 January 2019 10:11 (five years ago) link
Ugh, yeah, they also renamed Ross, Neil, and Havelock islands after Subhash Chander Bose (independence leader who conflicted with Gandhi and teamed up with WW2-era Germany and Japan to form the Free India Army): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/01/india-strips-islands-british-colonial-names-renames-freedom/
― Locked in silent monologue, in silent scream (Sund4r), Wednesday, 2 January 2019 16:14 (five years ago) link
This story is really fascinating to me: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/02/indian-women-form-620km-human-chain-in-support-of-lifting-of-temple-ban
A recent Supreme Court ruling overturned a proscription on pre-menopausal women entering the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. The priests and Hindu traditionalists have been (physically) fighting against the change, with BJP support, and have blocked many women from entering, with feminists and the Communists (who rule Kerala at the state level) fighting on the other side, including the formation of a 620 km human chain. Two women have entered and prayed now, which has been followed by protests and 'purification' of the temple by priests.
― Locked in silent monologue, in silent scream (Sund4r), Wednesday, 2 January 2019 16:19 (five years ago) link
Some quality Indian English in some of the quotes btw:
“Have the Communists desecrated Sabarimala shrine by facilitating entry of women of restricted age group into the temple? Devastating, if true.”
― Locked in silent monologue, in silent scream (Sund4r), Wednesday, 2 January 2019 16:21 (five years ago) link
Nationwide strike; five states basically shut down. Is this getting any Western coverage outside extreme left rags?
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/m.timesofindia.com/india/trade-unions-strike-evokes-mixed-response-on-day-1-complete-bandh-in-kerala/amp_articleshow/67440537.cms
― Locked in silent monologue, in silent scream (Sund4r), Wednesday, 9 January 2019 14:56 (five years ago) link
Not that I’ve seen - perhaps there is a perception that hartal/ bandh is so common in India it no longer qualifies as news.
― ShariVari, Wednesday, 9 January 2019 15:11 (five years ago) link
They still cover French protests but yeah. This does seem big; idk how it will play out. Violence is worrying but unsurprising.
― Locked in silent monologue, in silent scream (Sund4r), Wednesday, 9 January 2019 15:34 (five years ago) link
We will ensure implementation of NRC in the entire country. We will remove every single infiltrator from the country, except Buddha, Hindus and Sikhs: Shri @AmitShah #NaMoForNewIndia— BJP (@BJP4India) April 11, 2019
https://thewire.in/rights/assam-nrc-may-campaign-marginalise-muslims
Rolling further towards open religious fascism.
― ShariVari, Thursday, 11 April 2019 19:32 (five years ago) link
Are they really excluding anyone whose name does not appear on the Mar 1971 electoral rolls and is not a descendant of someone who does (or an Indian citizen who moved to Assam)? Sounds nuts.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Friday, 12 April 2019 14:30 (five years ago) link
Good news for Gautama at least.
What's a reliable source for Indian news? Not knowing the media landscape there, I tend to only read about it in the Guardian.
― rob, Friday, 12 April 2019 14:34 (five years ago) link
Ha, yeah, "except for Buddha" jumped out for me too.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Friday, 12 April 2019 14:42 (five years ago) link
Awful news from Sri Lanka. Three hotel and three churches bombed, it looks like. Reporting at least 137 dead.
― ShariVari, Sunday, 21 April 2019 07:09 (four years ago) link
Horrible. Forgive my ignorance, but have there been significant tensions between religious and/or ethnic communities lately?
― pomenitul, Sunday, 21 April 2019 08:05 (four years ago) link
Not as far as I know, it seems comparatively out of the blue.
― ShariVari, Sunday, 21 April 2019 08:34 (four years ago) link
How awful. My quartier has a large Sri Lankan population, mostly Tamils. Many go to mass with us, and people were lamenting this Easter morning.
― L'assie (Euler), Sunday, 21 April 2019 08:49 (four years ago) link
I read somewhere that the police were warned of an imminent church attack last week, but I'd imagine it wouldn't have been the first time. Lots of predictable Islamophobic shit coming from the usual suspects and I'm reading it might have been committed by Bodu Bala Sena - the Buddhist extremists.
― calzino, Sunday, 21 April 2019 08:49 (four years ago) link
Another explosion.
― pomenitul, Sunday, 21 April 2019 09:00 (four years ago) link
2 police officers confirmed dead in 7th blast.
― calzino, Sunday, 21 April 2019 09:03 (four years ago) link
8th blast. Fucking hell.
― pomenitul, Sunday, 21 April 2019 09:19 (four years ago) link
wtf.
― calzino, Sunday, 21 April 2019 09:21 (four years ago) link
there is going to be a nationwide curfew that begins in 3 hrs and a shutdown of all social media and messaging services.
― calzino, Sunday, 21 April 2019 09:38 (four years ago) link
The seventh and eighth bombs seem to have been set off as the attackers were being chased down by the police. They were not high-profile targets like the others.
― ShariVari, Sunday, 21 April 2019 09:58 (four years ago) link
death toll up to 207 now.
― calzino, Sunday, 21 April 2019 12:29 (four years ago) link
So awful
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Sunday, 21 April 2019 12:44 (four years ago) link
Is there a reason why Bodu Bala Sena would want to kill tourists? Serious question.
― Matt DC, Sunday, 21 April 2019 15:46 (four years ago) link
it probably wasn't them. But lots of ppl seemed quite sure who was responsible literally 20 mins after the first few blasts occurred. The usual suspects though.
― calzino, Sunday, 21 April 2019 17:02 (four years ago) link
Jesus. All my Sri Lankan colleagues seem to be ok but someone from our US office visiting them was killed at the Cinnamon Hotel.
― ShariVari, Monday, 22 April 2019 12:47 (four years ago) link
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/29/indonesia-election-270-officials-die-as-overwork-takes-toll-in-huge
wtf! I thought there might have been an erroneous extra zero, but everyone else is reporting the same.
― calzino, Monday, 29 April 2019 07:57 (four years ago) link
BJP set to win 300+ seats. All I'm hearing from Indians are lamentations: ppl decrying Rahul Gandhi; debate about whether the Congress party even has any future; lots of concern about possible electoral fraud; ppl pointing to the state of the media & coarsening of discourse. Amartya Sen has spoken of Modi's magic, his magical thinking and his way of tricking ppl with over-hyped policies like his healthcare bill and demonetization. Seems that the Indian right have been v successful in getting ppl to vote not on governance or the economy but on identity and security.
― ogmor, Thursday, 23 May 2019 21:39 (four years ago) link
300/543 seats for one party is wild when there are, what, 30 parties in the Lok Sabha? Even wilder when the economy is actually doing badly. I will be surprised if the party of Nehru and the Gandhis never recovers. I don't really know why they stuck with Rahul after 2014, though. Good for the South for resisting the right wing tide, I guess, but the overwhelming global rightward shift continues to be worrying.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:53 (four years ago) link
https://www.theonion.com/india-continues-surge-towards-status-as-first-world-nat-1834980952
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Friday, 24 May 2019 03:16 (four years ago) link
866k people in Bhopal voted for Sadhvi Pragya, currently on bail for a string of charges related to the 2008 Malegaon bombings.
― ShariVari, Friday, 24 May 2019 05:58 (four years ago) link
This is quite good on the roots in the decay of Indian democracy, mapping it back to its beginnings:
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/07/18/indira-gandhi-long-undeclared-emergency/
― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 20 July 2019 15:31 (four years ago) link
Impressive!
― pomenitul, Thursday, 14 May 2020 19:26 (three years ago) link
Three Indian soldiers killed in a clash with the Chinese Army in Galwan Valley.
― ShariVari, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 09:12 (three years ago) link
So this situation has been going for a while?
― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 09:13 (three years ago) link
Since independence, i guess, but this is apparently the first time anyone has been killed in 45 years.
― ShariVari, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 09:17 (three years ago) link
There was a Chinese 'incursion' about three weeks ago, i think, that kicked things off again.
Actually, to be more accurate, i think the incursion came as part of the Chinese response to India building a new bridge across the valley, against China's objections.
― ShariVari, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 09:19 (three years ago) link
apparently now it's up to 20 casualties
― dip to dup (rob), Tuesday, 16 June 2020 18:20 (three years ago) link
The report I heard mentioned hand to hand combat, rocks and clubs used, it sounds as brutal and deadly as army combat gets without shots being fired.
― calzino, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 18:26 (three years ago) link
I saw that too. 20 soldiers beaten to death strains credulity imo, but obvs it's too early to know anything concrete
― dip to dup (rob), Tuesday, 16 June 2020 18:30 (three years ago) link
yeah the subtext probably is shots were fired but neither side can admit that.
― calzino, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 19:29 (three years ago) link
The two armies jostled and hand-to-hand fighting broke out – neither side armed in line with decades of tradition supposed to ward off the possibility of escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours.Then an Indian commanding officer was pushed, fell from the narrow ridge and plunged to his death in the gorge below.Reinforcements from the Indian side were summoned from a post about 4km away and eventually about 600 men were fighting with stones, iron rods and other makeshift weapons in near-total darkness for up to six hours, Indian government sources said, with most deaths on both sides occurring from soldiers falling or being knocked from mountain terrain.
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 07:38 (three years ago) link
jfc!
― calzino, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 07:56 (three years ago) link
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-india-52990324?
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 10:56 (three years ago) link
Not even the well connected middle-class are being saved. The BJP will be ramping up their culture war etc. to max levels to get auntie voting for bigotry at the next election.
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 11:03 (three years ago) link
afaict the main control in place to combat COVID is a 9pm - 5am curfew. idk what what's meant to do other than curb potential disorder.
― ShariVari, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 11:26 (three years ago) link
xpostok wow I hadn't realized the insanity of fighting in that kind of terrain
― dip to dup (rob), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 11:47 (three years ago) link
It's off-the-scale crazy. These are two advanced, nuclear-armed superpowers fighting with sticks in the dark for six hours.
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 12:02 (three years ago) link
Looks like Modi has blinked. Says there was no incursion into Indian territory. China has subsequently reiterated that the valley is within their LAC.
Good to see it de-escalate.
― Scampo di tutti i Scampi (ShariVari), Saturday, 20 June 2020 09:12 (three years ago) link
Indian government proceeding with criminalizing intermarriage: https://t.co/3hdeBSMXpL— Murtaza M. Hussain (@MazMHussain) December 5, 2020
Genuinely interested to see how far he can push stuff like this and still have Western leaders pal around with him.
― Scampo di tutti i Scampi (ShariVari), Saturday, 5 December 2020 11:58 (three years ago) link
In a country where love was meant to be a celebration, Narendra Modi has criminalised interfaith love because it is a regime that has survived and sustained on hate. My take on legitimising the dangerous and fictitious Love Jihad theory in @PostOpinionshttps://t.co/agSPBTm7vF— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) November 29, 2020
― Scampo di tutti i Scampi (ShariVari), Saturday, 5 December 2020 11:59 (three years ago) link
Wtf? No way this is constitutional?
― actually-very-convincing (Sund4r), Saturday, 5 December 2020 13:30 (three years ago) link
Likely not, but it will have to go to court first
― rob, Saturday, 5 December 2020 14:44 (three years ago) link
Kerala High Court did rule this way: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/all-interfaith-marriages-not-love-jihad-court/articleshow/61147349.cms
― actually-very-convincing (Sund4r), Saturday, 5 December 2020 16:56 (three years ago) link
Heartbreaking and believable: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/23/pollution-killed-nearly-17-million-people-in-india-in-2019-study
― They sold me a dream of Christmas (Sund4r), Thursday, 24 December 2020 06:03 (three years ago) link
why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest https://t.co/obmIlXhK9S— Rihanna (@rihanna) February 2, 2021
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 3 February 2021 15:07 (three years ago) link
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/18/indian-mosque-bulldozed-in-defiance-of-high-court-order
― rob, Tuesday, 18 May 2021 16:20 (two years ago) link
Ugh, that seems shockingly brazen, even for the BJP.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Tuesday, 18 May 2021 16:48 (two years ago) link
In other shockingly brazen, even for the BJP news...
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been put on notice in India and may cease to exist for failing to comply with Centre's new I-T Act. New social media rules to come into effect on May 26. @maryashakil shares more details with @ridhimb pic.twitter.com/wLvsSbbOqH— News18 (@CNNnews18) May 25, 2021
The short version seems to be that they forged some documents suggesting Congress was planning to run a campaign that would ‘tarnish the image of the country’ over COVID, Twitter labelled it as ‘manipulated media’ when senior politicians posted it, the police raided Twitter’s offices yesterday and now they, and Facebook, have 24 hours to comply with new laws or face closure.
― Scampo di tutti i Scampi (ShariVari), Tuesday, 25 May 2021 07:19 (two years ago) link
Wow.
I got a FB msg from a cousin in India today so I'm guessing they either complied or the rules aren't being enforced?
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Wednesday, 26 May 2021 17:59 (two years ago) link
some follow up here: https://slate.com/technology/2021/06/india-silicon-valley-twitter-google-censorship.html
― trap door to hell opens underneath (rob), Sunday, 13 June 2021 17:18 (two years ago) link
Finally read this; it's as depressing as I feared.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Monday, 5 July 2021 17:45 (two years ago) link
Went back to it after reading this: https://theprint.in/india/journalist-activist-jailed-under-nsa-for-45-days-over-cow-posts-in-manipur-its-not-unusual/684133/
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Monday, 5 July 2021 17:53 (two years ago) link
Sometimes writing editorials is not required. Just the placement of news is enough pic.twitter.com/9tyP9JkMym— Ghazala Wahab (@ghazalawahab) June 28, 2022
― rob, Tuesday, 28 June 2022 12:57 (one year ago) link
o_O
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Tuesday, 28 June 2022 13:16 (one year ago) link
more on Zubair and Alt News: https://restofworld.org/2021/fact-checking-modis-india/
― rob, Tuesday, 28 June 2022 13:53 (one year ago) link
Protesters occupy President's residence, burn down PM's and force both to resign in Sri Lanka: https://www.nytimes.com/article/sri-lanka-president-protests.html
While I don't question that there are good reasons to want a revolution in Sri Lanka, it's v unclear to me what will come next and nothing I've seen suggests that the protesters have a clear idea themselves. Also, one thing I've not seen addressed anywhere yet is whether Tamils or Muslims are represented among the protesters.
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Monday, 11 July 2022 13:05 (one year ago) link
Indian government accused of attack on democracy as 141 MPs suspended:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/19/indian-government-accused-attack-democracy-mps-suspended-modi-bjp
― rob, Tuesday, 19 December 2023 18:33 (four months ago) link
Really grim
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 20 December 2023 09:37 (four months ago) link
Modi has done so many fascist things over the years, it’s so expected
― mojo dojo casas house (gyac), Wednesday, 20 December 2023 09:55 (four months ago) link