Morning Brief

Zayeda Khatun pulls off surprise win in Gazipur mayoral race

After a hard-fought battle with Awami League-nominated Azmat Ullah Khan, Zayeda Khatun, an independent candidate and mother of former mayor Jahangir Alam, has triumphed in the mayoral race of the Gazipur City Corporation in a competitive and peaceful election.

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Dhaka Tribune

EU releases €2.5m to support those affected by Cyclone Mocha

Following Cyclone Mocha in Bangladesh and Myanmar, the European Commission has released €2.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid to address the most urgent needs of the affected population.

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A member of Cyclone Preparedness Programme prepares to remove a fallen tree to clear a road in Teknaf on May 14, 2023 AFP

BNP leader Chand placed on 5-day remand

A Rajshahi court has put BNP leader Abu Sayeed Chand, who threatened to kill Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a speech last Friday, on a five-day remand for questioning.

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Bangla Tribune

Journalists harassed, 1 beaten after opposition protest coverage in Pakistan

Pakistani authorities must cease harassing journalists covering the country's political unrest and respect the media's right to report freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday.

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Police fire tear gas shells towards Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party activists and supporters of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran during a protest against the arrest of their leader, in Karachi on May 9, 2023 AFP

Bangladesh hopes new US visa policy will not be applied arbitrarily

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said Bangladesh hopes that the new US visa policy that aims to promote democratic elections in the country will not be applied arbitrarily. 

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Bangla Tribune

Russia sending nuclear arms to Belarus in Ukraine fight

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Russia had begun moving nuclear weapons to its territory, which borders the European Union, ratcheting up tensions with the West over the Ukraine conflict.

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Fighters of the Russian Volunteer Corps attend a presentation for the media in northern Ukraine, not far from the Russian border, on May 24, 2023, amid Russian military invasion on Ukraine AFP