Under pressure from an Islamist group, the National Textbook Commission removed an image that referred to indigenous groups and symbolised the unity and diversity of the country. The accusation: ‘It evokes separatist ideas’. Tribal groups: ‘It goes against Yunus’ promise to build a non-sectarian and inclusive Bangladesh’.
The celebration presided over by Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze in St Mary's Cathedral. AsiaNews reports on the expectations for the Holy Year of the faithful of the country's small Catholic community: ‘A time to rediscover the call to be better people in the service of all’.
The Ministry of Public Administration released an initial list of successful candidates, which was revised without explanation leaving out 99 applicants. Some had quit their job pending the official government announcement. Several Christians spoke to AsiaNews about the injustice they suffered.
The attack in a settlement in the Bandarban area, south-eastern Bangladesh, while the inhabitants had gone to a Christmas celebration in a church in a nearby village. They had been victims of extortion demands in the past weeks. The incident is part of a long-standing pattern of oppression against the indigenous hill communities in the three hill districts.
The small Catholic community in Bangladesh celebrates Christmas with a mixture of confidence and concern in the new phase opened by the student movement that swept the Awami League in the summer. Dhaka Archbishop Bejoy N. D'Cruze: ‘We imagine a country at peace where marginalised people are treated with dignity and men and women enjoy the same rights’.
The decision was approved by the interim government at the end of a meeting chaired by Yunus. Vapes will be added to the list of items whose importation is prohibited. Fears over the possible development of a clandestine market. 67% of deaths are attributed to non-communicable diseases, with smoking and tobacco use being the main causes.