Bangladesh news stories on Newser

Bangladesh Ferry Sinks, Kills 31

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:09:58 CDT

A ferry packed with some 200 people collided with another vessel and capsized in a river in southern Bangladesh today, killing 31 people and leaving dozens more missing. About 35 people were rescued after the ferry sank on the Meghna River after colliding with a cargo boat early in the...

Teen Couple Leap to Deaths After Her Forced Marriage

Rob Quinn — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:14:00 CST

A love affair between two teens in Bangladesh ended in tragedy after the 16-year-old girl's family married her off to a man twice her age. The girl and her 17-year-old boyfriend tied their hands together with a scarf and jumped to their deaths from a mobile phone tower, the Daily...

Bangladesh Military: We Foiled Coup

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:28:00 CST

The Bangladesh military has foiled a plot by hardline Muslim officers and Bangladeshi conspirators living abroad to overthrow Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a military spokesman announced today. Brig. Gen. Muhammad Masud Razzaq told reporters that the military has specific evidence that up to 16 current and former Bangladeshi military officers...

Man Cuts Off Wife's Fingers for Studying: Cops

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:44:10 CST

First he blindfolded his wife and taped her mouth, saying he had surprise present for her. Then he cut off the fingers on her right hand, police say. Rafiqul Islam, 30, a migrant worker in the United Arab Emirates, reportedly confessed after committing the crime in his home country of...

Dozens of Kids Killed in Bangladesh Truck Accident

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:54:26 CDT

A vehicle packed with schoolchildren returning home from a soccer tournament crashed into a canal in southeastern Bangladesh today, killing at least 40, a police official says. About 60 children between ages 8 and 12 were in the cargo truck that crashed, and the death toll may rise as more...

14-Year-Old Beaten to Death for Adultery Was Raped

Kevin Spak — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:19:05 CDT

The family of a 14-year-old girl who was beaten to death in Bangladesh says she didn’t commit adultery—she was raped. Hena Akhter’s family talked to CNN this week, and offered a heartbreaking story of the girl’s death. In their telling, Akhter’s much older cousin, Mahbub Khan, had repeatedly harassed...

Bangladesh Ousts Nobel Laureate From Job

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:45:36 CST

Bangladesh's government fired Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as head of his microfinance bank today—an ignominious exit for a renowned activist whose revolutionary idea of giving out small loans lifted many out of poverty. Bangladesh's central bank ordered the 70-year-old's removal from his position as managing director, arguing that he...

British Airways Worker Convicted of Terror Plot

Matt Cantor — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:13:05 CST

A British Airways IT specialist has been convicted of plotting to blow up a plane, along with three additional counts of terrorist planning—including conspiring with Yemen-based radical Anwar al-Awlaki and passing him useful information. It took police nine months to crack encrypted messages on Rajib Karim’s home computer; investigators...

Bangladeshi Girl, 14, Dies After 100 Lash Punishment

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 02:03:47 CST

A 14-year-old Bangladeshi girl has died after a sentence of 100 cane lashings imposed when a village woman accused the teen of talking to her husband. "What sort of justice is this? My daughter has been beaten to death," sobbed the girl's father. Some media reports said the girl had...