Everyday delta

 A senior Al-Qaeda figure was killed in a suspected US air strike in war-torn Yemen, security and local government sources told AFP on Wednesday.

Hamad bin Hamoud al-Tamimi, a top leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington regards as among the global jihadist network’s most dangerous branches, died in the strike along with a bodyguard, a security official said, requesting anonymity.

The air strike, targeting a house in the northern province of Marib that al-Tamimi had recently rented, was “apparently American”, the official said.

A Marib government official, also speaking anonymously, confirmed the deaths.

Tamimi, a Saudi also known as Abdel Aziz al-Adnani, headed up AQAP’s leadership council and acted as the militant group’s “judge”, the sources said.

The “president of the consultative council and judge, known as Abdel Aziz al-Adnani, was killed with a Yemeni bodyguard”, the Marib official said.

AQAP, and rival militants loyal to the Islamic State group, have thrived in the chaos of Yemen’s civil war, which pits the Saudi-backed government against Iran-allied Huthi rebels.

AQAP has carried out operations against both the Huthis and government forces as well as sporadic attacks abroad.

Its leaders have been targeted by a US drone war for more than two decades, although the number of strikes has dropped off in recent years.

The attack comes a month after three alleged AQAP militants were killed in a suspected US drone strike on a car in Marib province.

Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened to back the government after the Huthis seized control of the capital Sanaa.

The conflict has since killed tens of thousands of people and triggered what the United Nations terms the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of people displaced.

 Fierce fighting is raging for control of the centre of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the longest-running and bloodiest battle of Moscow’s invasion, Russian and Ukrainian forces said on Monday.

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has claimed to be leading Moscow’s charge for the industrial city, which has been the epicentre of fighting for months.

The Ukrainian military said: “Wagner assault units are advancing from several directions, trying to break through our troops’ defensive positions and move to the centre of the city.”

“In fierce battles, our defenders are inflicting significant losses on the enemy,” it said in a morning briefing.

Analysts are divided over the strategic significance of Bakhmut as a military prize but the city has gained important political stature, with both sides pouring significant resources into the fight.

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin also acknowledged that his forces were experiencing determined resistance as they seek to capture the centre of the city.

“The situation in Bakhmut is difficult, very difficult. The enemy is battling for every metre,” he said in a post on social media.

“The closer we are to the city centre, the more difficult the battles get and the more artillery there is… Ukrainians are throwing endless reserves (at the fight),” Prigozhin said.

 Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida resumed campaigning on Saturday, shortly after being evacuated unharmed from the scene of an apparent “smoke bomb” blast, local media reported.

“There was a loud blast sound at the previous speech venue. Police are investigating details, but I’d like to apologise for worrying many people and causing them trouble,” national broadcaster NHK quoted Kishida as saying at a stop in western Japan’s Wakayama.

“An election that’s important to our country is taking place, and we must
work together and follow through on it.”

 Brigadier General Md Main Uddin, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence, today said the frequent fire incidents in the city markets should be investigated to know the exact reasons behind those.

“Traders are suffering tremendous losses due to fire incidents in various markets just before the Eid… We would request the law enforcement and intelligence agencies to look into the matter as to whether these fire incidents are accidents or sabotage,” he said at a press briefing in front of the New Super Market gate-4 this afternoon.

“The fire has been brought under control after three and a half hours efforts. Thirty firefighting units brought the blaze under control and they are still working to douse it completely,” the Fire Service DG added.

While answering the queries of the newsmen, he also said that at least 35 persons including firefighters, air force and BGB officials and volunteers, were injured in the blaze and they were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

However, the exact reason behind the fire and actual amount of the damage could not be known immediately, Brig Gen Main Uddin said.

Black smoke filled the air as the pre-dawn fire engulfed the New Super Market in the capital, forcing the Fire Service to mobilize 30 of their units at the scene with military, paramilitary and police joining their hands to extinguish the blaze.
 
Fire service officials said the incident was reported to them at about 5:40 am and they immediately sent the units to the scene, one after another.
 
TV footages showed army, navy, air force and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel along with police joined hands to help the fire fighters while businessmen rushed to the market in their apparent futile efforts to save their belongings at the shops.
 
The Fire Service could not ascertain immediately what might have caused the fire but the incident came just 11 days after a pre-dawn blaze in a near identical manner that broke out and burned several thousand shops at Dhaka’s Bangabazar clothing market.
 
The Bangabazar fire devastated the shop owners by the loss weeks ahead of the Eid since efforts of hundreds of firefighters and army personnel could do little to save their belongings as the inferno tore through the clothing market, turning it into a pile of ashes.

 Lorcan Tucker hit a century on debut as Ireland recovered from a shaky start to keep the one-off Test against Bangladesh alive, showing an unwavering resolve on day three at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday.

    Resuming the day at 27-4 and with a fear of being rolled out in a session against a much-vaunted spin attack of Bangladesh, Ireland put a brave face to give them a faint hope to pull off a miraculous victory.

    For a grim stat, Bangladesh have never won their first match against any Test nation.

    Tucker’s ton, complemented by Harry Tector and Andy McBrine’s half-century, helped Ireland survive the third day and ended on 286-8 at stumps, leading Bangladesh by 131 runs.

    Tucker who made 108 off 162 with 14 fours and one six indeed became the second Irish batter to hit a century on debut after Kevin O’Brien.

    He formed two significant partnerships-72 with Harry Tector for the sixth wicket and 111 with Andy McBrine for the seventh wickets to give Ireland a lead.

    Bangladesh was bowled out for 369 in its first innings in reply to Ireland’s 214, taking a 155-run lead.

    Tector, one of the six debutants of Ireland, followed his 50 in the first innings with 56 and McBrine, who registered a best bowling figure by an Irish bowler in the first innings with 6-118, was batting on 71.

    In all, Bangladesh were able to take just four wickets, which was the testament of the temperament of the Irish batters in their only fourth Test.

    After resuming the day, Ireland hit back brilliantly thanks to Harry Tector and Peter Moor who added a little but significant 38-run for the fourth wicket. The partnership boosted the Irish confidence to a great extent.

    The hosts could have got the wicket of Tector early in the third morning as he edged a slower delivery of left-arm spinner Taijul Islam behind the wicket when on 9 but wicket-keeper Liton Das put it down.

    Tector then made Bangladesh paying for it heavily, frustrating them throughout the morning session.

    Pacer Shoriful Islam finally broke the partnership, when Moor edged a moving delivery behind the wicket to be out on 16.

    But Tucker’s arrival paced the scoreboard as his bold approach to attack the spinners, specially left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, paid off.

    Tector raised his second fifty in the Test then off 145 balls, with an outside edge of Khaled Ahmed delivery that flew into the gap between the slips and gully.

    But after a little while Taijul had him leg-before after Tector tried to paddle sweep a delivery that didn’t turn much.

    Bangladesh got a ray of after the dismissal of Tector but Tucker and McBrine frustrated them further to take the match to the last session when the hosts believed they could wrap up the innings in the first session.

    Both Tucker and McBrine showed courageous approach of going after the Bangladeshi spinners fearlessly, which paid off nicely for them.

    Tucker however drove Taijul to the mid-wicket for a single to raise his fifty on debut Test off 94 balls and went on to strength to strength, much to the despair of the Bangladeshi bowlers.

    McBrine’s assured presence at the other end also boosted him, as he kept punishing Bangladesh bowlers.

    He however drove Taijul Islam for a boundary through mid-off region to raise his hundred off just 149 balls.

    But Tucker couldn’t prolong the innings as Ebadot Hossain had him caught by Shoriful Islam with the second new ball.

    Taijul Islam then removed Mark Adair for 13 to end the day as the best Bangladesh bowler with 4-86. Skipper Shakib Al Hasan, a left-arm spinner who bagged two wickets on day two, bowled only six overs on day three.  McBrine and Graham Hume, who was on 9, saw out the day without further trouble.

 On the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of Independence of Bangladesh, the United States (US) Congress has introduced a resolution on March 29 recognizing and commending Bangladesh and its remarkable socioeconomic progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina introduced the resolution at the Congress as the co-chair of the Congressional Bangladesh Caucus, according to a press release received here today.

Joe Wilson Sr. has been serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina’s 2nd congressional district since 2001. He earlier served as the South Carolina state senator from the 23rd district from 1985 to 2001.

While placing the resolution, Congressman Wilson recalled that 51 years ago on April 4, 1972, the United States recognized Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan.

During the nine-month-long Bangladesh Liberation War, members of the Pakistan Armed Forces and pro-Pakistani militias killed hundreds of thousands of people and injured many more. The war for independence was a struggle for democracy and freedom led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the resolution said.

It said Bangladesh has made enormous strides in the last five decades from one of the poorest nations to having one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with their GDP per capita increasing to $2,457 in 2021 according to the World Bank which now exceeds that of its regional neighbors.

The resolution mentioned since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh’s economy has grown from $9 billion to $450 billion, life expectancy has risen from 47 years to 73 years, and the adult literacy rate has risen to more than 75 percent.

Bangladesh, through the leadership of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has made substantial socioeconomic progress in food production, disaster resilience, poverty reduction, improved health, education, and women’s empowerment, it noted.

The resolution said Bangladesh has successfully maintained a moderate Muslim society and curbed extremism in the country, and its people have sought to maintain support for democracy and rule of law rather than descending into authoritarian rule of gun.
 
The resolution said the United States and Bangladesh have extensive cooperation on matters of regional and global security, counter terrorism, and climate change. The U.S. is the largest export market for Bangladesh and one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment, it said, adding the nation of Bangladesh has also contributed to the U.S. economy through bilateral trade and international security cooperation in return.

The resolution said the American people appreciate the generous and indispensable role that Bangladesh performs in accepting and sheltering more than 1 million Rohingya people from a genocide perpetrated by its neighbor, Burma. The United States has contributed the largest amount of humanitarian aid to address this crisis, totaling more than $2 billion.

It said the American people welcome that Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest contributors to United Nations peacekeeping efforts globally. Both countries seek to enhance their people-to people and government-to-government relationship for shared prosperity.

The resolution mentioned that Bangladesh has expressed their gratitude to the United States for contributing more than 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the people of Bangladesh.

It said the American people recognize and commend the nation and people of Bangladesh as they celebrate 51 years of independence. The United States extends its sincere determination to remain a constructive partner of Bangladesh in achieving mutual economic, social and national security objectives now and into the future, the resolution concluded.

 French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping both called on Thursday for Russia-Ukraine peace talks to take place “as soon as possible”.

The pair, who held talks in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, also reaffirmed their opposition to the use of nuclear weapons during the conflict.