211. The Prince of Bangladesh playing the same raga
After taking office, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman stated that his government aims to develop a constructive relationship with India rooted in mutual respect and national interests. But this was a statement he had no choice but to make.
However, his government has prioritized addressing the two issues his predecessors dealt with. Both are related to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members.
Following the previous judgment, a court has now ordered authorities to request an Interpol red notice for British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq. This is in connection with an investigation into corruption related to the distribution of government land in Dhaka.
Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission has alleged that Siddiq used her relationship with her aunt, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to influence the allocation of a state land plot in Dhaka’s Gulshan area to a private company.
Last year, Siddiq was convicted in absentia after a court linked her to the allocation of state land. She was denied basic rights, including access to legal representation and a meaningful opportunity to respond to the allegations.
A group of lawyers sent a letter to Bangladesh’s high commissioner in the UK, informing him that lawyer Siddiq, whom she had hired to represent her, was placed under house arrest and that threats had been made against his daughter.
Siddiq has received a two-year prison sentence in her absence and faces a total of six years across several cases involving her aunt and other family members.
She denies these charges, calling them unfounded and politically motivated.
The UK does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh, which would complicate any attempt to return Siddiq to face proceedings there.
The government intends to pursue legal action against Hasina and prominent figures from her former administration for suspected corruption and human rights abuses during her 15-year tenure.
In November 2025, the former prime minister was sentenced to death for the violent crackdown on protests that resulted in over 1,400 deaths.
The Prince must not forget that there have been countless cases against him. Just because he became the Prime Minister doesn’t mean he has become any cleaner.
FIREFIGHTERS IN SICILY RESCUE 400 RARE BOOKS
In Sicily, firefighters saved approximately 400 rare books from a library in Niscemi following a severe landslide that caused an entire slope to collapse, creating a 4 km-long chasm. More than 1,600 people have been evacuated from the town.
The library contains approximately 4,000 books covering literature, history, and general nonfiction, including several rare pre-1830 editions on Sicilian history. Its most valuable treasure is a 16th-century book.
Many volumes are still stored in the basement, regarded as the most vulnerable area. Officials are considering deploying robots.
The library stands on the lip of the precipice gouged by the landslide, with part of the building hanging in mid-air. This building is effectively a single reinforced-concrete structure. If it collapses, it will go all at once.
Firefighters drilled through the wall of a building behind the structure, entering for minutes at a time, and then strapped the bookcases together.
A drone streamed live aerial images to a monitor on the ground, and a separate device monitored vibrations and subtle shifts in the building’s tilt.