United News of Bangladesh

The Aga Khan IV was laid to rest on Sunday at a private ceremony in Aswan, Egypt. The death of Prince Karim - the 49th hereditary imam of the Shiite Ismaili Muslims - was announced Tuesday by the Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community. His son, 53-year-old Rahim Al-Hussaini, has been named as the Aga Khan V, the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims, in according with his father’s will. On Saturday, a private funeral service took place at the Ismaili community center in Lisbon attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Spain’s King Emeritus Juan Carlos and Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The Aga Khan is considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and is treated as a head of state. The governor of Aswan welcomed Prince Karim’s family at the southern Egyptian’s provinces airport on Saturday. “When his will was opened, it was found that he had requested to be buried in Aswan near his grandfather, Sultan Muhammad Shah, and his grandmother, Om Habiba,” said Maj. Gen. Ismail Kamal. Ismaili mourners marched as bells rang during the burial ceremony in the country’s southern Aswan province, as Prince Karim’s body was taken in a van. They carried his body, draped in a white shroud, and placed it on a yacht on the Nile River. Prince Karim, 88, was given the title of “His Highness” by Queen Elizabeth in July 1957, two weeks after his grandfather, the Aga Khan III, unexpectedly made him heir to the family’s 1,300-year dynasty as leader of the Ismaili Muslim sect. The late Aga Khan evolved over decades into a business magnate and a philanthropist, moving between the spiritual and the worldly with ease. He was a defender of Islamic culture and values, but also widely regarded as a builder of bridges between Muslim societies and the West. The Aga Khan Development Network deals mainly with issues of health care, housing, education and rural economic development. It says it works in over 30 countries and has an annual budget of about $1 billion for nonprofit development activities. Ismailis lived for many generations in Iran, Syria and South Asia before also settling in east Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, as well as Europe, North America and Australia more recently. They consider it a duty to donate up to 12.5% of their income to the Aga Khan as steward.

Egypt will convene an emergency summit of Arab nations on February 27 to discuss the “latest serious developments” in the Palestinian territories, the country’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday. The summit follows Egypt’s efforts to rally regional opposition against a proposal reportedly linked to former US President Donald Trump, which suggests relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan while placing the coastal territory under US control. According to the statement, the summit was convened after extensive consultations between Egypt and Arab nations, including Palestine, which formally requested the meeting. Coordination efforts also involved Bahrain, the current chair of the Arab League. On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty engaged with regional counterparts, including officials from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, to reinforce opposition to any forced displacement of Palestinians. War-torn Lebanon forms its first government in over 2 years Last week, Trump floated the idea of US administration over Gaza, proposing to transform the war-torn region into the “Riviera of the Middle East” after relocating its Palestinian residents to neighboring countries. The suggestion has sparked global condemnation, with Arab nations firmly rejecting the plan and reiterating their commitment to a two-state solution, ensuring an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Source: With input from Arab News

Egypt unveiled several discoveries near the famed city of Luxor on Wednesday, including ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts dating back 3,600 years. They were unearthed at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut’s funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri on the Nile’s West Bank, according to a statement released by Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage. It said it worked in tandem with the Supreme Council of Antiquities on the site since September 2022. Artifacts found at the tombs included bronze coins with the image of Alexander the Great dating to the Time of Ptolemy I (367-283), children’s toys made of clay, cartonnage and funerary masks that covered mummies, winged scarabs, beads and funerary amulets. Hawass told reporters that the discoveries could “reconstruct history” and offer an understanding of the type of programs ancient Egyptians designed inside a temple. The archaeologists also found the remains of Queen Hatshepsut’s Valley Temple, rock-cut tombs dating back to the Middle Kingdom (1938 B.C. - 1630 B.C.), burial shafts from the 17th dynasty, the tomb of Djehuti-Mes and part of the Assassif Ptolemaic Necropolis. The rock-cut tombs had been previously robbed during the Ptolemaic period and later. Still, the Egyptian teams uncovered some artifacts such as pottery tables that were used to offer bread, wine and meat. A grand museum displaying Egypt's ancient treasures is opening for a trial run Inside the burial shafts dating back to 1580 B.C. - 1550 B.C., anthropoid wooden coffins were found, including one that belonged to a young child. It remained intact since its burial some 3,600 years ago. War archery bows were also found inside the burial chamber, indicating that those who owned the tombs had military backgrounds and fought to liberate Egypt from the Hyksos. Not many artifacts from Djehuti Mes’s tomb were found, but the tomb itself reveals more about Djehuti Mes, who oversaw Queen Teti Sheri’s palace. The date engraved on the Djehuti Mes’ funerary stelae indicates that the tomb goes back to the 9th year of King Ahmose I’s reign (1550 B.C. - 1525 B.C.). Part of the extended Ptolemaic necropolis that occupied the site of the causeway and the Valley Temple was also uncovered. The tombs in the cemetery were built of mud bricks over the remains of Queen Hatshepsut’s temple. A large part of the necropolis was unearthed earlier in the 20th century but wasn’t properly documented. Egypt’s currency edges higher against the US dollar after price hikes In November, Egyptian and American archaeologists excavated an ancient tomb with 11 sealed burials near Luxor. The tomb, which dates to the Middle Kingdom, was found in the South Asasif necropolis, next to the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus reached  the Egyptian capital on Wednesday to attend the D-8 Summit. The Minister of the Public Business Sector of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mohamed Shimi, received him at the Cairo International Airport when he reached there at 11 am (local time), said the Chief Adviser's press wing. Later, the Chief Adviser held a brief meeting with the minister. Earlier in the morning, Dr Yunus left Dhaka on a three-day visit to Egypt. The flight carrying Chief Adviser Prof Yunus departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1:20am Wednesday. Heads of government from several more countries, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan, will join the summit on December 19. Read: CA Dr Yunus leaves for Egypt to attend D-8 summit

Egypt’s president announced Sunday his country has proposed a two-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas during which four hostages held in Gaza would be freed. There was no immediate response from Israel or Hamas as the latest talks were expected in Qatar, another key mediator. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said the proposal includes the release of some Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza. It aims to “move the situation forward,” he said, adding that negotiations would continue to make the cease-fire permanent. Talks in pursuit of a longer, phased cease-fire have repeatedly stalled. Hamas wants Israeli forces out of Gaza as a precondition, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said they will remain until destroying Hamas. There hasn’t been a cease-fire since November’s weeklong pause in fighting in the earliest weeks of the war. Israel’s Mossad chief was traveling to Doha on Sunday for talks with Qatar's prime minister and the CIA chief in the latest attempt to end the fighting and ease regional tensions that have built since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Those tensions now see Israel at war with both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and openly attacking Iran, their backer, for the first time this weekend. Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday said Israel's strikes — in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack this month — “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed,” while stopping short of calling for retaliation. During a government memorial for the Hebrew anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “not every goal can be achieved through only military operations," adding that “painful compromises will be required” to return the hostages. At the same event, protesters disrupted Netanyahu's speech, shouting “Shame on you." Many Israelis blame him for the security failures that led to the attack and hold him responsible for not yet bringing hostages home. Inside Gaza, the latest Israeli strikes in the north killed at least 33 people, mostly women and children, Palestinian officials said, as an offensive in the hard-hit and isolated area entered a third week. The U.N. secretary-general called the plight of Palestinians there “unbearable.” Israel said it targeted militants. Netanyahu says strikes on Iran achieved Israel's goalsNetanyahu in his first public comments on the strikes said “we severely harmed Iran’s defense capabilities and its ability to produce missiles that are aimed toward us.” Satellite images showed damage to two secretive Iranian military bases, one linked to work on nuclear weapons that Western intelligence agencies and nuclear inspectors say was discontinued in 2003. The other is linked to Iran's ballistic missile program. Iran said a civilian had been killed, with no details. It earlier said four people with the military air defense were killed. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader, said “it is up to the authorities to determine how to convey the power and will of the Iranian people to the Israeli regime.” Khamenei would make any final decision on how Iran responds. The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Monday at Iran’s request. Switzerland, which holds the council’s rotating presidency, said Russia, China and Algeria, the council's Arab representative, supported the request. Iran's most powerful proxy is Hezbollah, which has stepped up firing on Israel in response to Israel's ground invasion in southern Lebanon in recent weeks. Two Israeli strikes killed eight people in Sidon in southern Lebanon, with 25 wounded, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The Israeli military said four soldiers, including a military rabbi, were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, without providing details. An explosive drone and a projectile fired from Lebanon wounded five people in Israel, authorities said. Truck ramming in Israel wounds dozensA truck rammed into a bus stop in Ramat Hasharon near Tel Aviv, killing one person and wounding more than 30. Israeli police said the attacker was an Arab citizen of Israel and had been “neutralized.” The ramming occurred outside a military base and near the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad spy agency. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the attack but did not claim it. Tensions have soared since the war in Gaza began, and Israel has carried out regular military raids into the occupied West Bank that have left hundreds dead. ‘Harrowing levels of death’ in northern GazaThe Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service said 11 women and two children were among 22 killed in strikes late Saturday in Beit Lahiya in the north. Israel's military said it carried out a strike on militants. Ministry official Hussein Mohesin said 11 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the Shati refugee camp in the north, with many injured. “Most of the injuries are children and women, and most of them are in very serious condition," he said. Israel's military did not immediately comment. Israel has waged a massive air and ground offensive in northern Gaza since early October, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there. Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled in the latest wave of displacement. Aid groups have warned of a catastrophic situation. Israel has severely limited the entry of humanitarian aid in recent weeks, and the three remaining hospitals in the north say they have been overwhelmed. The U.N. secretary-general noted “harrowing levels of death.” The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. They killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Some 100 hostages remain in Gaza, around a third of whom thought to be dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The offensive has devastated much of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as malaria-free, marking a significant public health milestone for a country with more than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a nearly 100-year effort by the Egyptian government and people to end a disease that has been present in the country since ancient times. “Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history and not its future,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General on Sunday. "This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is truly historic, and a testament to the commitment of the people and government of Egypt to rid themselves of this ancient scourge. I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is an inspiration to other countries in the region, and shows what’s possible with the right resources and the right tools.” Egypt is the third country to be awarded a malaria-free certification in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, and the first since 2010. Globally, a total of 44 countries and 1 territory have reached this milestone. “Receiving the malaria elimination certificate today is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a new phase. We must now work tirelessly and vigilantly to sustain our achievement through maintaining the highest standards for surveillance, diagnosis and treatment, integrated vector management and sustaining our effective and rapid response to imported cases. Our continued multisectoral efforts will be critical to preserving Egypt's malaria-free status,” said Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt. "I reaffirm that we will continue with determination and strong will to safeguard the health of all people in Egypt under the wise leadership's guidance and proceed with enhancing our healthcare system, this will remain a cornerstone in protecting the lives of all people living in and visiting Egypt.” Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a country has proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the previous three consecutive years. A country must also demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission. Egypt’s journey to eliminationMalaria has been traced as far back as 4000 B.C.E. in Egypt, with genetic evidence of the disease found in Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian mummies. Early efforts to reduce human-mosquito contact in Egypt began in the 1920s when the country prohibited the cultivation of rice and agricultural crops near homes. With most of Egypt’s population living along the banks of the Nile River and malaria prevalence as high as 40%, the country designated malaria a notifiable disease in 1930 and later opened its first malaria control station focused on diagnosis, treatment and surveillance. “Today, Egypt has proven that with vision, dedication, and unity we can overcome the greatest challenges. This success in eliminating malaria is not just a victory for public health but a sign of hope for the entire world, especially for other endemic countries in our region. This achievement is the result of sustained, robust surveillance investments in a strong, integrated health system, where community engagement and partnerships have enabled progress. Furthermore, collaboration and support to endemic countries, such as Sudan, remain a priority,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. By 1942, malaria cases in Egypt had spiked to more than 3 million as a result of the Second World War population displacement, the disruption of medical supplies and services, and the invasion of Anopheles arabiensis, a highly efficient mosquito vector, among other factors. Egypt succeeded in controlling the malaria outbreak through the establishment of 16 treatment divisions and the recruitment of more than 4000 health workers. The construction of the Aswan Dam, completed in 1969, created a new malaria risk for the country, as standing water produced breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Egypt, in collaboration with Sudan, launched a rigorous vector control and public health surveillance project to rapidly detect and respond to malaria outbreaks. By 2001, malaria was firmly under control and the Ministry of Health and Population set its sights on preventing the re-establishment of local malaria transmission. Egypt rapidly contained a small outbreak of malaria cases in the Aswan Governorate in 2014 through early case identification, prompt treatment, vector control and public education. Malaria diagnosis and treatment are provided free-of-charge to the entire population in Egypt regardless of legal status, and health professionals are trained nationwide to detect and screen for malaria cases including at borders. Egypt’s strong cross-border partnership with neighbouring countries, including Sudan, has been instrumental for preventing the re-establishment of local malaria transmission, paving the way for the country to be officially certified as malaria-free.

A locomotive crashed into the tail of the Cairo-bound passenger train Sunday in southern Egypt, killing at least one person and injuring multiple others, authorities said. It is the second train crash in a month in the North African country.The collision occurred in the province of Minya, 270 kilometers (about 168 miles) south of Cairo, the railway authority said in a statement, and two railway carriages fell into an adjacent watercourse. The cause of the crash was being investigated, the statement added. Footage aired by local media showed the two carriages partially submerged in the watercourse. Apparent Israeli airstrike on mosque in central Gaza kills at least 18 people Along with the fatality, the Health Ministry said in a separate statement at least 21 people were taken to hospitals, of which 19 were later discharged after receiving treatment. Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where an aging railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement. In September, two passenger trains collided in a Nile Delta city, killing at least three people. In recent years, the government announced initiatives to improve its railways. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said in 2018 some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to properly overhaul the neglected rail network.

Egypt has invited Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to attend the D-8 Summit which will be held later this year.  Ambassador of Egypt to Bangladesh Omar Mohie Eldin Ahmed Fahmy met Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday and informed that Egypt would host the D-8 Summit in 2024. He conveyed Egypt's invitation for the participation of the chief adviser, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organisation for development co-operation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.  Egypt keen to import rawhides from Bangladesh The establishment of D-8  Organization for Economic Cooperation was announced officially through the Istanbul Declaration of Summit of Heads of State/Government on June 15, 1997.

The newly appointed ambassadors and high commissioners of Egypt, Vatican, Sri Lanka and Pakistan visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka on Thursday. The envoys paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman placing flower wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu. Bangladesh, Argentina sign maiden MoU for agricultural cooperation They also signed the visitors' book and took a tour of the museum. The ambassadors were presented with gifts by the museum. “Comprehensive, coordinated” response needed to address challenges faced by GBV survivors The newly appointed envoys to Bangladesh are: Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt Omar Mohie Eldin Ahmed Fahmy, Apostolic-Nuncio of Holy See-Vatican Kevin Randall , High-Commissioner of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Dharmapala Weerakkody and High-Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Syed Ahmed Maroof. Alliance Française de Dhaka launches its revamped website

Iran and Saudi Arabia are among six nations invited Thursday (August 24, 2023) to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies. United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia are also set to join the bloc from 2024. The announcement was made at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country is the current BRICS chair. Also read: China to support Bangladesh in joining BRICS: XI tells Hasina during talks BRICS is currently made up of the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Those five members agreed at this week's summit to expand the bloc. It's the second time that BRICS has decided to expand. The bloc was formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa was added in 2010. The BRICS bloc represents around 40% of the world's population and contributes more than a quarter of global GDP. Three of the group's other leaders are attending the summit and were present alongside Ramaphosa for the announcement, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Also read: BRICS: China, Russia and other emerging economies turn to main summit agenda in South Africa Russian President Vladimir Putin did not travel to the summit after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March for the abduction of children from Ukraine. He has participated in the summit virtually, while Russia was represented at the announcement in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.