Trains canceled across Bangladesh as rail union goes on strike

Above, an intercity train at the Kamalapur station in Dhaka on Aug. 13, 2024. Bangladesh’s state-run railway system about 25,000 people and operates a network of over 36,000 kilometers. (AFP)
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Updated 28 January 2025
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Trains canceled across Bangladesh as rail union goes on strike

  • Railway staff go on strike for higher pensions and other benefits
  • State-run railway system carries some 65 million passengers per year

DHAKA: Trains were canceled across Bangladesh on Tuesday as railway staff went on strike for higher pensions and other benefits, affecting tens of thousands of passengers and freight transport.
Saidur Rahman, acting president of the Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Union, said the strike was called after a meeting with the interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus failed to reach a deal late Monday.
Rahman said the strike would continue indefinitely if the government does not accept their demands.
The state-run railway system carries some 65 million passengers per year in the densely populated nation of 170 million people. It employs about 25,000 people and operates a network of over 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles).
The main Kamlapur Railway Station in the capital, Dhaka, was mobbed by hundreds of disappointed passengers who were not aware of the strike. Many waited for hours before going home.
As the country’s railway adviser visited, passengers shouted complaints.
Shahadat Hossain, a station manager in Dhaka, said at least 10 trains were scheduled to leave the station on Tuesday morning. Authorities arranged buses as an alternative.
Mohammed Nadim was stranded at the Kamlapur Railway Station as he traveled hundreds of kilometers overnight to reach Dhaka for his vacation to the southern coastal district of Cox’s Bazar.
“I came here in at 5:30 a.m. from outside Dhaka. But after one hour or so, I came to know that my train will not run. Now I have been stranded here for hours without any hope. The station officials told me my ticket money will be reimbursed, but I don’t know when,” he told The Associated Press at the scene.
He refused to travel to his destination by a bus as arranged by the authorities as an alternative.
“It’s too far. I have come here to travel by train. I don’t want to travel this far by an air-conditioned bus even. Now they are offering me this bus that has no air-condition,” he said.
Dhaka-based Jamuna TV station reported that railway workers protested in Chattogram, the country’s second largest city. The southeastern city has the country’s largest seaport, and the massive garment industry relies on trains to bring goods to it for export. The industry earns about $38 billion a year from exports, mainly to the United States and the European Union.
In the northwestern region of Rajshahi, angry passengers smashed furniture of a station and attacked a staff, according to Jamuna TV.
The Yunus-led interim government has been running the country since August, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India amid a student-led uprising and ended her 15-year rule. The interim administration is struggling to restore order amid reports by the global lending agencies such as the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank of slower economic growth.


US and Russia meet for talks on Ukraine war

Updated 4 sec ago
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US and Russia meet for talks on Ukraine war

  • Two sides were expected to discuss ways to end the conflict in Ukraine and restore American-Russian relations
  • Conversation could pave the way for a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin

RIYADH: The head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday described US President Donald Trump as a problem solver ahead of US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia in what are expected to be the most significant discussions between the two former Cold War foes on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The conversation could pave the way for a summit between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as the two sides discuss restoring Russian-American relations.
“We really see that President Trump and his team is a team of problem solvers, people who have already addressed a number of big challenges very swiftly, very efficiently and very successfully,” Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Riyadh.
Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with top US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Tuesday that will focus on ending the Ukraine war and restoring “the whole complex” of Russia-US ties.
Ukraine says no peace deal can be made on its behalf in the talks, to which Kyiv was not invited.
Dmitriev, a US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker, played a role in early contacts between Moscow and Washington during Trump’s first term as president from 2016-2020.
Russia hopes that the United States will hear Moscow’s position in the talks on Ukraine, Interfax news agency cited Dmitriev as saying.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, said on Monday that Dmitriev might join the delegation to discuss any economic questions that might arise.
“It’s very important to understand that US businesses lost around $300 billion from leaving Russia. So there is huge economic toll on many countries from you know what’s happening right now, and we believe as a way forward is through solutions,” Dmitriev said.

The talks come after European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to agree on a unified strategy after they were blindsided by Trump’s push for immediate talks on Ukraine after a phone call with Putin last week.
The European leaders said they would invest more in defense and take the lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
“Everyone feels the great sense of urgency,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X. “At this crucial time for the security of Europe we must continue to stand behind Ukraine.”
“Europe will have to make a contribution toward safeguarding any agreement, and cooperation with the Americans is essential,” he said.

Initial contact
The meeting comes barely a month after Trump took office and reflects a significant departure from Washington’s position under the administration of President Joe Biden, who eschewed public contacts, concluding that Russia was not serious about ending the war.
Russia, which has occupied parts of Ukraine since 2014, launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Trump has vowed to end the war quickly.
Ukraine says no agreements can be made on its behalf in the talks, to which Kyiv was not invited.
US officials sought to cast Tuesday’s talks as an initial contact to determine whether Moscow is serious about ending the war in Ukraine.
“This is a follow-up on that initial conversation between Putin and President Trump about perhaps if that first step is even possible, what the interests are, if this can be managed,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters in Riyadh.
The Kremlin, however, suggested the discussions would cover “the entire complex of Russian-American relations,” as well as preparing for talks on a possible settlement regarding Ukraine and a meeting between the two presidents.
Russia said Lavrov and Rubio in a call on Saturday discussed removing barriers to trade and investment between the two countries.
Then-President Biden and Kyiv’s allies around the world imposed waves of sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine three years ago, aimed at weakening the Russian economy and limiting the Kremlin’s war efforts.
On Tuesday, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said Trump was a problem solver.
“We really see that President Trump and his team is a team of problem solvers, people who have already addressed a number of big challenges very swiftly, very efficiently and very successfully,” Kirill Dmitriev told reporters in Riyadh.
Riyadh, which is also involved in talks with Washington over the future of the Gaza Strip, has played a role in early contacts between the Trump administration and Moscow, helping to secure a prisoner swap last week.
How to engage Washington
It remains unclear how Europe will engage Washington after Trump stunned Ukraine and European allies by calling Putin, long ostracized by the West.
“We agree with President Trump on a “peace through strength” approach,” a European official said after the Paris meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The US decision has sparked a realization among European nations that they will have to do more to ensure Ukraine’s security.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who before the meeting said he was willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, said on Monday there must be a US security commitment for European countries to put boots on the ground.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Ukraine envoy, said he would visit Ukraine from Wednesday and was asked if the US would provide a security guarantee for any European peacekeepers.
“I’ve been with President Trump, and the policy has always been: You take no options off the table,” he said.


Thousands of Indian investors lose $100 million in Ponzi scheme

Updated 45 min 24 sec ago
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Thousands of Indian investors lose $100 million in Ponzi scheme

  • Indian police arrest two individuals after a case was filed against Falcon Invoice Discounting
  • Falcon promised returns of up to 22 percent to nearly 7,000 investors since 2021

HYDERABAD: Thousands of investors in India are scrambling to recoup nearly $100 million after they were caught in a Ponzi scheme that duped them into making short-term investments promising high returns, according to a police statement and multiple victims Reuters spoke to.
Indian police arrested two individuals on Saturday after a case was filed against Falcon Invoice Discounting, which promised returns of up to 22 percent by claiming to connect depositors with the likes of Amazon and biscuit maker Britannia.
Falcon collected 17 billion rupees (about $196 million) from nearly 7,000 investors since 2021 but has repaid only half, according to a statement from police in the southern state of Telangana.
Ankit Bihani, a New Delhi-based jeweler, met with 50 other investors last week to discuss measures, including legal remedies, to recoup the collective 500 million rupees they said they had lost.
“Most of them (investors) got to know about the investing platform through social media and invested in it,” Bihani said.
Falcon used the money from new investors to pay out older ones and diverted the remaining funds to various shell entities, the police said. Authorities are hunting for Amardeep Kumar, Falcon’s founder and the main accused, a source said.
However, some of the victims that Reuters spoke to are left wondering if they will recoup the money – entire life savings, in some cases – they entrusted to Falcon.
“It is my hard-earned money. We don’t know when and how will we get it back,” said Roopesh Chauhan, a tech employee who lost 15 million rupees.
S. Smriti, an assistant professor, reached out to the police after losing over 3 million rupees.
“The money was all our savings,” said Smriti.
Indian authorities have expressed concerns over a recent surge in complaints from people being duped by phoney investment schemes that rely on fraudulent apps, websites and call centers to deceive unsuspecting investors.
Britannia, Amazon and Falcon did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters sent on Monday.


Myanmar detains 270 foreigners from scam compounds on Thai border

Updated 18 February 2025
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Myanmar detains 270 foreigners from scam compounds on Thai border

  • Hundreds of thousands of people trafficked by criminal gangs forced to work in scam compounds
  • Despite operating for years, the scam centers have only recently faced renewed scrutiny

Myanmar authorities detained 273 foreigners from scam compounds along the border with Thailand on Monday, as a senior Chinese official visited frontier towns on both sides in a widening crackdown on illegal online operations.
Hundreds of thousands of people trafficked by criminal gangs have been forced to work in scam compounds that have sprung up across Southeast Asia, including the border between Thailand and Myanmar, the United Nations says.
Despite operating for years, the scam centers have only recently faced renewed scrutiny after the rescue and return to China of actor Wang Xing, abducted in Thailand after being lured there with the promise of a job.
Officials from China, Myanmar and Thailand met in Myawaddy this week, including China’s assistant public security minister, Liu Zhongyi, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said on Tuesday.
“The representatives held a coordination meeting in Myawaddy and discussed the preventive system for telecom fraud between the three countries,” it said, referring to the Myanmar town abutting Thailand in the vicinity of which Wang was rescued.
Since the end of January, Myanmar authorities have found 1,303 foreigners who entered the country illegally and worked in scam compounds in the Myawaddy area, with 273 detained on Monday, the paper added.
Myanmar has been in the throes of a widening civil war since 2021, when its powerful military overthrew an elected government, sparking protests that have morphed into a rebellion against the junta.
Swathes of the Southeast Asian country are now controlled by armed groups, including parts of Myawaddy that are run by the Karen National Army, a militia led by regional warlord Col. Saw Chit Thu.
“We will work until the scam centers and human trafficking are eradicated,” he told reporters on Monday, that signalled the growing pressure on his group from regional countries.
Their tactics include the cutting of Thai electricity, fuel and Internet supplies to some border areas.
A group of 260 scam center survivors from Myawaddy entered Thailand last week, most of them victims of human trafficking, said Choocheap Pongchai, the governor of the Thai province of Tak.
Two of the group have handed to police for further investigation, he added.


4 Pakistani troops killed while responding to an attack on aid trucks in restive northwest

Updated 18 February 2025
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4 Pakistani troops killed while responding to an attack on aid trucks in restive northwest

  • Some security forces were also wounded in the overnight ambush in Kurram
  • No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks but suspicion is likely to fall on Sunni militants

PARACHINAR, Pakistan: Militants in Pakistan overnight ambushed security forces who were responding to an earlier attack on aid trucks in the country’s troubled northwest, leading to a shootout in which four troops were killed, officials said Tuesday.
The ambush happened hours after authorities dispatched reinforcements to respond to Monday’s attack on a convoy of aid trucks in which a driver and security official were killed in Kurram, a district in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Some security forces were also wounded in the overnight ambush in Kurram, where at least 130 people have died in recent months in clashes between rival Shiite and Sunni tribes, officials said. Several trucks that were heading to Parachinar, the main city in Kurram, were looted and burned, authorities said.
Qaiser Abbas, a doctor at a hospital in Parachinar, said they received the bodies of four security forces Monday night from Kurram, where authorities noted a large-scale operation was being planned to try to apprehend the perpetrators of the attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks but suspicion is likely to fall on Sunni militants.
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The area has a history of sectarian conflict, with militant Sunni groups previously targeting minority Shiites.


French envoy: Europe does not want Asia to choose sides in US-China rivalry

Updated 18 February 2025
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French envoy: Europe does not want Asia to choose sides in US-China rivalry

  • Marchisio was speaking to journalists at a luncheon in Singapore, where French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the keynote address on May 31 at Asia’s largest security meeting

SINGAPORE: The new French ambassador to Singapore said on Monday that France and Europe do not want their Asian partners to have to choose between the United States and China.
Stephen Marchisio, who took office on Tuesday, said France sees increasing pressure, “maybe more on the US side,” that partners in Asia must make a choice.
“It’s very important to say we can talk to everybody,” he said. “We don’t want anyone to choose.”
Marchisio was speaking to journalists at a luncheon in Singapore, where French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the keynote address on May 31 at Asia’s largest security meeting.
Marchisio said the president will insist during his address that each state in the region can defend its own interests.
“You can do that even if you disagree with the Chinese political model. And you can do that even if you don’t want a military base from the US on your soil,” he said.
The US embassy in Singapore referred questions to the G7 statement signed in Munich by France and the United States, which said all members were committed to “a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.”

EUROPE MUST UNITE
Marchisio also said Europe must stand united — including possibly avoiding US weapons purchases — in the wake of incendiary remarks from members of the Trump administration in Munich in recent days.
He said that some countries saw defense-related purchases as a way to gain favor with the US government during the first Trump administration, but that views had changed now, especially after Vice President J.D. Vance’s confrontational comments about Europe in Munich at a security conference.
“What happened in Munich? He tries to attack the very core of democracies,” Marchisio said. “So it triggers another level of questions.”
Now European countries might not buy American military hardware, he continued, because there was no guarantee that doing so would ease US pressure or antagonistic rhetoric.
“We don’t like to say that, but ... we will retaliate if we have to,” he said, referring to tariffs and other US pressure.
Marchisio added that the best-case scenario is that Europe does not need to retaliate, as the United States and European countries have many shared interests and industries.
Singapore defense minister Ng Eng Hen said at the Munich conference that Asia’s image of America had shifted.
“The image has changed from liberator to great disruptor to a landlord seeking rent,” he said.