Bangladesh arrest warrant issued for British lawmaker linked to ex-Premier Hasina
Bangladesh arrest warrant issued for British lawmaker linked to ex-Premier Hasina/node/2597015/world
Bangladesh arrest warrant issued for British lawmaker linked to ex-Premier Hasina
Tulip Siddiq (left), Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (second right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) attend a signing ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on January 15, 2013. (AP/File)
Bangladesh arrest warrant issued for British lawmaker linked to ex-Premier Hasina
Tulip Siddiq, 42, is a niece of ex-Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina who was ousted in violent uprising in 2024
Country’s anti-corruption watchdog has been probing Siddiq for allegedly receiving land illegally in state-owned project
Updated 14 April 2025
AP
DHAKA: A judge in Bangladesh issued an arrest warrant for British lawmaker and former government minister Tulip Siddiq, a niece of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted from her 15-year rule in a mass uprising in August.
The country’s Anti-Corruption Commission has been investigating allegations against Siddiq that she and her family members, including Hasina, illegally received land in a state-owned township project near the capital, Dhaka.
Senior Special Judge of Dhaka Metropolitan Zakir Hossain passed the order on Sunday, after considering charges in three separate cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, the leading Dhaka-based Bengali-language Prothom Alo newspaper reported.
Siddiq, 42, was named in the arrest warrant along with more than 50 others including her mother, Sheikh Rehana, and her brother, Radwan Siddiq, the newspaper reported.
Siddiq said the charges were “a completely politically motivated smear campaign, trying to harass me.”
“There is no evidence that I’ve done anything wrong,” she told reporters in London.
Siddiq’s lawyers also called the charges baseless. “To be clear, there is no basis at all for any charges to be made against her, and there is absolutely no truth in any allegation that she received a plot of land in Dhaka through illegal means,” the law firm Stephenson Harwood said in a statement.
The lawmaker, who represents the north London district of Hampstead and Highgate in Parliament, served in Britain’s center-left Labour Party government as economic secretary to the Treasury — the minister responsible for tackling financial corruption.
She quit that post in January after she was named in an anti-corruption investigation into Hasina and her family in Bangladesh. The investigation alleged that Siddiq’s family was involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh in which large sums of money were said to have been embezzled.
Siddiq said in January that she had been cleared of wrongdoing, but that the issue was becoming “a distraction from the work of the government.”
Hasina’s Bangladesh Awami League party says the charges are politically motivated to destroy the reputation of the prominent family. Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is Bangladesh’s independence leader. The country gained independence in 1971 under his leadership after a nine-month war against Pakistan.
Hasina has been in exile in India since early August.
After the ouster of Hasina on Aug. 5 last year, Siddiq’s mother’s home in Dhaka’s upscale Gulshan area was looted and vandalized, and so far no police case has been filed over the incident. Hasina accused Bangladesh’s interim administration headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus of backing mobs to attack her followers across the country. The home affairs adviser says they are trying to restore order in the country.
Trump: No plans to fire Fed Chair Powell, but wants lower rates
“I have no intention of firing him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday
Updated 23 April 2025
Reuters
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has no plans to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, but said he wants interest rates to be lower, remarks that could defuse tensions over the central bank chief’s future that have rattled investors.
“I have no intention of firing him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates,” he added.
Trump’s statement was the first de-escalation after days of withering criticisms he has lobbed at Powell for not further cutting interest rates since Trump resumed office in January.
The broadsides were often accompanied by threatening remarks, such as last week’s social media posting that Powell’s termination as Fed chair “cannot come fast enough,” that spooked financial markets that view the Fed’s independence as underpinning its credibility on the global financial stage.
But while he seems to have set aside those threats for now, his criticisms of Fed rate policy remain just as pointed.
“We think that it’s a perfect time to lower the rate, and we’d like to see our chairman be early or on time, as opposed to late,” Trump said.
Musk says he’ll dedicate more time to Tesla starting in May as company sees big drop in Q1 profit
Tesla’ stock has fallen more than 40 percent this year but rose more than 3 percent in after-hours trading
Updated 23 April 2025
AP
NEW YORK: Elon Musk says he’ll dedicate more time to Tesla starting in May after the company reported a big drop in first-quarter profit. The company has faced angry protests over Musk’s leadership of a federal government jobs-cutting group that has divided the country.
Tesla, based in Austin, Texas, said Tuesday that quarterly profits fell by 71 percent to to $409 million, or 12 cents a share. That’s far below analyst estimates. Tesla’s revenue fell 9 percent to $19.3 billion in the January through March period, below Wall Street’s forecast.
The disappointing results come as the company struggles to sell cars to consumers angry over Musk’s role in the Trump administration. Musk also has publicly supported far-right politicians in Europe and alienated potential buyers there, too.
Some Tesla investors have complained that Musk has been too distracted by his role at the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to effectively run Tesla.
“This is a big step in the right direction,” said Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives, referring to Musk’s time commitment. “Investors wanted to see him recommit to Tesla.”
Tesla’ stock has fallen more than 40 percent this year but rose more than 3 percent in after-hours trading.
Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein said earlier reports of plunging sales that had tanked the stock made the results almost predictable.
“They’re not particularly surprising given that deliveries were down,” Goldstein said, adding that the company is still generating cash. “It was good to see positive cash flow.”
The company generated $2.2 billion in operating cash versus $242 million a year earlier.
Tesla investors will be listening closely for updates on several strategic initiatives. The company is expected to roll out a cheaper version of its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y SUV later in the year. Tesla has also said it plans to start a paid driverless robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June.
Its closely watched gross margins, a measure of earnings for each dollar of revenue, fell to 16.3 percent from 17.4 percent.
The company that once dominated EVs is also facing fierce competition for the first time.
Earlier this year, Chinese EV maker BYD announced it had developed an electric battery charging system that can fully power up a vehicle within minutes. And Tesla’s European rivals have begun offering new models with advanced technology that is making them real alternatives, just as popular opinion in Europe has turned against Musk.
Investors expect Tesla will be hurt less by the Trump administration’s tariffs than most US car companies because it makes most of its US cars domestically. But Tesla won’t be completely unscathed. It sources some materials for its vehicles from abroad that will now face import taxes.
Tesla warned that tariffs will hit its energy storage business, too.
“While the current tariff landscape will have a relatively larger impact on our Energy business compared to automotive,” the company said, “we are taking actions to stabilize the business in the medium to long-term and focus on maintaining its health.”
Retaliation from China will also hurt Tesla. The company was forced earlier this month to stop taking orders from mainland customers for two models, its Model S and Model X. It makes the Model Y and Model 3 for the Chinese market at its factory in Shanghai.
The company side business of selling “regulatory credits” to other automakers that fall short of emission standards boosted results for the quarter.
The company generated $595 million from credit sales, up from $442 million a year ago.
"Every day they're off the air is a gift to authoritarian regimes that forbid the free press, like China and Iran," he said
Updated 23 April 2025
AFP
WASHINGTON: A judge on Tuesday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to restore funding to Voice of America and other US-funded media, saying its abrupt shutdown of the outlets broke the law.
The federal judge in Washington agreed to a request led by the outlets' employees for a preliminary injunction, a temporary order as a court examines the legal challenge in greater depth.
Trump, who has long jostled with the press and questioned the editorial rules that prohibit interference in government-funded media, on March 14 issued an executive order to eliminate the outlets.
The following day, Kari Lake, his firebrand supporter turned advisor, began issuing notices to terminate all funding, which was appropriated by Congress.
Lake and other Trump officials are "likely in direct violation of numerous federal laws," wrote Royce Lamberth, a judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The US Agency for Global Media, which supervises taxpayer-funded media, is allowed by law to redirect funds among its different programming by five percent or less, he wrote.
"Certainly, no law gives the agency the power to cut funding to the drastic degree that is alleged," he wrote.
Lamberth wrote that Voice of America's congressionally established charter states that the outlet will "'serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news (that is) accurate, objective, and comprehensive' but the defendants have silenced VOA for the first time."
Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders USA, said the media rights group was "very pleased" with the decision on VOA and other outlets.
"Every day they're off the air is a gift to authoritarian regimes that forbid the free press, like China and Iran," he said.
The judge called on the Trump administration to return all employees and contractors to their jobs and to provide monthly status reports on compliance.
It remains to be seen if the order is enough to put the outlets back on air.
The Trump administration, in a break with precedent, has shown defiance toward court orders, notably a Supreme Court demand that it facilitate the return of a Maryland resident mistakenly deported to a crowded high-security prison in his native El Salvador.
The judge's order affects employees of Voice of America as well as Radio Free Asia -- created to report on China, North Korea and other countries without free media -- and Arabic-language network Alhurra.
The judge rejected a request for similar action on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as the Trump administration already rescinded its decision to withdraw funding following a separate court decision, although the network says it still has not received money for April.
Arab Americans mourn Francis, a pope who had great sympathy for Palestinian and Arab suffering
Pope Francis expressed more concern for suffering of Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians and Iraqis than previous popes, says Rev. Samer Al-Sawalha of Good Shepherd Arab Catholic church in California
Imad Hamad, head of American Human Rights Council says the pope ‘championed social justice, migrants’ rights and global peace’ and stood in ‘solidarity with the poor and marginalized’
Updated 23 April 2025
RAY HANANIA
CHICAGO: Leaders of the Arab American Catholic community are this week mourning the death of Pope Francis who, to them, was an outspoken champion of Arab and Palestinian rights.
Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, died at the age of 88 on Monday in the Vatican after a long illness, the day after Christians around the world celebrated a rare convergence of both the traditional and Orthodox Easter holidays.
During his 12-year papacy, he was vocal in his support of all those suffering in the world, and maintained a special place in his sermons and public remarks for addressing the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza in particular, Arab American Catholic leaders said.
Father Samer AlSawalha, Priest at The Good Shepherd Arab Catholic Church.
Rev. Samer Al-Sawalha of the Good Shepherd Arab Catholic church, a growing Arab parish in California, told Arab News: “Pope Francis was against war, especially in the Middle East, and all the conflicts in the world.
“He always supported the Christian community, especially in the Holy Land. When he visited the Middle East, he visited different areas and always showed that the Catholic Church cared about Arab Christians, who are unfortunately now a minority in the Middle East.”
Popes might not wield “political power” but they have “a powerful moral power” that can influence world events, he added.
“Pope Francis was always in contact with the Catholic Church in Gaza,” he said. “He spoke every day with priests in the Gaza Strip to make sure that the Christian community there is good, and they have what they need.
“That is unusual, for a pope to be close to the Christian community in the Middle East and to have a strong position against Israel’s policies, the Gaza war, and also all the conflicts in the region.”
During Israel’s siege of Gaza, Al-Sawalha said, Pope Francis would often call the pastor of the Church of the Holy Family, a small Roman Catholic congregation in Gaza City, “just to check in.”
He said the pope had expressed more concern about the suffering of Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians and Iraqis than was often the case among his predecessors, who also preached the need for peace and an end to war and suffering.
“Popes in the past have always expressed hope for peace but Pope Francis seemed to show more than others,” Al-Sawalha said. “He kind of stepped it up a little bit, at times when it was needed, and it helped.
“It’s unusual for a pope to video call one of our priests from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem every day to check up on him, to make sure that the parish there had everything they needed.
“And even sometimes he asked them, ‘What did you eat today?’ That showed how Pope Francis really cared, not just in terms of politics and all the fancy words, but that he really cared for the people and what they were experiencing.”
Al-Sawalha said the pope was very popular among the congregation of his parish in San Jose, which consists of about 120 mainly Jordanian and Palestinian families, along with Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian and Sudanese immigrants.
“His concern for the Palestinians of Gaza left a huge impact on the Christian community in general,” he added. “It shows that the Catholic Church is concerned about them, and a struggle that sometimes we are not able to speak about because of the sensitivities of the situation in the Middle East, and because Christians are minority in the Middle East.
“The support of the Catholic Church, through Pope Francis, strengthened the voice of the Arab Christian community”
During his final public appearance, on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza, Father Al-Sawalha noted, adding: “That was powerful.”
Catholic cardinals from around the world have begun to gather at the Vatican for a conclave during which they will select a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. After each round of voting, the ballot cards used by the cardinals will be burned and Christians around the world will watch the chimney at the Vatican to see the color of the resulting smoke: black smoke signals that the vote was not decisive and another will be held following further deliberation, while white announces a successor has been chosen.
Only a few of the 120 cardinals who will choose the new pope are of Arab heritage, Al-Sawalha said, and he does not expect an Arab will be chosen to succeed Francis.
“But it is very important for them to show that the new pope will be someone who is close to all Christians, not just in Europe or the Middle East,” he added.
“I would like to see a new pope whose teachings are clear and who holds to traditions, the traditions of the Church, and someone who has clear vision about the teachings of the Church with a firm position on the traditions of the church.
“I also would like to see a new pope who has also the characteristics of Pope Francis, who cared about the poor, the marginalized and for social justice. That is our hope.”
Francis — born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 17, 1936 — was the first Pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first Jesuit.
His death was mourned not only by Catholics and Christians but by the wider Arab American and Muslim communities, too.
Imad Hamad, executive director of the American Human Rights Council, based in Dearborn, Michigan, wrote in a tribute: “Pope Francis was more than a spiritual leader; he was a humanitarian whose actions spoke louder than words. He championed social justice, migrants’ rights and global peace, living a life of profound humility and solidarity with the poor and marginalized.
“In his final Easter address, Pope Francis reaffirmed his call for peace, urging a ceasefire in Gaza and Ukraine. He condemned the violence in Gaza, describing it as ‘war’ and ‘terrorism,’ and appealed for an end to the cycle of suffering in the Holy Land. His words were a plea for humanity to rise above division and embrace compassion.”
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee praised the pope for his “concern and commitment” to the challenges facing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“Unfortunately, Arab Christians, along with other religious minorities in the Middle East, are targeted for how they worship or who they are,” officials from the organization told Arab News.
“In what should be a time of celebration in Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity, Arab Christians are under constant bombardment from Israel. The historic Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City — one of the world’s oldest Christian churches — was bombed on Oct. 19, 2023, killing 18 displaced civilians sheltering inside. Many Christians have sought refuge in the few remaining churches, relying on them for basic necessities and a measure of safety.
“Before the genocide, Gaza’s Christian population numbered around 2,000, mostly Greek Orthodox. Sadly, that number continues to dwindle as deaths and displacement mount.
“Israel has destroyed over 200 cultural and historical sites, and more than 340 mosques — among them the iconic 700-year-old Great Omari Mosque. At least three churches have also been severely damaged, including Saint Porphyrius Church itself. At least 16 cemeteries have been desecrated. And Christians across the Middle East face similar threats, with key sites damaged in attacks that further endanger this small yet longstanding community.”
In his final days, Pope Francis consistently and forcefully called for a ceasefire in Gaza, condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” in the territory, and expressed his concern for the suffering of all people in the region.
How Modi’s landmark visit to Jeddah added ‘further momentum’ to historic Saudi-India ties
Modi’s visit to Jeddah was the first by an Indian premier in over four decades, underlining a deepening partnership
The PM’s itinerary included the second India-Saudi SPC meeting to enhance defense cooperation
Updated 23 April 2025
Arab News
JEDDAH: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was escorted by Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jets ahead of his touchdown in Jeddah on Tuesday, where he was greeted by a 21-gun salute in a ceremonial welcome that highlighted the growing defense ties between the two countries.
The visit marked Modi’s first to the Red Sea port city and the first by an Indian premier in more than 40 years. It was also his third visit to Saudi Arabia in a decade, highlighting deepening diplomatic, economic, and military cooperation between Riyadh and New Delhi.
“This visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia,” Modi posted on the social media platform X ahead of his arrival, expressing his eagerness to advance bilateral agreements and programs.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, wrote on X that the visit would “give further momentum” to “longstanding and historic ties” between Saudi Arabia and India.
Referring to the Royal Saudi Air Force escort, Jaiswal posted: “India-Saudi Arabia friendship flying high!”
Modi was escorted by Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jets ahead of his touchdown in Jeddah on Tuesday. (Social Media)
Modi’s arrival was met with vibrant celebrations among the Indian diaspora — the Kingdom’s largest expatriate group. Traditional dances were performed in his honor, and Saudi singer Hashim Abbas paid tribute by singing the Hindi patriotic anthem “Ae Watan.”
Members of the Indian diaspora gathered at a hotel in Jeddah and sang “Saare Jahan Se Achha” as they awaited Modi’s arrival. One of the members of the Indian diaspora told ANI: “I am very excited to see PM Modi here. We are so grateful that we got this opportunity.”
A key part of the visit was the second meeting of the India-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council, co-chaired by Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Established in 2019, the SPC has become a vital platform for cooperation in politics, security, trade and culture.
Modi’s arrival was met with vibrant celebrations among the Indian diaspora. Traditional dances were performed in his honor, and Saudi singer Hashim Abbas paid tribute by singing the Hindi patriotic anthem “Ae Watan.” (Supplied)
In an interview ahead of the visit with Noor Nugali, deputy editor-in-chief of Arab News, Modi emphasized that the bond between India and Saudi Arabia “is not new.” Rather, “it is rooted in civilizational exchanges that go back to centuries.
“From ideas to trade, there has been a constant flow between our two great nations,” he said. “Our relations have been on an upward trajectory since 2014.”
One of the most significant areas of growing cooperation has been defense. In recent years, India and Saudi Arabia have held joint military exercises, finalized India’s first artillery shell exports to the Kingdom and signed advanced weapons systems deals.
Officials said this week’s discussions would include expanding naval exercises and strengthening security partnerships — particularly in maritime and cybersecurity domains.
“This visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia,” Modi posted on the social media platform X ahead of his arrival, expressing his eagerness to advance bilateral agreements and programs. (SPA)
The visit came at a time when both countries are pursuing bold domestic agendas. As Saudi Arabia advances its Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy and India rises as a global economic force, the leaders are keen to transform longstanding cultural and economic ties into a comprehensive 21st-century partnership.
“There is much to celebrate in the remarkable transformation of bilateral ties,” journalist and foreign policy analyst C. Raja Mohan said in a recent op-ed for The Indian Express.
“The PM’s visit to Jeddah is not only about expanding bilateral relations; it also reflects Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a significant geopolitical actor under its crown prince and prime minister, Mohammed bin Salman.”
He added: “(Riyadh’s) interest-driven, rather than ideologically rigid, approach marks a fundamental shift in the evolution of the Saudi Kingdom — one that echoes the pragmatism of India’s own Middle East policy under Modi.”
As Saudi Arabia advances its Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy and India rises as a global economic force, the leaders are keen to transform longstanding cultural and economic ties into a comprehensive 21st-century partnership. (SPA)
Bilateral trade has continued to grow despite global economic turbulence, with energy, agriculture and fertilizers remaining key pillars. Both sides are now eying new areas of cooperation, including green hydrogen, emerging technologies and infrastructure.
Indeed, trade between the two countries surged to $52 billion in 2023-24, and officials said several memorandums of understanding would be signed during the visit to bolster both economic and political collaboration.
India’s economy is seen as being relatively less vulnerable to global headwinds, and calibrated policy support could help the country turn current volatility into an opportunity, the Reserve Bank of India said in its April bulletin released on Tuesday.
“Although the dampening global economic outlook could impact India’s economic growth through weaker external demand, the domestic growth engines ... consumption and investment, are relatively less susceptible to external headwinds,” the RBI said in its article, titled “State of the Economy.”
Saudi Arabia has long been a key energy supplier to India, with the Kingdom ranked as the country’s third largest source of petroleum, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs. As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India relies heavily on crude and refined oil imports to meet its expanding energy demands.
In an interview ahead of the visit with Noor Nugali, deputy editor-in-chief of Arab News, Modi emphasized that the bond between India and Saudi Arabia “is not new.” Rather, “it is rooted in civilizational exchanges that go back to centuries. (SPA)
That partnership is also evolving in response to global energy transitions, as both countries recognize the urgency of moving toward cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy.
India announced its aim of achieving 500 GW renewable energy by 2030 at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, outlining its intention to meet half of its energy requirements from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. The target marked a significant step beyond the country’s earlier Paris Agreement commitments and highlighted its growing role in global climate leadership.
Modi’s itinerary had included a visit to a facility employing Indian workers and a meeting with members of the Indian community. Saudi Arabia is home to 2.7 million Indian residents and workers.
The Indian leader, who in 2016 was awarded the King Abdulaziz Sash, Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honor, has made Gulf partnerships a cornerstone of his foreign policy.
Analysts said the visit reflected India’s broader strategy to cement alliances across West Asia, a region vital to its energy security and home to more than 9 million Indian expatriates.
