Bangladesh in world media this week

As another week comes to an end, Business Insider has come up with its weekly series “Bangladesh in World Media.”

Here are our top 6 picks for this week (November 21-27):

Bangladesh seeks LNG cargo for December delivery

Reuters, on November 23, published an article saying that Bangladesh’s state-owned Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company is seeking one liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo for delivery in December through a tender.

They quoted two officials familiar with the matter.

The report further says that Bangladesh has sought a cargo of 138,000 cubic metres for delivery over December 22-26 in a tender closing on November 25 that was reissued after it was cancelled because of high offered prices.

The report also speculated that Bangladesh, a nation of 16 crore people, is set to be a significant player in the global LNG market, alongside Pakistan and India, with domestic gas production dwindling.

Shamima Begum’s return to the UK mentions Bangladesh in world media

On Tuesday, the UK Supreme Court has been told that allowing runaway Shamima Begum to return to the UK to challenge her loss of British citizenship “would create a significant national security risk.”

The BBC reports that the UK Supreme Court is deciding whether teenage runaway Shamima Begum should be allowed back to stand trial.

The name of Bangladesh comes into play whenever there’s a discussion regarding Shamima Begum because she is believed to be a citizen of Bangladesh by descent.

“She is understood to have a claim to Bangladeshi nationality through her mother,” the BBC reports quoting the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) of UK.

West Indies to send inspection team for assessing Covid-19 protocols

Another news on Bangladesh that popped into several internationally recognised outlets including ESPNcricinfo and Reuters is the news that West Indies will be sending an inspection team to Bangladesh for assessing the Covid-19 protocols before their tour.

West Indies is scheduled to have a tour to Bangladesh in January 2021. They are supposed to play three test matches, three ODIs and two T20 matches during the tour.

But it is very much likely that the three test matches will be reduced to two matches.

Major PPE maker Top Glove shuts factories after around 2,500 workers test Covid-19 positive

The world’s largest manufacturer of latex gloves, Top Glove, will be shutting down more than half of its factories after nearly 2,500 of the workers tested Covid-19 positive.

The decision came amid a surge in demand for its gloves, which is a key part of personal protective gear, Forbes reported on November 24.

How did Bangladesh get involved in this? It turns out that the outbreak within the factory has led to questions about working conditions for the migrant workers.

The low-paid migrant workers in the company are mostly from Bangladesh, Nepal and other countries.

They have complained about working for 72 hours per week, cramped living conditions and low wages, according to a report of Los Angeles Times.

Bangladesh vows to speed up efforts to convict human traffickers

Reuters, on November 24, published a report saying that Bangladesh is accelerating efforts to bring human traffickers to justice.

Quoting the law minister of the country, the report says that Bangladesh established seven tribunals nationwide in March to deal with thousands of trafficking cases. Some of them are cases that have been pending for years.

In the first verdict delivered by the tribunal in Dhaka, a woman was found guilty last week of kidnapping her neighbour’s baby and selling the girl to a trafficking syndicate. Sathi Akter, 27, was jailed for 10 years and fined Tk20,000, the report further says.

Meanwhile, the government data shows that at least 4,000 cases are currently pending investigation or prosecution under a 2012 law that criminalised trafficking.

Bangladesh sends ‘Iti Tomari, Dhaka’ to compete in Oscars

The entertainment industry of Bangladesh came into the discussion after the Oscar Committee of Bangladesh selected anthology film “Iti Tomari, Dhaka” (Sincerely Yours, Dhaka) as the country’s entry to the 2021 Oscars’ international feature film category.

A report, published in variety on November 26 says that the concept of such a film came from creative producer Abu Shahed Emon, who is a directing masters graduate of the Korea National University of Arts.

It was his debut feature titled “Jalal’s Story”, that made its way as Bangladesh’s entry for Oscar back in 2014.

Iti Tomari, Dhaka had its world premiere at South Korean city Busan and had been played in more than 20 festivals worldwide till this date.

At the Kazan International Film Festival. the film won the Critics Award.

Bangladesh has been sending entries to the Oscars since 2002. It is yet to receive a nomination. The 93rd Academy Awards is scheduled to take place on April 25, 2021.