Bangladesh’s largest private airline starts Riyadh flights as demand grows

Special Bangladesh’s largest private airline starts Riyadh flights as demand grows
A US-Bangla Airlines aircraft is seen on the tarmac of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. (US-Bangla Airlines/File)
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Updated 22 April 2025
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Bangladesh’s largest private airline starts Riyadh flights as demand grows

Bangladesh’s largest private airline starts Riyadh flights as demand grows
  • US-Bangla Airlines offers 5 weekly flights on Dhaka–Riyadh route
  • First private Bangladeshi carrier to operate flights to the Kingdom

DHAKA: US-Bangla Airlines, the largest airline in Bangladesh by fleet size, has launched direct flights from Dhaka to Riyadh amid increasing demand for travel to Saudi Arabia.

The inaugural flight from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to King Khalid International Airport took off on Monday, with 423 passengers on board.

The flights will run five times a week on an Airbus 330 aircraft, with plans to gradually expand to daily service.

“Today, also, we are flying with full occupancy. There is always demand for destinations in the Middle East,” Kamrul Islam, the carrier’s general manager for public relations, told Arab News on Tuesday.

“We are receiving very good responses from the passengers ... The route will soon be served by daily flights.”

The airline is tapping into the growing market for Middle East travel. Flights to Saudi Arabia have been too few to accommodate the needs of some 3 million Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom and hundreds of thousands of people traveling for the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

In August last year, it launched daily flights to Jeddah, becoming the first — and so far the only — private Bangladeshi airline to fly to the Kingdom.

“Our aim is to start flight operations gradually in all the destinations where Bangladeshi migrants live,” Islam said.

“In the near future, we are planning to begin flight operations to Dammam and Madinah. Our plan is to begin these flights by the next year. It takes six to seven months of preparations to launch a new station.”

Founded in 2010, US-Bangla Airlines started as a domestic carrier and has lately expanded its routes to go international. The Riyadh route marks the airline’s 14th international destination and sixth in the Middle East.

“Every destination in the Middle East is a base for Bangladeshi migrants,” Islam said.

“We are currently operating also to other places in the region, like Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Doha.”

With its latest acquisition of new Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 aircraft last year, the carrier has become the largest airline in Bangladesh by fleet size.

With the additions, the US-Bangla fleet now consists of 24 aircraft, while the national flag carrier Biman has 21.


30 killed in central Nigeria attacks: local govt official

30 killed in central Nigeria attacks: local govt official
Updated 6 sec ago
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30 killed in central Nigeria attacks: local govt official

30 killed in central Nigeria attacks: local govt official
  • The attacks occurred in three villages between Friday and Sunday

JOS, Nigeria : More than 30 people have been killed in separate attacks in recent days in central Nigeria, a local government official said Monday, the latest raids in a region where herders and farmers often clash over land access.
The attacks occurred in three villages between Friday and Sunday, chairman of the Gwer West local government area of Benue state, Ormin Torsar Victor, told AFP.
“No less than 20 people were killed at Aondana village on Sunday,” he told AFP over the phone, adding that more than 10 others died in another village.
A resident of Aondona, Ruthie Dan Sam, told AFP that “20 people were killed here in Aondona.”
“Children of less than two are being killed. The worst sight is a baby macheted on its mouth,” she said.
She added that other people had been killed in neighboring villages, but she had no figures.
Victor said he and other locals had buried five people, including a father and two of his sons killed in the village of Tewa Biana “very close to a military base.”
Benue State Police spokesperson Anene Sewuese Catherine confirmed two attacks in the area but said her office had received “no report of 20 people” killed.
She said one raid resulted in the death of a policeman who had “repelled an attack” and that “three dead bodies were discovered.”
Motive for the violence was not clear, but Victor blamed the “coordinated attacks” on Fulani cattle herders.
Muslim ethnic Fulani nomadic herders have long clashed with settled farmers, many of whom are Christian, in Benue over access to land and resources.
The attacks in Nigeria’s so-called Middle Belt often take on a religious or ethnic dimension.
Benue has been one of the states hit hardest by such violence between nomadic herders and farmers who blame herdsmen for destroying farmland with their cattle grazing.


Brazilian leader Lula hospitalized with inner ear ailment, then released

Brazilian leader Lula hospitalized with inner ear ailment, then released
Updated 27 May 2025
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Brazilian leader Lula hospitalized with inner ear ailment, then released

Brazilian leader Lula hospitalized with inner ear ailment, then released
  • The health scare adds to Lula’s recent medical worries, which are also part of his allies’ concerns ahead of his likely bid for reelection next year

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was diagnosed with labyrinthitis Monday after suffering from vertigo, hospital officials said. The 79-year-old leftist leader has already returned to the country’s presidential residence, where he is resting.
The Sirio-Libanes Hospital said in a statement that Lula underwent imaging and blood tests, and its results came within normal limits. Labyrinthitis is an inflammation of the labyrinth in the inner ear, which is responsible for hearing and balance.
The health scare adds to Lula’s recent medical worries, which are also part of his allies’ concerns ahead of his likely bid for reelection next year.
The most serious is a fall he had in the bathroom of the presidential residence in Brasília on Oct. 19. Almost two months later, he was transferred to São Paulo for surgery after suffering headaches caused by new a bleeding in his head. He was discharged Dec. 15.

 


Canadians welcome King Charles after Trump takeover threats

Canadians welcome King Charles after Trump takeover threats
Updated 27 May 2025
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Canadians welcome King Charles after Trump takeover threats

Canadians welcome King Charles after Trump takeover threats
  • The so-called throne speech outlining the government’s priorities is typically given by the British monarch’s representative in Canada, the governor general

OTTAWA: King Charles III was given an enthusiastic welcome on Monday by Canadians who turned out in droves to see their monarch on his historic visit to open parliament, as part of the pushback against US President Donald Trump’s annexation threats.
The 76-year-old king, who is Canada’s head of state as part of the Commonwealth, was greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has invited him to give an address opening Canada’s new legislature on Tuesday.
“This historic honor matches the weight of our times,” Carney said.
On their first stop in the Canadian capital, the royals visited a farmer’s market, where they were cheered by thousands of Canadians. The king also dropped the puck for a street hockey game.
The so-called throne speech outlining the government’s priorities is typically given by the British monarch’s representative in Canada, the governor general.
Queen Elizabeth II, the king’s late mother, delivered a throne speech in Canada just twice during her long reign, in 1957 and 1977.
Charles, making his first visit to Canada since his coronation, has never commented on Trump’s repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state.
But he will be closely watched for any comments on Canada’s sovereignty, and on trade.
Trump has slapped tariffs on Canadian goods including sector-specific levies on autos, steel and aluminum, rattling the Canadian economy, although he has suspended some of them pending negotiations.
Queen Camilla is accompanying Charles on the 24-hour visit to Ottawa.
Carney has said his newly-elected government has been given a mandate “to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States,” a neighbor he believes Canada “can no longer trust.”
He has promised to curb reliance on trade with the United States by boosting internal commerce while forging deeper economic ties with allies overseas.
The government’s path to build up Canada and create new relationships will be outlined in Charles’s speech, Carney said Monday.
A government statement described the visit as “a momentous and historic occasion that underscores Canada’s identity and sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy.”
Trump repeatedly returned to his annexation musings during Carney’s Oval Office visit earlier this month, insisting it would be a “wonderful marriage.”
Carney stood his ground, saying Canada was “never for sale.”
Trump’s envoy to Canada, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, dismissed the notion that inviting Charles to open parliament was an effective way to make a statement on annexation. According to him, the annexation issue is “over.”
But, among the throngs that showed up to welcome the royals, Robert Brown, 64, said: “I think it’s a very subtle form of diplomacy. A good one.”
After Charles and Camilla landed in Ottawa in the afternoon, they were received by Governor General Mary Simon and other dignitaries before meeting community organizations.
They also planted a tree at the governor general’s estate, and Charles held audiences with Carney and Indigenous leaders.
At the Senate on Tuesday, the monarch will receive full military honors before delivering the throne speech.
Noah Marshall told AFP he couldn’t miss this “once in a lifetime opportunity to come see the royals.” The 24-year-old also noted that because Trump seems to respect the King, “that’s a good kind of signal to him.”
Gaelle Hortop, 46, said she is “optimistic that it’ll be positive for Canadian morale” too.


Boko Haram’s resurgence: Why Nigeria’s military is struggling to hold the line

Boko Haram’s resurgence: Why Nigeria’s military is struggling to hold the line
Updated 27 May 2025
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Boko Haram’s resurgence: Why Nigeria’s military is struggling to hold the line

Boko Haram’s resurgence: Why Nigeria’s military is struggling to hold the line

ABUJA, Nigeria: A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks is shaking Nigeria’s northeast, as Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts, mined roads with bombs and raided civilian communities since the start of the year, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military’s claims of successes.
Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations.
In the latest attack last week in the village of Gajibo in Borno state, the epicenter of the crisis, extremists killed nine members of a local militia that supports the Nigerian military, after soldiers deserted the base when becoming aware of the insurgents’ advance, according to the group’s claim and local aid workers. That is in addition to roadside bombs and deadly attacks on villages in recent months.
Nyelni Kwari’s area of Borno, Hawul, includes some of the affected villages, and returning home has become unsafe. “Unfortunately, the situation hasn’t improved for me to feel secure,” said Kwari, a graduate student in Borno’s capital, Maiduguri.

Two factions

Boko Haram has split into two factions over the years.
One is backed by the Daesh group and is known as the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP. It has become notorious for targeting military positions and has overrun the military on at least 15 occasions this year, killing soldiers and stealing weapons, according to an Associated Press count, experts and security reports.
In May, ISWAP struck outposts in Gajibo, Buni Gari, Marte, Izge and Rann and launched an assault on the Nigeria-Cameroon joint base in Wulgo and Soueram in Cameroon. Other attacks this year have hit Malam Fatori, Goniri, Sabon Gari, Wajiroko and Monguno, among others. The group often attacks at night.
The other faction, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, or JAS, has increasingly resorted to attacking civilians and perceived collaborators, and thrives on robberies and abductions for ransom.

Expansion and decentralization

Malik Samuel, senior researcher at nonprofit Good Governance Africa, said ISWAP’s success is a result of its territorial expansion following gains against rival JAS as well as a decentralized structure that has enhanced its ability to conduct “coordinated, near-simultaneous attacks across different regions.”
“The unpredictability of attacks under this framework illustrates ISWAP’s growing strategic sophistication,” Samuel said.
External support from IS in Iraq and Syria is also a critical resource, said Samuel, who has interviewed ex-fighters. Such support is evident in ISWAP’s evolving tactics, including nighttime raids, rapid assaults with light but effective weaponry and the use of modified commercial drones to drop explosives, Samuel said.

Outgunned and outnumbered military

Ali Abani, a local nonprofit worker familiar with military operations in Borno’s strategic town of Dikwa, said army bases are understaffed and located in remote areas, making them vulnerable to attacks.
“When these gunmen come, they just overpower the soldiers,” Abani said.
Reinforcements, in the form of air support or nearby ground troops, are often too slow to arrive, allowing militants time to strip the outposts of weapons needed to bolster their arsenal, he added, recalling a May 12 attack during which soldiers fled as they were outnumbered, leaving the extremists to cart away weaponry.
There also have been reports of former militants who continued to work as informants and logistics handlers after claiming to have repented.

Nigeria losing ground ‘almost on a daily basis’

At its peak in 2013 and 2014, Boko Haram gained global notoriety after kidnapping 276 Chibok schoolgirls and controlling an area the size of Belgium.
While it has lost much of that territory because of military campaigns, the new surge in Boko Haram attacks has raised fears about a possible return to the gloomy past.
Borno Gov. Babagana Zulum warned recently of lost gains after raising concerns that military formations in the state are being dislodged “almost on a daily basis without confrontation.”
Federal lawmakers highlight the extremists’ growing sophistication and advanced weaponry, calling on the government to bolster military capabilities.
The Nigerian military didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Last Friday, senior commanders visited one troubled area, Gamboru on the border with Cameroon, promising the deployment of more troops to combat Boko Haram.


EU ‘fully committed’ to reaching US trade deal: commissioner

EU ‘fully committed’ to reaching US trade deal: commissioner
Updated 27 May 2025
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EU ‘fully committed’ to reaching US trade deal: commissioner

EU ‘fully committed’ to reaching US trade deal: commissioner
  • Trump has called for eliminating the EU’s surplus in goods trade with the United States

BRUSSELS, Belgium: The European Union remains “fully committed” to reaching a trade agreement with the United States, the bloc’s trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Monday following calls with top US officials.
The contacts come after US President Donald Trump threatened Friday, but then postponed, to hit EU goods with a huge tariff, voicing frustration that talks with the EU were “going nowhere.”
Sefcovic said in a post on X that he had “good calls” with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
“We continue to stay in constant contact,” he added.
Trump has called for eliminating the EU’s surplus in goods trade with the United States.
On Friday, he threatened to impose 50-percent tariffs on the bloc from June 1, sending markets into a tailspin.
The US president had already hit the bloc with multiple waves of tariffs, including 25-percent duties on cars, steel and aluminum.
The European Commission has been leading talks on behalf of the 27-country bloc in search of a mutually beneficial deal with Washington — though with little to show so far.
But Trump agreed Sunday to delay the heftier levies on the EU until July 9 after a phone call with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
While the dollar remained under pressure Monday, European markets rallied over news of the delayed tariffs.
“The stock market seems to dance to Trump’s tune: first a threat, then a pullback, quickly followed by a rebound as speculative investors anticipate a concession from the US president,” said Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets trading platform.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde on Monday criticized Trump’s “terrible language” about the European Union, in response to his comments that the bloc was formed to “screw” the United States.
“It’s against history. And it’s certainly not the purpose of this region,” she said, urging negotiations on a deal.
The EU remains subject to a 10-percent tariff that Trump imposed last month on imports from nearly every country around the world.
Brussels is consulting with member states on plans to impose tariffs on US goods worth nearly 100 billion euros ($113 billion) if negotiations fail to produce a deal.
The US trade deficit in goods with the European Union was $236 billion in 2024.
But when taking account of services, where US firms are dominant, the European Commission calculates that the overall US trade deficit stood at $57 billion.
Sefcovic has said that the European Union could cover that figure by buying US liquefied natuaral gas and some farm products.