Bangladesh will hold February 2026 election, interim leader Muhammad Yunus says
Among the issues dividing the country's politicians has been the date of the election. Yunus initially suggested June 2026 as a potential date.However, representatives of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as well as the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party and the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), all joined Yunus on stage in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday.Later, Yunus said he would write to the Election Commission to request the vote be held "before Ramadan in February 2026"."For many years, none of us have been able to vote," the 85-year-old said in a televised broadcast. "This time, we will all vote. No one will be left out. Let us all be able to say, 'I cast my vote to set the country on the path to building a new Bangladesh'."Tuesday also saw Yunus reiterate promises on widespread reform, reading out the "July Declaration", which seeks to recognise the student-led protests which toppled Hasina in the constitution.Hasina's time in office was marked by widespread allegations of human rights violations and the murder and jailing of political rivals. Members of the Awami League government ruthlessly cracked down on dissent. The BBC has spoken to numerous people who were "disappeared" into a network of secret jails across the country.But it was the student-led protest against a civil service jobs quota system which escalated into calls for the government to stand aside in July and August 2024 that eventually prompted Hasina to flee. The government collapsed, and the Awami League has since been banned. Analysts note hundreds of Awami League supporters have been detained without trial over the last 12 months.
As part of the declaration read on Tuesday, those who were killed in the uprising will be recognised as "national heroes", Yunus said.The document - which also promises a democratic state that would uphold the rule of law and moral values, as well as a justice process for those who engaged in violence during Hasina's rule - is seen by advocates as the basis of institutional reform, although critics say it is largely symbolic and without power.Meanwhile, in an open letter to Bangladesh's citizens on Monday, Hasina argued she had not actually stood aside, describing the events of 2024 as a "coup"."Despite claims to the contrary, I never resigned from my duties as your prime minister," she wrote. "I believe in you. I believe in Bangladesh. And I believe that our best days are yet to come."Hasina is currently on trial in absentia in Bangladesh, having refused to return to face charges which amount to crimes against humanity, related to the deadly crackdown on protesters which left hundreds dead. She denies the charges.
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The Guardian
5 minutes ago
- The Guardian
China's cyber-abuse scandal: is the government unwilling to crack down on exploitation of women online?
When Ming* found a hidden camera in her bedroom, she prayed for a reasonable explanation, wondering whether her boyfriend had placed it there to record memories of their 'happy life' together. But hope quickly turned to horror. Ming's boyfriend had been secretly taking sexually exploitative photos of not just Ming and her female friends, but also of other women in other locations, then using AI technology to generate pornographic images of them. After Ming confronted him, he 'begged for mercy' but became angry when she refused to forgive him, Ming reportedly told Chinese news outlet Jimu News. Ming is just one of many women in China who have been covertly photographed or filmed – both in private and public spaces, including toilets – by voyeurs who have then circulated or sold the images online without consent. The sexually explicit pictures – often taken using pinhole cameras hidden in ordinary objects – are then shared online in massive groups. The scandal has left China reeling and raised questions about the government's ability – and willingness – to crack down on such behaviour. One such group on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, is named 'MaskPark tree hole forum' and reportedly had more than 100,000 mostly male members. 'The MaskPark incident exposes the extreme vulnerability of Chinese women in digital spaces,' Li Maizi, a prominent Chinese feminist now based in New York, told the Guardian. 'What's even more insidious and shocking is the prevalence of perpetrators known to the victims: partners, boyfriends, even fathers committing sexual violence against underage girls.' The scandal has sparked fury on Chinese social media and triggered discussions on the challenges of combating online harassment in the country. Although Chinese regulators have the power to clamp down on sexual harassment and abuse online, the system is currently focused on restricting the flow of information deemed politically sensitive, says Eric Liu, a former content moderator at the Chinese social platform Weibo who is now a US-based editor at China Digital Times. Since the scandal broke, Liu has seen 'large-scale' censorship of the MaskPark incident on the Chinese internet, where posts seen as having a social impact – including feminist content – are often scrubbed by censors. 'If the Chinese government wanted to shut down the groups, they definitely could,' Liu says, referring to previous cases of Chinese authorities infiltrating online spaces overseas. 'The scale of [MaskPark] is massive. I can't think of a similar incident of this scale in recent years. But Liu says he is not surprised. 'There's always been this type of content on the Chinese internet.' In China, those who are found guilty of distributing pornographic content can be sentenced to up to two years in prison, while people who take photos without the subject's consent can be detained for up to 10 days and fined. The country also has regulations protecting people against sexual harassment, domestic violence and cyber-abuse. But advocates say the current legal framework is insufficient. Often the burden falls on victims to gather evidence to build their cases, which can be difficult to do for crimes that take place online, according to Xirui*, a Chinese lawyer in Beijing who specialises in cases of gender-based harm. 'The behaviour itself also needs to meet certain elements of the crime, such as a specified number of clicks and subjective motives,' Xirui says. 'There's also the problem of the statute of limitations, which is only six months for public security cases. Once that's exceeded, the police will not file the case.' The Guardian contacted China's ministry of foreign affairs for comment. Beyond the legal hurdles, victims of crimes of a sexual nature often grapple with shame, which prevents many from speaking out. 'I've seen similar cases where landlords install cameras to spy on female tenants. This type of situation is generally treated as a privacy violation, subject to administrative detention, with victims seeking civil compensations,' Xirui says. To tackle the problem, the government could implement more specialised legislation, improve gender-based training of law enforcement officials and encourage courts to issue guidance that includes examples of relevant cases, the lawyer says. For Li, the recent incident reveals a widespread tolerance and lack of meaningful law enforcement on the issue in China. Rather than tackling the proliferation of sexist and abusive content online, authorities appear more focused on detaining female writers of homoerotic fiction and censoring victims of digital abuse, she says. 'With the rise of deepfake technologies and rapid online circulation of surreptitiously filmed content, women's bodies are being digitally exploited at an unprecedented scale,' Li says. 'But I believe if authorities are truly willing, and invest the necessary resources, it's entirely possible to trace and prosecute these crimes. We need to hold the Chinese government accountable.' * Names have been changed Additional research by Lillian Yang and Jason Tzu Kuan Lu
Sky News
31 minutes ago
- Sky News
This man survived Hiroshima - and he has a stark warning for us all
Why you can trust Sky News Toshiyuki Mimaki is exhausted when we meet him. The 83-year-old sinks into his chair, closes his eyes, and asks us to keep it brief. But then he starts talking, and his age seems to melt away with the power of his stories. He is a survivor of Hiroshima's atomic bomb, a lifelong advocate for nuclear disarmament and, as of last year, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. But now, on the 80th anniversary of the bombing, he comes with more than just memories - he has a message, and it is stark. "Right now is the most dangerous era," he says. "Russia might use it [a nuclear weapon], North Korea might use it, China might use it. "And President Trump - he's just a huge mess. "We've been appealing and appealing, for a world without war or nuclear weapons - but they're not listening." 2:23 'I didn't hear a sound' Mr Mimaki was three years old when the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. It was the first time a nuclear weapon had been used in war, and it's remembered as one of the most horrific events in the history of conflict. It's estimated to have killed over 70,000 people on the spot, one in every five residents, unleashing a ground heat of around 4,000C, melting everything in its path and flattening two thirds of the city. Horrifying stories trickled out slowly, of blackened corpses and skin hanging off the victims like rags. "What I remember is that day I was playing outside and there was a flash," Mr Mimaki recalls. "We were 17km away from the hypocentre. I didn't hear a bang, I didn't hear a sound, but I thought it was lightening. "Then it was afternoon and people started coming out in droves. Some with their hair all in mess, clothes ragged, some wearing shoes, some not wearing shoes, and asking for water." 'The city was no longer there' For four days, his father did not return home from work in the city centre. He describes with emotion the journey taken by his mother, with him and his younger bother in tow, to try to find him. There was only so far in they could travel, the destruction was simply too great. "My father came home on the fourth day," he says. "He was in the basement [at his place of work]. He was changing into his work clothes. That's how he survived. "When he came up to ground level, the city of Hiroshima was no longer there." 'People are still suffering' Three days later, the US would drop another atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, bringing about an unconditional Japanese surrender and the end of the Second World War. By the end of 1945, the death toll from both cities would have risen to an estimated 210,000 and to this day it is not known exactly how many lost their lives in the following years to cancers and other side effects. "It's still happening, even now. People are still suffering from radiation, they are in the hospital," Mr Mimaki says. "It's very easy to get cancer, I might even get cancer, that's what I'm worried about now." Tragically, many caught up in the bomb lived with the stigma for most of their lives. Misunderstandings about the impact of radiation meant they were often shunned and rejected for jobs or as a partner in marriage. Many therefore tried to hide their status as Hibakusha (a person affected by the atomic bombs) and now, in older age, are finding it hard to claim the financial support they are entitled to. And then there is the enormous psychological scars, the PTSD and the lifelong mental health problems. Many Hibakusha chose to never talk about what they saw that day and live with the guilt that they survived. For Mr Mimaki, it's there when he recounts a story of how he and another young girl about his age became sick with what he now believes was radiation poisoning. "She died, and I survived," he says with a heavy sigh and strain in his eyes. He has subsequently dedicated his life to advocacy, and is co-chair of a group of atomic bomb survivors called Nihon Hidankyo. Its members were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. 'Why do humans like war so much?' But he doesn't dwell much on any pride he might feel. He knows it's not long until the bomb fades from living memory, and he deeply fears what that might mean in a world that looks more turbulent now than it has in decades. Indeed, despite advocacy like his, there are still around 12,000 nuclear warheads in the world in the hands of nine countries. "In the future, you never know when they might use it. Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Gaza, Israel-Iran - there is always a war going on somewhere," he says. "Why do these animals called humans like war so much? "We keep saying it, we keep telling them, but it's not getting through, for 80 years no-one has listened.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Hiroshima marks 80 years since atomic bombing as aging survivors frustrated by growing nuke threat
Hiroshima on Wednesday marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about growing support among global leaders for nuclear weapons possession for deterrence. With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them. 'We don't have much time left, while we face greater nuclear threat than ever,' Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organization of survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its pursuit of nuclear abolishment, said in a statement. 'Our biggest challenge now is to change nuclear weapons states that give us cold shoulders even just a little.' The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan's nearly half-century aggression in Asia. Representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, are expected to attend and will observe a minute of silence with the sound of a peace bell at 8:15 a.m., the time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other officials are expected to address the ceremony. Survivors and their families are expected to start paying tribute to the victims at the peace memorial park around sunrise, hours before the official ceremony. Wednesday's anniversary comes at a time that possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence is increasingly supported by the international community, including Japan. President Donald Trump 's remark justifying Washington's attack in June on Iran by comparing it to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the mild response from the Japanese government, disappointed the survivors. 'It's ridiculous,' said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation in his mother's womb. 'I don't think we can get rid of nuclear weapons as long as it was justified by the assailant.' Japan's government has rejected the survivors' desperate request to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or attend its meeting as observers because it is under the protection of the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Past prime ministers have stressed Japan's status as the world's only country to have suffered nuclear attacks and have said Japan is determined to pursue peace, but survivors say it's a hollow promise. The Japanese government has only paid compensation to war veterans and their families, even though survivors have sought redress for civilian victims. They have also sought acknowledgment by the U.S. government of its responsibility for the civilian deaths.
