In streets of Old Dhaka, life bustles all night during Ramadan

Special In streets of Old Dhaka, life bustles all night during Ramadan
Nazirabazar area in Old Dhaka is bustling with life on Ramadan night, March 17, 2025. (AN Photo)
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Updated 21 March 2025
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In streets of Old Dhaka, life bustles all night during Ramadan

In streets of Old Dhaka, life bustles all night during Ramadan
  • Old Dhaka is the historic core and original settlement of Bangladesh’s capital
  • Its unique food scene draws crowds from all over the city during iftar and sahoor

DHAKA: The streets of Old Dhaka stay alive all night during Ramadan, with grocery shops, tailor stalls, hair salons, and eateries keeping their doors open as people from across the Bangladeshi capital flock to the neighborhood for its local delicacies that cannot be found anywhere else.

Old Dhaka is the historic core and original settlement of the city of Dhaka.

Vibrant and densely populated, it is known for its rich cultural heritage and traditional architecture. It is the heart of the Bangladeshi capital’s old markets and residential buildings, many of which date back to the 17th century, when Dhaka was an important part of the Mughal Empire.

Forgotten throughout the year by the rest of the city, where life revolves around modern settlements and business districts, residents of Old Dhaka are reminded of their significance during the fasting month, when their neighborhood becomes a main attraction.

“Only in the month of Ramadan we work at full capacity. Every day, we receive new orders, and sometimes, we even have to refuse them,” said Mohammed Nasir Uddin Sagar Khan,

a tailor shop owner in Old Dhaka’s Nazirabazar.

“We earn much more during Ramadan. The money I earn is quite good.”

His shop remains open throughout the night until a bit after sahoor, or around daybreak, after which it closes for a few hours of rest.

“It feels good working during those nights as the area remains crowded, with people coming from different places,” Khan said. “Media and TV channels of Dhaka come here during night to have biryani, ice cream, and chit-chat. We enjoy this ambiance very much.”

At a nearby salon in Agasadek lane, Somrat Hossain Sumon is dealing with a line of queuing customers.

“We experience a surge in clients,” he said. “During Ramadan, our customers start coming immediately after iftar … Usually, we continue till sahoor hours or as long as our customers need our services.”

While some people come to Old Dhaka for festive clothes and some for haircuts, what draws most is the neighborhood’s unique food scene.

Nazirabazar is widely considered the food capital of Old Dhaka, and guests not only from other parts of the city but also from areas 50-60km away regularly visit during Ramadan to taste various kinds of biriyani, kebab, and desserts.

“Our restaurants are crowded at all times. For sahoor, people even need to queue to secure a seat,” said Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun, manager of Mamun Biriyani, one of the famous biryani spots in the neighborhood.

“People mostly come to our restaurant to have our signature dish beef tehari … We are famous for this dish.”

Tehari is a variety of biryani — a rice dish that to many in South Asia is a favorite Ramadan comfort food.

In Nazirabazar, it is the most sought-after item.

“Biryani from this place is famous around the world … Today, I came here particularly for this biryani,” said Shahjalal Scissor, a student who arrived in Old Dhaka from Bashundhora, an upscale area of new Dhaka.

“I came here to feel the heritage, the ambiance of this place, the tradition and nightlife of Old Dhaka. I am here to experience all these things.”

Maruf Ahmed, a businessman from Dhaka’s Uttara area, brought his family along to treat them to something unique for sahoor.

“The flavors I enjoy here are something one doesn’t get anywhere in Uttara,” he said.

“Most of the time, I have kebab from Bismillah Kebab. I think in the marination or spices they use, they have some secret which makes the taste different. Also, they roast the meat over coal, while in most places we’re used to oil-fried kebabs.”

To cap off iftar or sahoor, many opt for the iconic flavored yogurt drinks.

Beauty Lassi, one of the places that serve the drink in Old Dhaka, has been around for over 100 years.

The shop’s recipes have been passed down from its founder to the next generations, and the drinks it offers are nowhere else to be found.

“We have lassi in our locality too, but lassi at Beauty Lassi of Old Dhaka is unmatched. We don’t even compare it,” said Abdur Rahman Shihab, who arrived in Nazirabazar from Shonir Akhra with a group of friends.

They stayed in Old Dhaka for iftar.

“We don’t get this kind of food every day … All these dishes are a testament to heritage, each with its unique signature taste. It’s the specialty of Old Dhaka,” Shihab told Arab News.

“Every food served here has some special taste. That’s why we came here. We visit this place only on special occasions.”


Lithuania accuses Belarus, Russia of operation against Belarusian exiles

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Lithuania accuses Belarus, Russia of operation against Belarusian exiles

Lithuania accuses Belarus, Russia of operation against Belarusian exiles
VSD said the goal of the alleged operation had been to cause conflicts between Lithuanians and Belarusians Vilnius
It accused Minsk and Moscow of recruiting people to organize and undertake attacks

VILNIUS: Lithuania’s intelligence service accused Belarus and Russia on Wednesday of attempting to organize attacks against Belarusians in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
The State Security Department (VSD) said the goal of the alleged operation had been to cause conflicts between Lithuanians and the tens of thousands of Belarusians in the Baltic state.
Many Belarusians, who include opposition figures and activists, moved there as Minsk clamped down on dissent after a 2020 presidential election that rights groups said was fraudulent.
“Russian and Belarusian intelligence services have been conducting ... an operation since 2023 aimed at fomenting ethnic tensions between Lithuanian society and the newly-arrived Belarusian diaspora to make them feel unsafe in the country,” the VSD said in a statement.
It accused Minsk and Moscow of recruiting people to organize and undertake attacks on Belarusian exiles in exchange for cryptocurrency payments.
It said the assaults were prevented but did not specify how.
The VSD also accused the two countries of recruiting people to spray anti-Belarusian and anti-Lithuanian graffiti in Vilnius.
It said a series of vandalism acts targeting Belarusian businesses and cultural centers had taken place since last year.
The intelligence service claimed Belarus and Russia recruited people mainly from the Russian-speaking Lithuanian community on Telegram, a secure messaging app.
European officials have accused Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against Western countries supporting Ukraine since Moscow invaded the country in February 2022.
The term “hybrid” is commonly used to describe attacks that do not use conventional military tactics, such as sabotaging infrastructure or launching cyberattacks.
In March, Lithuania arrested two Ukrainians for attempting to set fire to an IKEA store in Vilnius — an incident it blamed on Russian intelligence.
“Lithuania’s intelligence services warn that the work of Russian and Belarusian secret services in Lithuania remain intensive,” the VSD said.

Russia allows Taliban to have Moscow ambassador

Russia allows Taliban to have Moscow ambassador
Updated 23 April 2025
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Russia allows Taliban to have Moscow ambassador

Russia allows Taliban to have Moscow ambassador
  • The Russian side has decided to upgrade the diplomatic mission of Afghanistan in Moscow
  • The Afghan side “expressed their deep gratitude for this step“

MOSCOW: Russia said Wednesday it will allow the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to have an ambassador in Moscow, in a symbolic move days after it lifted a “terrorist” designation for the militant group.
Moscow has taken steps to normalize relations with the Islamist Taliban administration since the group seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of US troops.
The Russian foreign ministry said Russian officials had held talks with Afghanistan’s foreign and internal ministers.
“The representatives of the Afghan leadership were informed that, following the decision announced by the Supreme Court of Russia to suspend the ban on the Taliban movement, the Russian side has decided to upgrade the diplomatic mission of Afghanistan in Moscow to the level of ambassador,” it said in a statement.
It added the Afghan side “expressed their deep gratitude for this step.”
Russia sees a potential economic partner in the Taliban authorities, who praised Moscow for scrapping the “terrorism” label last week.
Taliban officials have visited Russia for high-profile events in recent years.
Russia’s decision to suspend the ban on the group does not equal a formal recognition for the Taliban authorities, which are seeking international legitimacy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that “the new authorities in Kabul are a reality.”
“We need to take this into account in order to carry out pragmatic, not ideologized policy,” the minister told journalists.
The Afghan government is not officially recognized by any country or world body and the United Nations refers to the administration as the “Taliban de facto authorities”.


Ukrainian strike damages Russian drone production site in Tatarstan, Kyiv says

Ukrainian strike damages Russian drone production site in Tatarstan, Kyiv says
Updated 23 April 2025
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Ukrainian strike damages Russian drone production site in Tatarstan, Kyiv says

Ukrainian strike damages Russian drone production site in Tatarstan, Kyiv says
  • Russia has been extensively using Shahed and other types of attack drones
  • The general staff said the strike caused explosions near the facility

KYIV: Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday it had hit a Russian long-range drone production site in Tatarstan, damaging the final assembly line.
In the course of the three-year-old war, Russia has been extensively using Shahed and other types of attack drones for strikes across Ukraine. On Wednesday night, Ukraine said it had downed 134 Russian drones.
“As of now, it is known that damage was caused to the final assembly line of the UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles),” Ukraine’s general staff said on the Telegram app, adding that the plant’s production capacity is 300 drones per day.
Reuters could not independently verify the statement. Local authorities in Yelabuga reported a drone being shot down in the town. Mash, a Telegram channel close to Russia’s security services, said at least four drones had been downed close to a factory in the town.
The general staff said the strike, conducted by Ukraine’s drone forces and other units, caused explosions near the facility, 1,054 kilometers (654 miles) from the Ukrainian border. It added that the aftermath of the strike is being clarified and that explosions were confirmed in the target area.


Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial opens at a different #MeToo moment

Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial opens at a different #MeToo moment
Updated 23 April 2025
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Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial opens at a different #MeToo moment

Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial opens at a different #MeToo moment
  • It’s the first time Manhattan prosecutors have detailed Sokola’s allegations
  • Emphasizing Weinstein’s onetime influence in the movie industry, Lucey said the ex-studio boss used “dream opportunities as weapons” to prey on women

NEW YORK: Opening statements in Harvey Weinstein’s #MeToo rape retrial began Wednesday with a prosecutor telling jurors about the three allegations at issue in the case, including one involving a woman who wasn’t part of the original trial in 2020. Weinstein’s lawyer countered that the women and the one-time Hollywood powerbroker had consensual relationships.
Kaja Sokola, a former model from Poland, alleges that Weinstein pinned her to a bed and forcibly abused her in 2006 after luring her to his Manhattan hotel room with the promise of movie scripts. Four years earlier, Sokola alleges, he molested her at his apartment when she was just 16, Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey told jurors.
Weinstein, 73, is charged in connection with the 2006 allegation, but not the earlier one. Sokola previously sued and received $3.5 million in compensation, Lucey said.
It’s the first time Manhattan prosecutors have detailed Sokola’s allegations, which were added to the case after New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s conviction last year. The rest of the retrial involves allegations from two women who were part of the original trial — Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann.
The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named, as Haley, Mann and Sokola have done.
Emphasizing Weinstein’s onetime influence in the movie industry, Lucey said the ex-studio boss used “dream opportunities as weapons” to prey on women. He is charged with raping Mann and forcing himself on Haley and Sokola.
“The defendant wanted their bodies, and the more they resisted, the more forceful he got,” Lucey said.
Weinstein, she said, “held the golden ticket: a chance to make it, or not.”
The Oscar-winning producer, seated in the wheelchair he now uses because of health problems, whispered with one of his lawyers and appeared to take notes as Lucey described his alleged crimes, but he didn’t look at the jury.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denies raping or sexually assaulting anyone.
His lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told jurors in his opening statement that Weinstein engaged in “mutually beneficial relationships” with women who wanted his help in the industry but that nothing he did was illegal.
“In this case, the casting couch is not a crime scene,” Aidala argued.
He implored jurors to view the case with an open mind and to wait until they’ve heard all of the evidence before reaching a conclusion. Acknowledging Weinstein’s former career, Aidala compared the opening stage of the trial to a movie trailer.
“How often is a preview great, but the movie falls flat on its face?” the defense lawyer said. “After you hear all of the evidence, their case is going to fall flat on its face.”
The audience in the packed courtroom included Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He inherited the landmark #MeToo case, brought by his predecessor, when the Court of Appeals last year threw out the 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence because the judge allowed testimony about allegations Weinstein was not charged with. The reversal led to the retrial.
Weinstein’s retrial is playing out at a different cultural moment than the first. #MeToo, which exploded in 2017 with allegations against Weinstein, has evolved and ebbed.
The jury counts seven women and five men — unlike the seven-man, five-woman panel that convicted him in 2020 — and there’s a different judge.
At the start of Weinstein’s first trial, chants of “rapist” could be heard from protesters outside. This time, there was none of that.
Weinstein is being retried on a criminal sex act charge for allegedly forcibly abusing Haley, a movie and TV production assistant at the time, in 2006, and a third-degree rape charge for allegedly assaulting Mann, a then-aspiring actor, in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
Weinstein also faces a criminal sex act charge for allegedly abusing Sokola, also in 2006. Prosecutors said she came forward days before his first trial but wasn’t part of that case. They said they revisited her allegations when his conviction was thrown out.
Weinstein’s acquittals on the two most serious charges at his 2020 trial — predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape — still stand.
Sokola’s lawyer, Lindsay Goldbrum, said Weinstein’s retrial marks a “pivotal moment in the fight for accountability in sex abuse cases” and a “signal to other survivors that the system is catching up — and that it’s worth speaking out even when the odds seem insurmountable.”
During jury selection, a prosecutor asked prospective jurors whether they’d heard of the #MeToo movement. Most said they had, but that it wouldn’t affect them either way.
Those who indicated it might were excused.


Macron visits Madagascar in the first trip by a French leader to the former colony in 20 years

Macron visits Madagascar in the first trip by a French leader to the former colony in 20 years
Updated 23 April 2025
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Macron visits Madagascar in the first trip by a French leader to the former colony in 20 years

Macron visits Madagascar in the first trip by a French leader to the former colony in 20 years
  • France and Madagascar signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding, including in energy, agriculture and education
  • Macron announced funding from the French Development Agency and a loan from the French treasury for the construction of a hydroelectric dam

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar: French President Emmanuel Macron began a two-day visit to the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar on Wednesday and spoke of the need for his country to find new markets and boost economic cooperation in the region.
Macron’s visit marked the first by a French leader to the former colony off the east coast of Africa since Jacques Chirac’s in 2005.
The trip also delved into disputes between the nations stemming from the colonial era, including Madagascar’s claims over a group of small islands that are French territory, and its demands that France return the remains of a local king who was killed by French colonial forces in the late 1800s.
Macron met with Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina in the capital, Antananarivo, and they signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding, including in energy, agriculture and education.
Macron also announced funding from the French Development Agency and a loan from the French treasury for the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Volobe in eastern Madagascar, which has been planned for nearly a decade.
Macron is due to attend Thursday a summit of the Indian Ocean Commission in Madagascar, a bloc made up of Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, Seychelles and Reunion — which is a territory of France. China, India and the European Union are among a group of countries and international bodies that have observer status at the commission.
“We need to conquer, at least, the market of the (Indian Ocean Commission),” Macron said Wednesday. “And then, more widely, East Africa and the Indian Ocean.”
On some of their disagreements, Rajoelina said there would be a new round of meetings on June 30 over the fate of the Scattered Islands, five small islands around Madagascar that fall under France’s overseas territories but are claimed by Madagascar.
France favors a system where the islands would be jointly managed by the two countries, but the UK’s decision last year to hand over control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius has spurred some in Madagascar to push for full control of the Scattered Islands — which are known as the Eparses Islands in France.
Madagascar and France “are determined to find a solution together,” Rajoelina said.
Macron said he would work with Madagascar over the agreed return of three skulls that were taken from Madagascar more than 125 years ago and displayed in a Paris museum. One of them is believed to be the skull of King Toera of the Sakalava people, who was beheaded by French troops in 1897.