Bangladesh Apex Court Upholds Islam as State Religion
- Bangladesh High Court rejected a petition by a Hindu advocate of Bangladesh in a very secular justification that challenges the constitutional provision recognising Islam as the State religion of the Muslim-majority nation.
- The bench of Justice Naima Haider, Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoqtie, and Justice Ashraful Kamal passed the order on March 28, 2016 and said the petitioners do. not have the’ right to file the writ petition.
- Bangladesh’s first constitution, framed after independence in 1971, adopted secularism as one of its main principles, along with socialism. A constitutional, amendment in 1988 declared Islam the State religion.
Syrian Troops Drove Islamic State Out of Palmyra
- Syrian government forces backed by Russian airstrikes drove Islamic State fighters from Palmyra on March 27, 2016. With this, it came to an end the group’s reign of terror over a town whose famed 2000-year-old ruins once drew tens of thousands of visitors each year.
- The government forces had been on the offensive for nearly 3 weeks to try to retake the central town, known among Syrians as the Bride of the Desert, which fell to the extremists in May, 2015
- The extremists have destroyed a number of historical sites across their’ self—declared caliphate, viewing such ruins as promoting idolatry. IS also demolished Palmyra’s infamous Tadmur prison, where thousands of government opponents were reportedly tortured.
Iran and Pakistan Aimed to Enhance Economic, Security Ties
- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was on a 2-day State visit to Pakistan from March 26 to 27, 2016. Rouhani met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and held talks on matters of mutual interest including more connectivity between the two countries and a shared role to bring stability in the region.
- Pakistan and Iran also agreed to open two additional border crossings to enhance trade. Sharif and Rouhani also witnessed the signing of six agreements related to trade and economy including a Five Year Strategic Trade Cooperation Plan.
- At a Pakistan-Iran business forum, where both leaders spoke, Sharif said the two countries were targeting $ 5 billion worth of mutual trade by 2021, with the lifting of sanctions on Iran and the reemergence of growth in Pakistan.
US Navy Tug USS Conestoga Wreck Discovered after 95 Years
- A,Navy tugboat that disappeared after it sailed from San Francisco in 1921 has been found by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers (NOAA) and US Nayal History and Heritage Command on Publish Date March 25, 2016, in shark-infested ‘ waters about 30 miles West of San Francisco.
- This-finding put an end to a 95-year-old mystery. The tugboat, the USS Conestoga, left California with 56 officers and crew members on board, bound for Tutuila, American Samoa, by Way of Hawaii.
- When the ship failed to arrive, the Navy carried out an expansive air and sea search, but only a battered lifeboat with the letter’d on its bow was ever found, hundreds of miles off the expected, course.
