Bangladesh, Lebanon-Israel, Haiti.

Today's three stories you should know.

Oct 11, 2022

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi authorities are rounding up and charging opposition members ahead of an election next year, the opposition and a human rights group have said. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party said more than 4,000 of its leaders and supporters have been charged in relation to violence at anti-government protests - charges the BNP says are politically-motivated. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the arrests, as well as impunity for ruling party members accused of violence, set “an ominous tone for the upcoming parliamentary elections.” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan dismissed HRW’s statement as “100 percent political propaganda.”

Lebanon-Israel

Lebanon and Israel have reached what experts are calling a landmark deal to end a long-running maritime border dispute in the gas-rich Mediterranean sea. Lebanon plans to explore for natural gas in the Mediterranean’s eastern tip, while Israel is already producing gas in nearby waters. Given the longtime foes are still technically at war, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said the deal did not signify a “partnership.” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called the agreement “a historic achievement.”

Haiti

Rampant gang-related violence is continuing to rock Haiti. Thousands of people have now taken to the streets to protest an appeal by the government for foreign help to get the situation under control. Prime Minister Ariel Henry last week called for the deployment of an international “specialized armed force.” “We certainly need help to develop our country, but we don't need boots [on the ground],” one protester told the AFP news agency. At least one person was killed during today’s demonstrations.