Thailand said Tuesday it was seeking a "humanitarian" solution for three Myanmar journalists arrested after fleeing across the border to escape a junta crackdown.

The trio's employer -- the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) -- and the Thai foreign correspondents' club urged the authorities not to deport them, warning their lives could be in danger if they returned to the coup-hit country.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, triggering a mass uprising as large swathes of the population take to the streets to demand democracy.
The junta has responded with force -- shooting protesters, arresting suspected dissidents in night raids, and targeting journalists and news outlets by shutting them down.
Thai authorities on Tuesday confirmed the arrests, while foreign ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said they were seeking a way out of the case.
-Thai authorities concerned are coordinating to find possible humanitarian solution(s) to this case- Tanee told reporters.
DVB said the group was arrested during a random search in the northern city of Chiang Mai, and would appear in court on Tuesday to face charges of illegally entering Thailand.
-DVB strongly urges the Thai authorities to not deport them back to Burma, as their life will be in serious danger if they were to return- said Aye Chan Naing, DVB's chief editor, who is based in Oslo. Burma is Myanmar's old name.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand warned Tuesday that if the journalists were deported, they would face "certain arrest and persecution, if not worse".
-The world is watching what the Thai authorities do in this important case for press freedom in Myanmar and the region- it said. 
A well-known news organisation within Myanmar, DVB started as an exile media outlet during the previous junta, broadcasting uncensored reports on TV and radio.
It moved into Myanmar in 2012, a year after the military dictatorship loosened its grip, but had its broadcast licence revoked in March, sending its journalists into hiding.
Despite this setback, it has continued to report, posting regular updates on its Facebook page about the daily protests and crackdowns across the country. 
It also broadcasts via satellite television -- a move that the junta attempted to halt when it banned homes from having satellite dishes.
More than 80 journalists have been detained since the February 1 coup, according to a local monitoring group -- which has tracked a total of nearly 5,000 arrests nationwide.&nbsp;

The trio's employer , the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and the Thai foreign correspondents' club urged the authorities not to deport them, warning their lives could be in danger if they returned to the coup-hit country

Police officers are seen outside Kamayut township court where the hearing of a group of journalists who were detained during anti-coup protests is scheduled, including that of Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw, in Yangon March 12, 2021. Thai police said on Tuesday they would deport three journalists and two activists back to Myanmar, where they would face certain arrest.

Thailand seeking 'humanitarian' solution for detained Myanmar journalists

Sadiq Khan won a second term as London mayor on Saturday.&nbsp;He was expected to win by a landslide but the result was much closer than expected.Khan won 1,206,034 votes, 55.2%. Rival Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey won 977,601 votes, or 44.8%. Turnout was 42.2%.
His victory comes as votes continue to be counted elsewhere after polls were held earlier this week.
The “Super Thursday” elections were for local councils across the UK as well as Welsh and Scottish parliamentary elections, mayoral elections in England, and the by-election in Hartlepool.
The elections have proved difficult for the main opposition, the center-left Labour Party that has lost seats to the incumbent center-right Conservative Party.

<h2>Mixed mayoral results for Labour</h2>

Meanwhile, Labour's Andy Burnham won re-election as Greater Manchester mayor. He took an impressive 69% of the vote.

Burnham previously ran for Labour Party leader in 2010 and 2015 but lost on both occasions.
His dominant performance in Thursday's election amid wider Labour difficulties have reignited discussion about him standing again in the future.
-In the distant future, if the party were ever to feel it needed me, well I'm here and they should get in touch- he told Sky News.
But he played down expectations of any leadership bid in the near future. "I've got the best job in the world in the best city region in the world," he said.
In Liverpool, Steve Rotheram was re-elected as Liverpool City Region mayor with 58% of the vote.
In the West Midlands, Conservative incumbent Andy Street won re-election as mayor in a part of England that Labour was hoping to make gain.
Labour's Joanne Anderson was elected Liverpool city mayor on Friday, becoming the first black woman to lead a major British city. She won 59% of the vote.
The Conservative incumbent in the northern Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, also won re-election as mayor with 73% of the vote, which was another blow to Labour in a part of England that was considered their heartland.

Labour also win Liverpool, Greater Manchester mayoralties, but lose Tees Valley, West Midlands races

Sadiq Khan re-elected London mayor

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

-This development of events is received with deep concern in Moscow. We strongly condemn attacks against civilians- it said in a statement. -We call on all parties to refrain from any steps fraught with the escalation of violence.-Russia's also reaffirmed its position that "the expropriation of land and property located on it, as well as the creation of settlements by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, have no legal force."
-Such actions are a violation of international law and hinder the achievement of a peaceful settlement based on the creation of two states — Palestine and Israel- it said.
The number of Palestinian injured rose to 205 late Friday after Israel attacked the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Damascus Gate of the Old City and the Sheikh Jarrah district in East Jerusalem.
Police attacked Muslim worshippers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque while they were performing tarawih -- special night prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

Such actions violate international law, says Russian Foreign Ministry

The number of Palestinian injured rose to 205 late Friday after Israel attacked the Al-Aqsa Mosque

Russia condemns Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem

China said Friday the risk of damage on Earth from a rocket which fell out of orbit after separating from Beijing's space station was "extremely low", after the United States warned it could crash down onto an inhabited area.

Military experts in the US expect the body of the Long March 5B rocket to fall to the surface some time around Saturday or Sunday, but warned it was difficult to predict where it will land and when.
But Beijing downplayed the risk of any damage on Friday.
-The probability of causing harm to aviation activities or (on people and activities) on the ground is extremely low- foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Most of the components would be destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere, he added, saying authorities "will inform the public of the situation in a timely manner."
China has poured billions of dollars into space exploration in efforts to reflect its rising global stature and growing technological might, following in the extra-terrestrial footsteps of the US, Russia and Europe.
The launch of the first module of its "Heavenly Palace" space station in April was a milestone in Beijing's ambitious plan to establish a permanent human presence in space.
China also said in March it was planning to build a separate lunar space station with Russia.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday said the US military had no plans to shoot down the Chinese rocket.
-We have the capability to do a lot of things, but we don't have a plan to shoot it down- Austin told journalists.
He suggested that the Chinese were negligent in letting the rocket body fall out of orbit, saying those who were in the "space domain" should "operate in a safe and thoughtful mode."

Military experts in the US expect the body of the Long March 5B rocket to fall to the surface some time around Saturday or Sunday

Military experts in the US expect the body of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket to fall to the surface some time over the weekend

China says 'extremely low' risk of damage on Earth from rocket re-entry

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the release Friday of four Hong Kong democracy activists who were jailed for taking part in a vigil for victims of Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

-The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and rejects the sentencing of activists for attending a Tiananmen commemoration- Blinken wrote on Twitter.
-All those imprisoned for nonviolent exercise of guaranteed freedoms should be freed immediately- he added.
Joshua Wong, Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen and Janelle Leung -- four prominent youth activists in their twenties -- were jailed after pleading guilty to taking part in an "unauthorised assembly" last year on the 4 June Tiananmen anniversary.
For the past three decades, Hong Kong has marked the anniversary of Beijing's deadly 1989 repression of protests in Tiananmen Square with massive candlelight vigils.
But last year's event was banned for the first time, with police citing the coronavirus pandemic and security fears following huge democracy protests that roiled Hong Kong the year before.
Tens of thousands defied the ban and massed peacefully at the vigil's traditional site in Victoria Park.
Since then, prosecutors have brought charges against more than two dozen prominent democracy activists who showed up at the vigil, the latest in a string of criminal cases that have ensnared the city's beleaguered democracy movement.
Joshua Wong -- one of the city's most recognisable democracy activists, is currently serving 17.5 months in jail for two convictions linked to the 2019 demonstrations. 
He was handed a consecutive 10 months of jail for the new conviction, which will start once current sentences are finished.
Shum, 27, was given six months while Yuen, 27, and Leung, 26, were both handed four months.
Wong, Shum and Yuen have also been charged under a new national security law Beijing imposed on the city last year to stamp out dissent. They face up to life in jail if convicted.

Joshua Wong, Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen and Janelle Leung, were jailed after pleading guilty to taking part in an "unauthorised assembly" last year

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the release on Friday, May 7, 2021, of four Hong Kong democracy activists who were jailed for taking part in a Tiananmen vigil

US calls on Hong Kong to release Tiananmen vigil activists

Pope Francis hailed Thursday the "tireless" work of medics in India and urged them to stay strong, in a message of support for the coronavirus-plagued country.

In a message to the Catholic Bishops' Conference in India, the pontiff offered his "heartfelt solidarity and spiritual closeness to all the Indian people".
-My thoughts go above all to the sick and their families, to those who care for them, and in particular to those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones- he said. 
-I think too of the many doctors, nurses, hospital workers, ambulance drivers and those working tirelessly to respond to the immediate needs of their brothers and sisters.&nbsp;With deep appreciation I invoke upon all of them God's gifts of perseverance, strength and peace.-India is battling a wave of Covid-19 infections that has seen patients die in streets outside hospitals due to shortages of beds and oxygen.
The country on Thursday reported almost 4,000 Covid-19 deaths and more than 412,000 infections -- both new records -- dashing hopes that the catastrophic recent surge may have been easing following several days of falling case numbers.

In a message to the Catholic Bishops' Conference in India, the pontiff offered his "heartfelt solidarity and spiritual closeness to all the Indian people"

Pope Francis: My thoughts go above all to the sick and their families, to those who care for them, and in particular to those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones

Pope hails 'tireless' work of India medics

A high-profile Afghan television journalist was shot dead in Kandahar city Thursday, officials said, a day after the Taliban warned the media against "biased reporting". 

Newat Rawan was "assassinated by unknown gunmen", Kandahar city police spokesman Jamal Nasir Barekzai told AFP.
He was a popular talk show host with the country's leading broadcaster, Tolo News, before joining the ministry of finance last month as a communications specialist.
-Heartbreaking to hear that a friend and former colleague Nemat Rawan was shot dead in Kandahar city today- Lotfullah Najafizada, head of Tolo News, posted on Twitter.
The Taliban, blamed for a wave of assassinations of journalists in recent months, denied they were behind his murder.
-The assassination of Nemat Rawan... is not linked to the Islamic Emirate- Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said on Twitter, referring to the group by its name from their rule in the 1990s.
On Wednesday, however, a Taliban spokesman warned that media workers who carry out "biased reporting" would be "held responsible".
Rawan, in his 20s, was married and had one three-year-old son.
President Ashraf Ghani said Rawan's murder was a "terrorist attack" by the Taliban.
-The terrorists will not be able to silence freedom of expression and weaken our countrymen's belief in a bright future- he said in a statement.
Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the country's peace council, condemned the Taliban's threat against the media and "any attempts to silence Afghan journalists".
Members of Afghanistan's educated class -- including journalists, activists and judges -- have for months been the target of bombings and shootings, forcing many to go into hiding or leave the country.
The killings have escalated since peace talks began last year between the Afghan government and the Taliban, sparking fears that the insurgents are eliminating perceived opponents as negotiations stall.
At least 11 Afghan journalists were killed in 2020, with four more reportedly murdered this year, according to a recent toll from Amnesty International.
In early March, three female media workers were gunned down in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
Around 1,000 Afghan media workers have left their jobs in the past six months, an Afghan journalists' safety committee said recently.
Afghanistan has long been ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

Newat Rawan was "assassinated by unknown gunmen"

Relatives carry a coffin with the body of Nemat Rawan, a popular Tolo News talkshow host after he was shot dead by gunmen, in Kandahar Provicne on May 6, 2021.

Afghan journalist shot dead day after Taliban warning

Sri Lanka on Thursday became the latest of India's neighbours to seal its borders with the South Asian giant as it battles a record coronavirus surge.

Bangladesh and Nepal have also banned flights and sought to close their borders with India, where a huge rise in numbers in the past three weeks has taken deaths past 230,000 and cases over 21 million.
All three countries are fighting their own pandemic surges, which Red Cross leaders have described as a "human catastrophe".
The Sri Lankan government banned flight passengers from India entering, as the country reported its highest daily toll of 14 deaths and 1,939 infections in 24 hours.
Sri Lanka's navy said it had stepped up patrols to keep away Indian trawlers, adding that on Tuesday it stopped 11 such vessels which had crossed the narrow strip of sea dividing the two neighbours.
Bangladesh halted all international flights on April 14 because of its own surge and shut its border with India on April 26.
It has reported 11,755 Covid-19 deaths and 767,338 cases, but experts say the real figures are higher in all South Asian countries.
Bangladesh has had 10 million vaccine doses from India, but the supply has been halted and the government is now negotiating to get Chinese jabs.
Nepal suspended international flights a week ago, until May 14.
Just two return flights a week are allowed to India, to bring back stranded nationals. Most border crossings are also closed and only returning Nepalis can use those still open.
Many hospitals in Nepal are overflowing with Covid-19 patients, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
-Southern towns near the Indian border are unable to cope with the growing number of people needing medical treatment," it said. "Nepal is recording 57 times more cases than this time last month.-Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan are all experiencing record Covid-19 death rates, it added.
-We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe- said IFRC Asia-Pacific director Alexander Matheou.
-This virus has no respect for borders and these variants are running rampant across Asia.-Even the luxury tourist destination of the Maldives has tightened restrictions for Indian visitors, insisting on negative test results on entry.
India is the largest tourist market for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, both of which now face huge losses from the fast-spreading Covid-19 new wave.
Sri Lanka has reported 117,529 infections with 734 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The Maldives has reported 32,665 cases with 74 deaths.

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal sealed its borders

Sri Lanka has reported 117,529 infections with 734 deaths since the start of the pandemic

India's neighbours close borders over virus rampage

Four activists in Hong Kong were sentenced to jail for participating in a July 4 candlelight vigil last year to commemorate the 1989 Beijing massacre, which the local authorities deemed illegal.

Hong Kong District Court judge Stanley Chan pronounced the sentences against activist Joshua Wong and district councilors Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen, and Jannelle Leung for taking part in the vigil, state-run RTHK News reported.
After pleading guilty, Wong received 10 months behind bars, Shum six months and the two women four months.
The charges were brought against a gathering at Victoria Park last year to commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen massacre in Beijing in 1989. Chan observed there had been a “potential risk of violence breaking out at the event.”
The case also involves 22 other activists. They are scheduled to appear in court next month. Nathan Law and Sunny Cheung, two of them, have fled Hong Kong.
For the first time ever, authorities refused to grant permission for the annual candlelight vigil, citing the pandemic.
Chan said the four accused were “political figures” who uploaded photos on social media “showing they were taking part” dismissing arguments that the defendants “only played a passive role in the vigil.”
Last month, Wong was sentenced to jail for four months another unauthorized assembly on October 5, 2019.
The court ruled that Wong’s new prison sentence will be served after the four-month term comes to an end.
Wong, Shum, and Yuen are also accused of breaching the national security law by holding primary polls to select Legco candidates, and they were already behind bars awaiting trial.
Hong Kong was rocked by anti-government protests in 2019 in response to the now-banned extradition bill. As a result, Beijing enacted a contentious national security law in July of last year, which drew widespread criticism.

They were charged with 'illegally' gathering on July 4 last year to commemorate 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square in Beijing

Hong Kong jails 4 activists, councilors

Two Palestinians were arrested and ten people injured in clashes in east Jerusalem, according to Israeli police and the Palestinian Red Crescent. 

The confrontations on Monday evening came as Palestinian families face eviction, part of an ongoing effort by Jewish Israelis to take control of homes in the in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. 
Israeli police and border police arrived "after a protest including dozens of protesters who disturbed the order" according to the police, who said demonstrators threw stones and bottles at security forces and blocked traffic. 
Police said they gave protesters "a reasonable time" to leave the "unlawful protest" before they dispersed the demonstration. 
An AFP reporter saw Palestinians singing songs and defying the order to disperse. Officers ended the demonstration with mounted police and foul-smelling water. 
The Red Crescent said three of the injured were hospitalised. 
Sheikh Jarrah is in east Jerusalem, which Israel conquered in 1967 and annexed in a move not recognised by most of the international community.
Israeli Jews backed by courts have taken over houses in Sheikh Jarrah on the grounds that Jewish families lived there before fleeing in Israel's 1948 war for independence. 
No such protection exists for Palestinians who lost their land. 
Now Jewish claimants seek to evict a total of 58 more Palestinians, according to the watchdog group Peace Now. Israel's Supreme Court is set to announce a decision for four of those families on Thursday.
Jordan has intervened, saying that when it administered the area from 1948 to 1967, it built the homes for Palestinian refugees who fled their homes in what became Israel. 
Opponents of the evictions have gathered regularly in the neighbourhood, including a Jewish Israeli lawmaker who last month was filmed being beaten by police. 
Sheikh Jarrah is a short walk from the Old City's Damascus Gate, a plaza popular with Palestinians especially during the fasting month of Ramadan.
The latest protests follow days of clashes after Israeli police blocked the plaza.
Police quelled those protests with stun grenades, water cannons and skunk water before ultimately removing the barriers.

Police said they gave protesters "a reasonable time" to leave the "unlawful protest" before they dispersed the demonstration

Israeli settlers in Sheikh Jarrah reacting as Palestinian and Israeli activists chant slogans in east Jerusalem on April 16, 2021.

Two arrested at protest over Jerusalem evictions

Facebook's independent oversight board said it would issue its final ruling on whether to leave in place a ban on former US president Donald Trump, who was removed from the platform for inciting violence.

A statement Monday from the panel said the ruling would come at around 1300 GMT on Wednesday, to be followed by a news conference.
The Trump ban came as several online platforms removed the social media-savvy leader over comments interpreted as encouraging the rioters who took over the US Capitol on January 6 in a deadly rampage.
While many applauded the Trump ban, some political leaders and analysts have expressed concern over important platforms unilaterally removing important voices in political discourse.
Both Facebook and Twitter argued that Trump was banned for violating platform rules, after a long period of allowing exceptions because his comments were seen as newsworthy.
An extended public comment period ended in February with more than 9,000 submissions regarding the case, according to the board.
The social network itself asked the independent body to review Trump's eviction from the online community.
The oversight board has the final say on what is removed or allowed to remain on the world's biggest social network.
Trump's access to social media platforms that he used as a megaphone during his presidency has been largely cut off since the Capitol riot.

Ban came as several online platforms removed the social media-savvy leader over comments interpreted as encouraging the rioters who took over the US Capitol on January 6 in a deadly rampage

Facebook oversight board set to rule on Trump ban

Foreign ministers of the G7 rich countries gather in London on Monday for their first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with British host Dominic Raab opening with talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The week is billed by Britain, which holds the group's rotating presidency, as a chance to reassert the West's influence and address issues such as the coronavirus recovery, climate change and how to deal with China and Russia.
The ministers will lay groundwork for U.S. President Joe Biden's first scheduled trip abroad since taking office: a G7 summit in Britain next month meant to revive cooperation with traditional allies after years of friction under Donald Trump.
In addition to the G7 members Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, Britain has also invited ministers from Australia, India, South Africa and South Korea this week. Meetings will kick off with dinner on Monday evening.

Before that, Raab and Blinken will meet to discuss shared goals. Britain is keen to capitalise on Biden's willingness to re-engage with global efforts to fight climate change, and to restore a nuclear deal with Iran repudiated by Trump.

Raab said on Sunday the G7 would look at a proposal to build a rapid response mechanism to counter Russian disinformation, and, in a reference to China, spoke of the need to stand up for open markets and democracy. read more
-On all of these areas we want to be absolutely firm, and standing shoulder to shoulder not just with Americans, as important as they are, but also with our wider allies - that's why the G7 is so important- Raab said.
Raab and Blinken are also expected to discuss ongoing trade talks with the United States as Britain seeks a so-far elusive deal, touted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as one of the biggest opportunities opened by quitting the European Union.

They also invited ministers from Australia, India, South Africa and South Korea

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong during a bilateral meeting as part of the G7 foreign ministers meeting, in London, Britain May 3, 2021.

Britain hosts first G7 foreign ministers meeting since start of pandemic

At least 20 security forces were killed in a major Taliban attack on a military station in Afghanistan's western Farah province bordering Iran, local officials confirmed on Monday.
The onslaught was staged by the Taliban on Sunday evening in the restive Bala Bulok district, members of the provincial council said.
Dad Ullah, a council member, said the Taliban set fire to the military station after killing the soldiers stationed there.
Local Salam Afghanistan radio quoted a number of other local officials saying that the insurgents dug a tunnel up to this military facility to sneak in and kill the security forces in the night.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said in a statement that “12 Taliban terrorists were killed and 18 others were wounded during commandos’ operation and airstrike in Bala Bulok district of Farah province.” It did not provide further details of the attacks or the casualties sustained by the Afghan forces.
The Taliban did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack. However, they claimed responsibility for a series of major deadly attacks on Afghan forces in northern Baghlan and eastern Nangarhar provinces on Monday.
The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a tweet took responsibility for the killing of Piram Qul, the deputy head of the Junbish-e-Mili Afghanistan party led by former Vice President Abdul Rasheed Dostum, on Saturday evening in the northeasternTakhar province.
Afghanistan has been witnessing flared-up violence across the country with the announcement of the withdrawal of all foreign troops by September 2021.
According to local broadcaster Tolo News, up to 49 soldiers and civilians are killed every day in the Taliban attacks after the announcement on April 14.

12 Taliban insurgents killed, 18 in Bala Bulok district of Farah province, Defense Ministry says

The onslaught was staged by the Taliban on Sunday evening in the restive Bala Bulok district, members of the provincial council said

Taliban kill 20 Afghan troops, military post set afire

At least 26 people were killed when a speedboat packed with passengers collided with a vessel transporting sand on Monday in the latest maritime disaster to hit Bangladesh.

Police said the speedboat carrying about three dozen passengers from the town of Mawa rammed into the other vessel in the Padma river as it neared the main river station in the central rural town of Shibchar.
-We have so far recovered 26 bodies including a woman. We have also rescued five injured people including three children- police official Amir Hossain told AFP.
Hossain said the bow of the passenger boat was destroyed when the speedboat smashed into the side of the transport vessel, sinking in the river in minutes.
-Police, the fire brigade and army rescue teams are on the spot, conducting search and rescue work- he said.
Witness Abdur Rahman said there was a loud noise when the boats collided and the vessels then overturned.
-When we rushed to the spot we found the speedboat torn into two pieces. Hundreds of villagers immediately started conducting rescue work before they were joined by police and the fire brigade- he said.
Bangladesh is building the country's largest road and railway bridge near the accident spot and police said officers were immediately at the scene.
Construction work has slowed ferry transport on the river, prompting many to take the journey on less safe speedboats, which take only about 15 minutes to make the crossing in contrast to up to two hours on safer ferries.
The government administrator of Shibchar district said up to five people were believed to be missing.
He said the driver of the speedboat would be investigated as he appeared to have hit the transport vessel, which was moored at the time.
-A probe has been ordered into the accident- he said.
Maritime accidents are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers. 
Experts blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for many of the accidents.
Vessels transporting sand sit low in the water and can be hard to see in choppy conditions, particularly when light is poor.
In early April, more than 30 people died when a packed ferry with around 50 passengers hurrying home from the central city of Narayanganj ahead of an impending coronavirus lockdown collided with a larger cargo vessel.
In June last year, a ferry sank in Dhaka after it was hit from behind by another ferry, killing at least 32 people.
In February 2015, at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo boat.

Maritime accidents are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers

Bangladesh is building the country's largest road and railway bridge near the accident spot and police said officers were immediately at the scene

26 killed in Bangladesh boat accident

NATO has started the withdrawal of its mission from Afghanistan following a decision by President Joe Biden to bring US forces home, an alliance official said Thursday. 

-NATO Allies decided in mid-April to start the withdrawal of Resolute Support Mission forces by May 1 and this withdrawal has begun. This will be an orderly, coordinated, and deliberate process- a NATO official told AFP. 
Members of the US-backed alliance agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington's longest war.
The decision -- which delayed by several months a deadline agreed by former US leader Donald Trump -- came despite fears it could allow the Taliban to regain power in the country.
The NATO official said the safety of the alliance's troops "will be a top priority every step of the way, and we are taking all necessary measures to keep our personnel from harm". 
-Any Taliban attacks during the withdrawal will be met with a forceful response. We plan to have our withdrawal completed within a few months- the official said, refusing to give any further details on the timeline. 
Biden said the US withdrawal would be completed by September 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America that sparked its military involvement in Afghanistan. 
Germany's defence ministry has said it plans to get its 1,300 troops out of the country by early July. 
NATO's training and support mission, which includes some 2,500 US troops and relies heavily on Washington's military assets, has personnel from 36 alliance member nations and partner countries.
The US has said it is temporarily deploying extra troops to protect international forces as they withdraw and has prolonged the presence of an aircraft carrier in the region to support the pull-out.&nbsp;

Members of the US-backed alliance agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington's longest war

US, NATO, and Afghan commando forces at a checkpoint during a patrol against ISIS militants at the Deh Bala district in the eastern province of Nangarhar Province.

NATO says Afghanistan withdrawal has begun

At least one person died and 18 others were wounded after clashes erupted on Thursday between the militaries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at a disputed section of the Central Asian nations' border.

Kyrgyzstan's health ministry said in a statement that there were 17 casualties in the clashes, including "one fatality". 
Tajikistan's security committee said two of its citizens had been injured, with one in serious condition. 
The fighting followed a reported conflict over water infrastructure at the frontier between the two countries, which have had a series of border disputes since gaining independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
More than a third of the border is disputed, with the area surrounding the de-facto Tajik exclave of Vorukh, where Thursday's conflict erupted, a regular point of clashes over territory and access to water.
Kyrgyzstan's national security committee said that the Tajik side "deliberately provoked a conflict" at the border.
-Shooting has begun between the military units of the (two countries). According to preliminary information, the Tajik side is setting up positions for mortar fire- the committee said.
Tajikistan's security committee accused Kyrgyz servicemen of "opening fire on Tajik troops at the site of the Golovnaya water distribution point, located in the upper reaches of the Isfara River." 
Its national security committee said two people had been admitted to hospital with gunshot wounds, one of whom was in a serious condition. 
It said Kyrgyz and Tajik civilians had on Wednesday become embroiled in a conflict over river infrastructure. 
Seven Tajik nationals were injured after Kyrgyz threw stones at them, it said. 
Border disagreements between the three countries that share the fertile Fergana Valley -- Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- have their roots in border demarcations during the Soviet Union. 
The knotting, twisting frontiers left several communities with restricted access to their home countries.

At least one person died and 18 others were wounded

The fighting followed a reported conflict over water infrastructure at the frontier between the two countries

Thailand seeking 'humanitarian' solution for detained Myanmar journalists

Sadiq Khan re-elected London mayor

Russia condemns Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem

China says 'extremely low' risk of damage on Earth from rocket re-entry

US calls on Hong Kong to release Tiananmen vigil activists

Pope hails 'tireless' work of India medics

Afghan journalist shot dead day after Taliban warning

India's neighbours close borders over virus rampage

Hong Kong jails 4 activists, councilors

Two arrested at protest over Jerusalem evictions

Facebook oversight board set to rule on Trump ban

Britain hosts first G7 foreign ministers meeting since start of pandemic

Taliban kill 20 Afghan troops, military post set afire

26 killed in Bangladesh boat accident

NATO says Afghanistan withdrawal has begun

Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan armies exchange fire on disputed border

World

Thailand seeking 'humanitarian' solution for detained Myanmar journalists

Sadiq Khan re-elected London mayor

Russia condemns Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem

China says 'extremely low' risk of damage on Earth from rocket re-entry

US calls on Hong Kong to release Tiananmen vigil activists

Pope hails 'tireless' work of India medics

Afghan journalist shot dead day after Taliban warning

India's neighbours close borders over virus rampage

Hong Kong jails 4 activists, councilors

Two arrested at protest over Jerusalem evictions

Facebook oversight board set to rule on Trump ban

Britain hosts first G7 foreign ministers meeting since start of pandemic

Taliban kill 20 Afghan troops, military post set afire

26 killed in Bangladesh boat accident

NATO says Afghanistan withdrawal has begun

Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan armies exchange fire on disputed border