Bangladesh’s liquor industry a surprising success

Syrupy aromas drift across the guarded compound of Bangladesh’s only licensed distillery, a state-owned producer posting record profits in the Muslim-majority nation, where Islamists are staging a political comeback.That’s a surprising success in a country where the vast majority of its 170 million people are barred from buying its products.Alcohol is tightly regulated in Bangladesh, the world’s fourth most populous Muslim nation.Carew and Co, established under British rule 87 years ago, produced $10 million in profit in 2024–25, and paid the same again in taxes, said managing director Rabbik Hasan.”This is the highest profit since the company’s establishment,” Hasan told AFP. “We expect further growth in the coming year.”Bangladesh has faced turbulent times.A mass uprising in August 2024 ousted the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina, who had been criticised for extensive human rights abuses and had taken a hard line against Islamist movements during her 15-year rule.Since she fled to India — defying extradition orders to attend her crimes against humanity trial — Islamist groups have grown increasingly assertive.Alcohol, forbidden under Islam, has escaped their condemnation, but they have demanded restrictions on cultural activities they consider “anti-Islamic” —  including music and theatre festivals, women’s football matches, and kite-flying celebrations.An interim government is leading the South Asian nation towards elections expected in February 2026.But at the sprawling Darsana facility near the Indian border, humming machines fill bottles.Carew’s popular brands range from the golden-hued “Imperial Whisky” to “Tsarina Vodka”, distilled from sugarcane with flavourings imported from the Netherlands.”We never encourage anyone to drink — we only sell to those who already do,” Hassan added.- ‘Zero doubt’ -Buying an alcoholic drink in Bangladesh requires a government permit, issued only to those aged over 21, and mainly granted to non-Muslims, who require a medical prescription.”Alcohol is forbidden,” said Hasan Maruf, director general of the Department of Narcotics Control, but added that “exemptions exist for certain communities”.That includes foreigners and workers on the country’s tea estates, where Carew’s low-cost liquor is popular among the 150,000 mainly Hindu workers.Around 10 percent of Bangladeshi are not Muslims, mainly Hindus.This year, only the company’s sugar division suffered losses — with its mills also producing fertiliser, vinegar, and industrial alcohol.Carew provides the only source of regulated liquor — alongside a separate brewery producing Hunter, Bangladesh’s only beer, owned by the Jamuna Group conglomerate.Those are reliable products in a country where illegal moonshine stills — or the dangerous adulteration of imported liquor — has been a persistent problem.Fish trader Prince Mamun, 42, said he has been drinking Carew for two decades. “It’s cheaper and safer than imported brands,” he said, adding that he holds a permit and drinks about 20 days a month.”I drink Carew products with zero doubt.”Shah Alam, a devout Muslim and 38-year employee in the bottling unit, has never tasted the products.Yet he praises the distillery for its contributions to the local community, from education to employment.”I don’t drink anything from here, nor am I involved with the selling,” Alam, 59, said. “All I am doing here is my job.”

Bangladesh’s liquor industry a surprising success

Syrupy aromas drift across the guarded compound of Bangladesh’s only licensed distillery, a state-owned producer posting record profits in the Muslim-majority nation, where Islamists are staging a political comeback.That’s a surprising success in a country where the vast majority of its 170 million people are barred from buying its products.Alcohol is tightly regulated in Bangladesh, the world’s fourth most populous Muslim nation.Carew and Co, established under British rule 87 years ago, produced $10 million in profit in 2024–25, and paid the same again in taxes, said managing director Rabbik Hasan.”This is the highest profit since the company’s establishment,” Hasan told AFP. “We expect further growth in the coming year.”Bangladesh has faced turbulent times.A mass uprising in August 2024 ousted the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina, who had been criticised for extensive human rights abuses and had taken a hard line against Islamist movements during her 15-year rule.Since she fled to India — defying extradition orders to attend her crimes against humanity trial — Islamist groups have grown increasingly assertive.Alcohol, forbidden under Islam, has escaped their condemnation, but they have demanded restrictions on cultural activities they consider “anti-Islamic” —  including music and theatre festivals, women’s football matches, and kite-flying celebrations.An interim government is leading the South Asian nation towards elections expected in February 2026.But at the sprawling Darsana facility near the Indian border, humming machines fill bottles.Carew’s popular brands range from the golden-hued “Imperial Whisky” to “Tsarina Vodka”, distilled from sugarcane with flavourings imported from the Netherlands.”We never encourage anyone to drink — we only sell to those who already do,” Hassan added.- ‘Zero doubt’ -Buying an alcoholic drink in Bangladesh requires a government permit, issued only to those aged over 21, and mainly granted to non-Muslims, who require a medical prescription.”Alcohol is forbidden,” said Hasan Maruf, director general of the Department of Narcotics Control, but added that “exemptions exist for certain communities”.That includes foreigners and workers on the country’s tea estates, where Carew’s low-cost liquor is popular among the 150,000 mainly Hindu workers.Around 10 percent of Bangladeshi are not Muslims, mainly Hindus.This year, only the company’s sugar division suffered losses — with its mills also producing fertiliser, vinegar, and industrial alcohol.Carew provides the only source of regulated liquor — alongside a separate brewery producing Hunter, Bangladesh’s only beer, owned by the Jamuna Group conglomerate.Those are reliable products in a country where illegal moonshine stills — or the dangerous adulteration of imported liquor — has been a persistent problem.Fish trader Prince Mamun, 42, said he has been drinking Carew for two decades. “It’s cheaper and safer than imported brands,” he said, adding that he holds a permit and drinks about 20 days a month.”I drink Carew products with zero doubt.”Shah Alam, a devout Muslim and 38-year employee in the bottling unit, has never tasted the products.Yet he praises the distillery for its contributions to the local community, from education to employment.”I don’t drink anything from here, nor am I involved with the selling,” Alam, 59, said. “All I am doing here is my job.”

Arrival of US aircraft carrier fuels Venezuelan fears of attack

A US aircraft carrier strike group arrived in Latin America Tuesday, escalating a military buildup Venezuela has warned could trigger a full-blown conflict as it announced its own “massive” deployment.The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, entered an area under control of the US Naval Forces Southern Command, which encompasses Latin America and the Caribbean, the command said in a statement.The vessel’s deployment was ordered nearly three weeks ago, with the stated goal of helping to counter drug trafficking in the region.Its presence “will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.President Donald Trump’s administration is conducting a military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, deploying naval and air forces for an anti-drugs offensive.Caracas fears the deployment, which also includes F-35 stealth warplanes sent to Puerto Rico and six US Navy ships in the Caribbean, is a regime change plot in disguise.President Nicolas Maduro, whose last two reelections were dismissed as fraudulent by Washington and dozens of other countries, has accused the Trump administration of “fabricating a war.””If we as a republic, as a people, go into an armed struggle in order to defend the sacred legacy of the liberators, we’re ready to win,” Maduro said Tuesday.On November 2, Trump played down the prospect of going to war with Venezuela but said the days of Maduro — whom he accuses of being a drug lord — were numbered.US forces have carried out strikes on about 20 vessels in international waters in the region since early September, killing at least 76 people, according to US figures.In response to these strikes, Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the suspension of his country’s intel exchange with Washington on Tuesday, a pause which “will remain in force as long as the missile attacks on boats continue,” he said in a post on X.The Trump administration says the United States is engaged in “armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, which it describes as “terrorist” groups.Washington has not provided any evidence the stricken vessels were used to smuggle drugs, and human rights experts say the attacks amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers.- ‘Unacceptable’ -Venezuela announced Tuesday what it called a major, nationwide military deployment to counter the US naval presence off its coast.The defense ministry in Caracas spoke in a statement of a “massive deployment” of land, sea, air, river and missile forces as well as civilian militia to counter “imperial threats.” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said 200,000 troops participated in an exercise, though no military activity was observed in the capital Caracas.Padrino sought to assure Venezuelans the country was “safeguarded, protected, defended.””They are murdering defenseless people, whether or not they are drug traffickers, executing them without due process,” the minister added of the US operation.Experts have told AFP that Venezuela, with an ill-disciplined fighting force and outdated arsenal, would be at a serious disadvantage in a military standoff with the United States.On Tuesday, Russia denounced US strikes on boats from Venezuela — an ally of Moscow — as “unacceptable.””This is how, in general, lawless countries act, as well as those who consider themselves above the law,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in televised remarks, questioning what he described as a “pretext of fighting drugs.”Maduro relies heavily on the Kremlin for political and economic support. US-Russia relations have soured in recent weeks as Trump has voiced frustration with Moscow over the lack of a resolution to the Ukraine war.The United Kingdom, meanwhile, would not comment Tuesday on a CNN report that it had stopped sharing intelligence with the United States about suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean.A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters in London: “We don’t comment on security or intelligence matters.”He underlined that “the US is our closest partner on defense, security, intelligence,” and would not be drawn on reported UK concerns about the strikes.”Decisions on this are a matter for the US,” the spokesman said.burs-mlr/jgc/sla

Nepal’s war victims watch political changes with fragile hope

When families of those killed in Nepal’s deadly September protests that toppled the government demanded justice, the anguish felt painfully familiar to Sunamati Chaudhari.Her husband, an English teacher, was taken by security forces 22 years ago at the height of a decade-long civil war. He never returned.Chaudhari, 62, has been searching for the truth about her husband’s disappearance ever since.”We left no stone unturned in search of my husband. We went to court, sought help of many organisations — and even reached Geneva,” she told AFP, referring to her bid to seek help from the United Nations. “But nothing happened.”She is among the thousands of relatives waiting for closure since a 2006 peace deal ended a conflict in which more than 16,000 people were killed and 1,400 remain missing.Abuses were committed by both Maoist rebels and state forces.”I would dream of him every night,” Chaudhari said.Justice has been glacial in the Himalayan nation.Nepal’s authorities have long been criticised for failing to adequately probe wartime abuses.Two transitional justice commissions set up in 2015 have yet to resolve a single case, despite receiving more than 65,000 complaints of rape, murder and enforced disappearances.- ‘Culture of impunity’ -Nepal is now reeling from fresh political upheaval.Youth-led demonstrations against a social media ban, worsening economic woes and corruption erupted nationwide in September, leaving at least 76 people dead in a violent crackdown.Parliament, courts and civil service buildings were torched, and the government collapsed.Former chief justice Sushila Karki, 73, was named interim prime minister to steer Nepal until elections in March 2026.For many families still haunted by the civil war, the political shake-up has stirred a fragile mix of hope and anxiety.Preeti Tharu, 22, whose father was abducted by rebels before she was born, fears history will repeat itself.”The previous government only showed assurances,” she said. “And I know, with this changing situation, the state’s priority might be something else.”Gita Rasaili, who heads the Conflict Victim Women National Network, said she hoped they could find common cause with the new generation demanding government action.”We worried that our agenda was over, because there are now new victims’ families and new martyrs,” she told AFP.”But we are all fighting against a culture of impunity.”- ‘Volatile’ -In August, before the uprising, families gathered to mark the International Day of the Disappeared at a new memorial park in western Nepal’s Bardiya district.Families of some of the 258 missing people from the district planted trees and lit candles.Park coordinator Niranjan Kumar Chaudhari, whose father was taken away by the army, said the new crop of politicians in the interim government were among the few who had taken action to support their cause.”The current prime minister and home minister are both advocates for victims of war crimes,” Chaudhari said.”But the political situation is volatile.”It was under Karki’s watch as chief justice that a court in 2017 sentenced three soldiers to 20 years in jail for the murder of a teenage girl.At the time, it was only the second conviction for crimes committed during the war.The Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons says its work will continue regardless of the political situation.”We have received 2,610 complaints so far,” said commission chief Lila Devi Gadtaula, who aims to complete investigations within four years, with progress slowed by limited forensic resources.But for families like Chaudhari’s, time has already run out.In July, she and her two sons performed her husband’s death rites.”It’s already too late,” she said. “Many prime ministers have come and gone, but nobody addressed our problem.”

Arizona Democrat needed to force vote on Epstein files to be sworn-in

After weeks of delay, congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva will be sworn into the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, where the Arizona Democrat is expected to force a vote on the release of the Epstein files.Democrats who have been demanding the release of investigative files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein gained Grijalva’s crucial vote when she won her seat in Arizona on September 23, but she was not sworn in before the federal government shutdown began October 1.On October 9, Grijalva accused House Speaker Mike Johnson — a close ally of US President Donald Trump — of “delaying my swearing in to avoid releasing the Epstein files,” she said in a post on X.”After seven weeks of waiting, I almost can’t believe it’s true,” Grijalva said in a video posted to X on Monday, confirming her plans to travel to DC and join Congress. Once sworn in, Grijalva has pledged to join a bipartisan effort in Congress to force a vote on ordering the US Justice Department to publicly release the investigative files related to Epstein, who died in custody before his trial on new sex trafficking charges.At a news conference Tuesday, US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Grijalva had not been sworn in sooner “because Republicans are running a pedophile protection program. They are intentionally hiding the Jeffrey Epstein files.” Jeffries added that Grijalva’s first act would be to sign a discharge petition to give Americans “the transparency they deserve.”Grijalva beat Republican Daniel Butierez with nearly 69 percent of the vote in Arizona’s 7th congressional district in a special election to fill the seat vacated after her father, congressman Raul Grijalva, died in March 2025.Earlier this year, a congressional panel investigating Epstein’s sex crimes released a lewd birthday letter that Trump allegedly sent to Epstein in 2003, which the president and White House have refuted.Epstein, a wealthy financier with powerful connections including Trump and other international leaders, was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls.

Trump claims ‘very big victory’ as shutdown vote nears

President Donald Trump declared victory on Tuesday as an effort to end the longest-ever US government shutdown headed to a final vote and rival Democrats tore themselves apart over the deal.The House of Representatives is set to vote on Wednesday on a spending bill to solve the six-week standoff, after eight Democrats broke ranks in the Senate on Monday to side with Trump’s Republicans.During a Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump broke off to congratulate Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.”Congratulations to you and to John and to everybody on a very big victory,” Trump said as he spotted Johnson in the audience.”We’re opening up our country — it should have never been closed,” added Trump, bucking US presidential tradition by using a ceremonial event to score political points.Trump said later he expected the Republican-controlled House to approve the bill to fund the government through January. “Only people that hate our country want to see it not open,” he told ESPN.- ‘Serious calculations’ -Top Democrats have vowed to oppose the bill to fund the government but it is likely to pass the House as it only needs a simple majority, which Republicans narrowly have.From the start, Trump had piled pressure on Democrats by letting the shutdown be as punishing as possible and refusing to negotiate on their demands on health insurance.A million federal workers went unpaid, food benefits for low-income Americans came under threat and air travelers faced thousands of cancelations and delays ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Tuesday that the chaos could get worse by the weekend if the shutdown persists, with air traffic controllers unable to be paid.”You’re going to have airlines that make serious calculations about whether they continue to fly, full stop,” Duffy told reporters at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Polls have showed that voters increasingly blamed Trump’s party as the shutdown dragged on past its 40th day.But it was the Democrats who caved and gave Republicans the extra votes they needed under Senate rules on Monday, without securing the concessions they wanted.- Democrat rift -The deal has split Democrats, with many senior figures saying they should have held out for the extension of health insurance subsidies at the heart of the shutdown battle.”Pathetic,” California Governor Gavin Newsom, widely seen as a Democratic presidential frontrunner in 2028, posted on X.Despite opposing the bill vocally and voting against it, Democratic Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer has faced calls from some lawmakers to step down for failing to corral his senators.For Democrats, the wavering was especially galling as it came just days after election wins that put Trump on the back foot for the first time since his return to the White House.Democratic wins in New York City, New Jersey and Virginia in particular highlighted the issue of affordability, a weak spot for billionaire Trump and the Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.But Senate Republicans have promised Democrats a vote on health insurance, with millions of Americans set to see their “Obamacare” costs double without an extension of the subsidies.The healthcare issue has itself threatened to cause a rift in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” coalition.On Monday, Trump said one-time ally Marjorie Taylor Greene had “lost her way” after the lawmaker made critical comments, including that she was “disgusted” that premiums could double for her own grown-up children.

Monumental art displayed in shade of Egypt’s pyramids

Installations by renowned international artists including Italy’s Michelangelo Pistoletto and Portugal’s Alexandre Farto have been erected in the sand under the great pyramids of Giza outside Cairo. The fifth edition of the contemporary art exhibition “Forever is Now” is due to run to December 6.The 92-year-old Pistoletto’s most famous work, Il Terzo Paradiso, comprises a three-metre-tall mirrored obelisk and a series of blocks tracing out the mathematical symbol for infinity in the sand.”We have done more than 2,000 events all around the world, on five continents, in 60 nations,” said Francesco Saverio Teruzzi, construction coordinator in Pistoletto’s team. “There is an estimate that it’s more or less five million people reached by the message of the Third Paradise.” The Franco-Beninese artist King Houndekpinkou presented “White Totem of Light”, a column composed of ceramic fragments recovered from a factory in Cairo. “It’s an incredible opportunity to converse with 4,500 years — or even more — of history,” he told AFP.South Korean artist Jongkyu Park used the measurements of the Great Pyramid of Giza to create the geometric structures of his installation “Code of the Eternal”. A thousand small cylindrical acrylic mirrors planted in the sand compose a Morse code poem imagining a dialogue between Tangun, the legendary founder of the first Korean kingdom, and an Egyptian pharaoh. Farto, better known as Vhils, collected doors in Cairo and elsewhere in the world for a bricolage intended to evoke the archaeological process.Six other artists, including Turkey’s Mert Ege Kose, Lebanon’s Nadim Karam, Brazil’s Ana Ferrari, Egypt’s Salha Al-Masry and the Russian collective “Recycle Group”, are also taking part.