Yunus’ UN visit sparks BNP-AL face off in New York

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, arriving in New York Monday afternoon to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly but his visit has ignited a fierce political face-off between supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League (AL), turning the Big Apple into a battleground of rival rallies, protests, and counter-programmes. Tensions flared Sunday night at Drive City Plaza in Jackson Heights, where a scuffle erupted between activists from the two camps as they jostled for space and visibility ahead of Yunus’s arrival. The incident foreshadowed what promises to be a politically charged week in the heart of Manhattan. Dr Yunus departed Dhaka aboard an Emirates flight at 1:40 am...