By Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein London, Jun 27 (IPS) – “Earlier this month, Britain’s Prime Minister called for human rights laws to be overturned if they were to “get in the way” in the fight against terrorism. Specifically, Theresa May…
Month: June 2017
A nonviolent strategy to defeat genocide
Robert J. Burrowes It is a tragic measure of the depravity of human existence that genocide is a continuing and prevalent manifestation of violence in the international system, despite the effort following World War II to abolish it through negotiation,…
Reporter seeks justice for ‘white van’ torture in Sri Lanka
Colombo — The sight of a white van still haunts Poddala Jayantha, a Sri Lankan journalist exiled in the U.S. –AP/UNB
No Hasina-led supportive govt: BNP
Dhaka – BNP on Wednesday sharply reacted to Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader’s comment that election-time supportive government will be formed under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, saying it is a hint to push the country towards a grave danger.…
Actor Nazmul Huda passes away
Dhaka – Prominent film and television actor Nazmul Huda Bachchu passed away at a city hospital early Wednesday. He was 78. -UNB
Malinga suspended 1-year ban for media remarks
Colombo, Jun 28 (AP/UNB)- Lasith Malinga received a suspended one-year cricket ban after the fast bowler pleaded guilty to a charge of speaking to the media without permission, Sri Lanka’s cricket board said Tuesday.
3 killed as bus overturns in Khagrachhari
Dhaka, June 28 – At least three people were killed and 15 others injured on Wednesday as a Chittagong-bound bus overturned after hitting a roadside tree in Kalapani area of Guimara upazila in the hill district of Khagrachhari on southeast…
The high cost of ageing
By Veena S. Kulkarni, Vani S. Kulkarni and Raghav Gaiha New Delhi, June 23 (IPS) – Evidence shows that health systems must be recast to accommodate the needs of chronic disease prevention.
Spotlight on women migrant workers
By Roshni Majumdar UN, Jun 24 (IPS) – Migrant workers, and their economic contribution to the development of both the country of origin and the host country, have caught the eye of governments and policymakers worldwide.
Can new protections save Dhaka’s dying rivers?
Experts and environmentalists have criticised Bangladesh’s environment agency for its decision to declare four dying rivers around Dhaka as ecologically critical areas (ECAs).
Global ransomware attack causes turmoil
Companies across the globe are reporting that they have been struck by a major ransomware cyber-attack. British advertising agency WPP is among those to say its IT systems have been disrupted as a consequence.
LDP leader’s house vandalised in Laxmipur, 10 hurt
Laxmipur – The residence of the joint secretary general of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was allegedly vandalised by Jubo League activists in Ramganj of the district on Tuesday night. -UNB
Helicopter ‘attack’ on Venezuela Supreme Court
Venezuela’s Supreme Court has been attacked by grenades dropped from a helicopter in what President Nicolás Maduro called a “terrorist attack”.
Maduro says helicopter fired on Venezuela’s Supreme Court
Caracas – President Nicolas Maduro said a police helicopter fired on Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Tuesday in a confusing incident that he called a thwarted “terrorist attack” aimed at ousting him from power. -AP/UNB
“Torture works” — in all the wrong ways
By Victor Madrigal-Borloz Copenhagen, June (IPS) – “Torture works” might rank among the most sweeping generalisations ever uttered, one brutal in its disregard of the pain and suffering created by this abhorrent practice. Indeed, torture works, but to all the…
Any way to help slow down climate change… individually?
By IPS World Desk Rome, June 27 (IPS) – It is no secret that the biggest responsible for climate change is greed. The greed of the world’s largest private corporations, which blindly seek unlimited high financial benefits. And the greed…
Don’t ‘normalize’ emergency powers: HRW tells France
Paris – The French government’s new counterterrorism bill would move some overly broad emergency powers into normal criminal and administrative law without adequate judicial safeguards Human Rights Watch said today.
Chimps’ strength secrets explained
By Paul Rincon The greater strength of chimpanzees, relative to humans, may have been explained by American scientists. A study suggests the difference is mostly due to a higher proportion in chimps of a muscle fibre type involved in powerful,…
‘Global sea level rise accelerates since 1990’
The rise in global sea levels has accelerated since the 1990s amid rising temperatures, with a thaw of Greenland’s ice sheet pouring ever more water into the oceans, scientists said on Monday.
Abduction drama of ex-BCL Ctg leader
Chittagong, June 27 – Unfolding an abduction drama, police found a former Bangladesh Chhatra League leader at a residential hotel of Patenga in the city on Monday night while he was hiding there.
Border Guard BD man goes missing in the Teesta
Dhaka, June 27 – A member of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) went missing in the Teesta River in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat early Tuesday while chasing smugglers.
Army to work as per Constt in next polls: Obaidul
Comilla, June 27 – Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quaderon Tuesdaysaid the next general election will be held under the Election Commission’s supervision and the Army will perform their duties as per the constitution.
4 missing while swimming in Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar
Dhaka, June 27 – In separate incidents, four student tourists went missing in Moinot Ghat in Dohar of Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach on Tuesday.
Nazrul exponent Sudhin Das is no more
Dhaka, Jun 27 – Prominent Nazrul exponent Sudhin Das passed away at a city hospital on Tuesday. He was 87. The singer breathed his last at Apollo Hospitals Ltd around 8:20 pm, said family sources.
PM’s assertion on development ‘hollow’: BNP
Dhaka, June 27 – BNP on Tuesday termed ‘hollow’ Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s remarks that the country is marching towards progress and that it regained its lost dignity.
Socially owned news media must for objective journalism
Mostafa Kamal Majumder A young journalist colleague told me the other day he would make no mistake in aligning himself with either of the two major political parties in Bangladesh because he has seen and is by now ‘sure that…
Global pact on environmental rights to be presented to UN
PARIS, June (BSS/AFP) – Hollywood star turned activist Arnold Schwarzenegger joined politicians and legal experts in Paris Saturday to launch a campaign for a global pact to protect the human right to a clean, healthy environment. French President Emmanuel Macron…
Chinese troops intrude into India’s Sikkim – sent back
Chinese troops crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Indian state of Sikkim in early June , smashed two bunkers before they were stopped by Indian soldiers, military officials said on Monday, bdnews24.com reported on Tuesday.
Trump, Modi exchange hugs as US calls Pak ‘global terrorist’
Washington, Jun 27 (AP/UNB) – Hugging outside the White House Monday, President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi heralded an increasingly close strategic partnership as the U.S. branded Pakistan as a “global terrorist.”
Water-sanitation for all: 4 pol errors to avoid
by Nathaniel Mason Eliminating inequality is integral to the Sustainable Development Goals, from ‘universal access’ to water, to ending poverty ‘everywhere’. Yet in a world where the politics of who gets what is increasingly polarised, leaving no-one behind is fundamentally…