Organisers of Berlin’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are to set up a “safe zone” for women for the first time. The new security measures planned for the Brandenburg Gate party come amid concerns about sexual assaults. A large number of…
Author: editor
Gunman attacks church near Cairo
At least four people were killed in a gun attack on a church in Helwan, south of Cairo, reports say. Two of the victims were said to be police officers.
South Korea seizes ship amid row over illegal oil transfer
South Korea has revealed it seized a Hong Kong-registered ship last month suspected of supplying oil to the North in breach of international sanctions. Officials said the Lighthouse Winmore had secretly transferred 600 tons of refined oil to a North…
Agroecology, women’s empowerment must to end malnutrition
A briefing paper by ActionAid sets out key priorities on nutrition and ensuring the right to adequate food and nutrition for all. It cites that globally, one in three people are malnourished and if current trends continue, this number could…
The Vietnam War is not history for victims of Agent Orange
By Marjorie Cohn and Jonathan Moore Watching the Ken Burns-Lynn Novick 18-hour series, “The Vietnam War,” is an emotional experience. Whether you served in the US military during the war or marched in the streets to end it, you cannot…
Dubai’s RTA trialling hydrogen-powered taxis
Dubai’s Roads and Transports Authority (RTA) is trialling the region’s first hydrogen-powered electric vehicles, according to the Dubai Media Office. The Toyota Mirai will be put to the test as part of Dubai’s taxi fleet, in collaboration with Al Futtaim…
UAE to roll out 5G in early next year
The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulation Authority has announced the initiation of IMT2020 technology – commonly known as 5G – which is expected to be deployed across the country from early 2018. According to state news agency WAM, licencees from mobile operators…
Rough ride likely for Canada’s PM in 2018
In 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau learned a lesson about the power of social media. The PM’s most viral tweet of the year – by far – was sent out on a January weekend, welcoming refugees to Canada. It was…
No sign Rohingya will be allowed to return home
Bangkok, Dec 24 (AP/UNB) — After facing international outrage and charges of ethnic cleansing, Myanmar made a pledge: Rohingya Muslims who fled the country by the hundreds of thousands would start their journey home within weeks.
37 die in Philippines’ Davao mall fire
At least 37 people are feared to have died in a fire that ravaged a shopping mall in the southern Philippine city of Davao, local officials say. Firefighters battled for hours to extinguish the blaze that started on Saturday morning…
Tropical Storm Tembin: 200 die in flash floods
Rescuers are searching for victims of a tropical storm in the southern Philippines, where nearly 200 people have died in mudslides and flash floods. Rescue teams have yet to reach some of the affected areas on Mindanao island. Many people…
Riyadh detains more people, and asks banks to freeze new accounts
Saudi Arabia has detained more people for questioning and asked banks to freeze new accounts nearly seven weeks after its corruption crackdown started, according to reports. Earlier this month, the kingdom’s public prosecutor said 320 people had been subpoenaed to…
Melbourne crash driver arrested after hitting pedestrians
Australian police have arrested two people after a car drove into a crowd in Melbourne. The car “collided with a number of pedestrians” on Flinders Street, a busy junction in the centre of the city, said Victoria Police. Fourteen people…
Saudis intercept Yemen rebel missile: Dhaka denounces attack
Riyadh, Dec 20 (AP/UNB) — The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Shiite rebels said it intercepted a missile fired over southern Riyadh on Tuesday, which the rebels said was targeting a “top leadership” meeting at the royal palace in the kingdom’s…
Derailed US train lacked automatic safety system
Technology that forces trains to adhere to speed limits was being installed on the express that crashed in the US state of Washington on Monday but was not yet operational, investigators say. Three people died when the train derailed at…
Arrests over ‘alleged UK Christmas terror plot’
Action has been taken against an alleged Islamist terror plot in the UK that could have happened at Christmas, counter terrorism sources say. Four men were arrested early on Tuesday in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. An Army bomb disposal team…
Small-scale sustainable agriculture best way to reduce hunger
A report by the More and Better Network gives an overview of the global situation of investments in agriculture. It provides examples from some countries and presents recommendations for future investments in small-scale sustainable agriculture.
Masri released from Saudi detention
Sabih al Masri, a Palestinian billionaire and Jordan’s most influential businessman, was released after several days of detention in Saudi Arabia, the latest in a series of events marking the worst crackdown on the rich and powerful in the country’s…
Trump denies he plans to fire Robert Mueller
President Donald Trump has denied he is planning to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Tensions have been rising between the White House and Mr Mueller’s probe. On Saturday a lawyer…
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport power cut grounds flights
A power cut at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson international airport has led to a partial shut-down and major delays to flights. The airport is the world’s busiest, handling more than 250,000 passengers and almost 2,500 flights every day. Passengers have been left…
Piñera elected Chile president
A conservative billionaire and former president, Sebastián Piñera, has won Chile’s presidential election run-off. Left-winger Alejandro Guillier conceded and congratulated his opponent on his win and his return to the presidency after a four-year gap. With nearly all votes counted,…
One million BD migrant workers get jobs abroad in ’17
Dhaka – Bangladeshi workers going on jobs abroad are expected to exceed one million (10 lakh) this year and it would the highest ever number in a year in the expatriate sector in the country, said minister for expatriates’ welfare…
Saudi Arabia detains Palestinian billionaire Masri
Sabih al-Masri, Jordan’s most influential businessman and the chairman of its largest lender Arab Bank, was detained in Saudi Arabia for questioning after a business trip to Riyadh, family sources and friends said on Saturday. Masri’s detention, which follows the…
Chile landslide destroys village, kills at least five
A landslide caused by torrential rain has killed at least five people in southern Chile and has destroyed dozens of houses. Fifteen people are missing in the remote village of Villa Santa Lucía in the country’s lake region, popular with…
Anita Hill to chair Hollywood harassment commission
A special commission to combat sexual harassment in the entertainment and media industries will be chaired by lawyer and academic Anita Hill. The first meeting of the Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace was attended by…
Sydney man charged for being N Korea’s ‘economic agent’
A man has been arrested in Sydney for allegedly acting as an economic agent for North Korea, Australian Federal Police (AFP) have said. Chan Han Choi, 59, has been charged with brokering illegal exports from the country and discussing the…
The myth of a fossil fuel phase-out
Samuel Furfari Brussels – How the world uses energy is a hot topic for a warming planet, and fears of pollution and resource strain have produced a virtual arms race of energy-efficiency strategies. From the European Union to China, economies…
Ancient child burials found in Egypt
Four intact child burials made more than 3,000 years ago are among a series of recent discoveries near the Egyptian city of Aswan, officials say. One of the burials found by a Swedish-Egyptian team still had the linen used to…
Riyadh unveils $19.2bn stimulus package for pvt sector
Saudi Arabia has unveiled a SAR72bn ($19.2bn) stimulus package to boost the private sector in 2018. The plans form part of a four-year stimulus programme announced last year. They include 17 different initiatives the government hopes will create direct and…
More than 6,700 Rohingya killed in Myanmar, estimates MSF
At least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in the month after violence broke out in Myanmar in August, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says. Based on surveys of refugees in Bangladesh, the number is much higher than Myanmar’s official figure of 400.…