Dhaka – The policymakers and water experts at a meeting on Wednesday acknowledged that water resources management is the topmost crisis management issue for the country.
Author: Naim
Attacks on Iran parliament, Khomeini shrine, guard killed
Tehran, Jun 7 (AP/UNB) – Several attackers assaulted Iran’s parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on Wednesday, killing a security guard and wounding 12 other people in rare twin attacks, with the shooting at the legislature still underway.
Denial of human rights in one county concerns all others
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein Opening Statement by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 6 June 2017 Fifty years ago, this was the day I first heard the sound of war. I was three and a half years old and, while fragmentary, I can still remember military men milling around our home in Amman, an armoured car stationed nearby and later, planes that flew overhead. It was a war that shaped my life, and forged my later desire to understand the depths of Palestinian suffering but not only that, Jewish suffering too – the latter spanning over two millennia, and which culminated in that colossal crime, the Holocaust.
Continuing the climate battle without the US
By Martin Khor With President Trump pulling the United States from the Paris agreement, the US has lost not only leadership but membership of the community of nations that subscribe to humanity’s fight for survival against climate change So in…
World watching Suu Kyi’s treatment of religious freedom
Phil Robertson Ward-level officials’ threats to charge and prosecute Muslims who organized and participated in a public prayer session on May 31 in Thaketa township are further evidence of the Myanmar government’s failure to protect religious freedoms.
10 ways to connect people to nature
Danielle Nierenberg The United Nations’ World Environment Day (WED) is a day dedicated to focusing attention and taking positive action on issues related to the environment. The theme is “Connecting People to Nature,” and is meant to encourage people around…
World Environment Day: Connecting people to nature
‘Connecting People to Nature’, the theme for World Environment Day 2017, implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the Earth that we share.
4 nations cut diplomatic ties to Qatar as Gulf rift deepens
Dubai, Jun 5 (AP/UNB) — Four Arab nations cut diplomatic ties to Qatar early Monday morning, further deepening a rift among Gulf Arab nations over that country’s support for Islamist groups and its relations with Iran. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia…
12 arrested in London’s night of terror; IS claims attack
London, Jun 5 (AP/UNB) — British police arrested a dozen people Sunday in a widening terrorism investigation after attackers using a van and large knives turned a balmy evening of nightlife into a bloodbath and killed seven people in the…
Ronaldo helps Real retain Champions League title
Cardiff, June 4 (AP/UNB) — After another potent demonstration of his enduring scoring prowess, surely no Real Madrid fan can contemplate criticizing Cristiano Ronaldo now.
Teenage worker killed in Comilla shop fire
Dhaka, June 3 – A teenage shop worker was burned to death as a fire broke out at Kongso Bazar of Burichang upazila in Comilla district early Friday.
Budget ambitious but won’t hike prices: Muhith
Dhaka, Jun 2 – Claiming that the whole of the proposed budget is ‘bright’ and there is no weakness, Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday ruled out the possibility of cancelling the decision of imposing excise duty on bank accounts.
Why we need to save our oceans now—not later
By José Vicente Troya UN, Jun 1 (IPS) – What if the blue fades way as seawaters become brown andcoral reefs become white as marine grasslands wither and life below water vanishes? This is already happening at a staggering rate.…
AIDS pandemic far from over: 37 million living with HIV
By Amina J. Mohammed UN, Jun 2 (IPS) – During the process of developing the Sustainable Development Goals it was clear to me how relevant and innovative the approach to ending AIDS had been and how important it would continue…
Lightning kills two cousins in Sandwip
Dhaka, Jun 2, – Two young cousins were killed in a lightning strike at Moghdhora of Sandwip upazila in the district of Chittagong on Thursday night.
Mixed reactions to U.S. withdrawal from climate deal
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage UN, Jun 1 (IPS) – The United States is expected to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, prompting mixed reactions from civil society and political representatives.
COP23 discusses facilitation of Paris Agreement execution
Kuala Lumpur, 30 May (Jade Chiang) – Following a rich discussion, Parties to the UNFCCC’s Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) agreed to the call for focused submissions and a round table to promote further understanding of…
The ‘water-employment-migration’ explosive nexus
By Baher Kamal Rome, May 30 (IPS) – Water–everybody talks about it, warns against its growing scarcity, excessive waste, the impact of climate change, the frequent severe droughts and so on. Now, a global action network with over 3,000 partner…
Proposed UN pay cuts threaten work stoppage in Geneva
By Thalif Deen UN, May 30 (IPS) – Facing significant reductions in US financial contributions from a politically-unpredictable Donald Trump administration, the UN Secretariat is gearing itself for a rash of austerity measures and budgetary cuts, including downsizing peacekeeping operations…
The Ocean Conference: An integrated vision must be delivered
By Jan Kellett UN, May 24 (IPS) – In March 2015 at the Sendai World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction, the then President of Kirbati, Anote Tong, made it very clear how vulnerable his country was to climate and disaster…
Brazil drives new school feeding model in South America
By Mario Osava Vitoria, Brazil, May 29 (IPS) – “I am going back to Panama with many ideas,” said Gilda Montenegro, a nutritionist with the Panamanian Education Ministry, after getting to know the school feeding system in the city of…
Alert! Lethal virus affecting popular tilapia fish
By IPS World Desk ROME, May 29 2017 (IPS) – A highly contagious disease is spreading among farmed and wild tilapia, one of the world’s most important fish for human consumption, the United Nations warns, adding that though not a…
Cyclone ‘Mora’ crosses Cox’s Bazar coast
Dhaka – The severe cyclonic storm ‘Mora’ over North Bay moved northwards and has started crossing Cox’s Bazar-Chittagong coast near Kutubdia on Tuesday morning.
Statue of Lady Justice reinstalled in SC premises
Dhaka – A Lady Justice statue near Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, was reinstalled on Saturday night, two days after its removal following complaints by Islamist hard-liners. Sculptor Mrinal Haque said Sunday workers put the statue back in place a few hundred…
Why nuclear could become the next ‘fossil’ fuel?
Homestead, US, May 28 (BSS/AFP) – A gray dinosaur statue outside south Florida’s largest power plant is meant to symbolize two decommissioned fossil fuel reactors, but it also could be seen to represent a nuclear industry crumpling under mounting costs.
260 million indigenous peoples marginalised
By Baher Kamal Rome, May 26 (IPS) – Asia is home to the largest number of indigenous peoples on Earth, with an estimated 260 million of a total of 370 million original inhabitants worldwide. In spite of their huge number-equaling…
Modi names India’s longest bridge after Bhupen Hazarika
By Nava Thakuria Guwahati: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May inaugurated India’s longest river bridge in eastern region naming it after legendary Assamese cultural personality Dr Bhupen Hazarika. The bridge is on Lohit river, a major tributary of…
Ariana Grande plans Manchester victim benefit gig
Ariana Grande is to return to Manchester to play a benefit gig for the victims of the attack at her concert on Monday.
Everest climbers worried about oxygen bottle theft
Foreign climbers and Sherpas on Mount Everest are concerned about the increasing theft of oxygen bottles from high camps. They say it could threaten the lives of mountaineers because they each have a set supply for weather and traffic-related delays,…
Sculpure removed from BD Seupreme Court area
Dhaka – A Lady Justice statue was removed from Bangladesh’s Supreme Court premises under tight security overnight after Islamist hardliners pressed for its removal for months, the sculptor said Friday.