Dhaka, May 13 (UNB) – Jatiya Oikyafront convener Dr Kamal Hossain on Monday said those who think of giving autocracy a permanent shape in Bangladesh are living in fool’s paradise as people will surely wake up like that of the…
Category: Conflicts
BD farmer protests low prices by setting fire to paddy field
Tangail, May 12 – A farmer set his Boro paddy field on fire protesting the paddy price fall and the serious scarcity of day labourers in the district on Sunday noon. Farmer Abdul Malek Shikder enacted this unique act of…
BNP says, AL has turned into a ‘mafia party’
Dhaka, May 12 (UNB) – Voicing deep concern over the growing incidents of killing and social unjust, BNP on Sunday alleged that Awami League has turned into a “mafia party” by snatching people’s all the basic rights. “The acts of…
BNP-led 20-party leaders to meet Monday to treat wounds
Dhaka, May 11 – Amid strong resentment by some alliance partners over the swearing in by five BNP MPs, the top leaders of 20-party alliance are going to meet on Monday. The meeting is scheduled to begin at BNP chairperson’s…
US just ‘invaded’ an East China Sea island & no one noticed
By Darius ShahtahmasebiJust recently, the US military launched a full-on invasion of an island in the East China Sea to send a strong message to China, and yet barely any mainstream media outlet has covered the story or its massive…
Sylhet Women’s Medical College interns go on strike
Sylhet, May 11 (UNB)- Interns at Sylhet Women’s Medical College (SWMC) went on an indefinite strike from Saturday protesting against rape threat and assault by a local Chhatra League leader. They abstained from their regular activities and held a human chain…
An urgent need to advance peace
STOCKHOLM, May 10 2019 (IPS) – Let us be blunt: the world is in crisis. Peace, human rights, our planetary ecosystem, and our systems of conflict management and global governance are under enormous strain. Global military expenditures reached 1.8 trillion in 2018,…
900 child soldiers taken away from Nigeria vigilante group
Maiduguri, May 10 (AP/UNB) — Authorities say nearly 900 children who were enlisted in a civilian defense militia in northeastern Nigeria have been officially separated from the group in accordance with a U.N. accord. The children had been part of…
US moving Patriot missile battery to Mideast to counter Iran
Washington, May 11 (AP/UNB) — The U.S. will move a Patriot missile battery into the Middle East to counter threats from Iran, the Pentagon said Friday, reflecting ongoing concerns that Tehran may be planning to attack America forces or interests…
BD minorities say attacks on them went up following election
Dhaka, May 10 — Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad (BHBCOP) on Friday expressed deep concern over the increased violence and oppression of minorities in the last four months after the national election. The BHBCOP, a non-profit aiming to protect rights of…
Stay alert against govt propaganda, Fakhrul to BNP workers
Dhaka, May 10 (UNB) – Stating that they are trying to pursue the fair politics based on reality, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday urged his party colleagues not to get confused with the government‘s ‘propaganda’ against…
Myanmar asked to give humanitarian access to conflict zones
Dhaka, May 10 (UNB) – The UN human rights body has called on the government of Myanmar to immediately grant humanitarian access to all conflict zones, including northern Rakhine State where restrictions on humanitarian access is exacerbating the suffering of…
From sanctioning Iran to war?
DENVER, May 8 2019 (IPS) – With the recent military moves announced uncharacteristically by the White House first, the world is witnessing with grim fascination what could turn out to be the early moves towards a war against Iran. How plausible…
Pyongyang launches two projectiles from NE province: Seoul
The launch took place at 1630 KST from DPRK’s North Pyongan Province: JCS Oliver Hotham North Korea on Thursday afternoon test-fired at least one projectile, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced, the country’s second such test in less…
Titash Ekti Nadir Naam: Epic novel by a fisherman’s son
May 9, 2019 – “Titash is a river’s name. Those living beside the river hardly know the etymological source of its name. They never tried to find out, they never felt any need to. There are rivers with significant names…
US withdrawal from Iran Nuclear Deal: one year on
STOCKHOLM, May 8 2019 (IPS) – On 8 May last year, US President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States would pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which sets limits on Iran’s nuclear programme to ensure…
Dhaka seeks clear Rohingya repatriation roadmap from Yangon
Dhaka, May 7 (UNB) – Bangladesh has asked Myanmar to come up with a ‘clear roadmap’ for the repatriation of Rohingyas living in Cox’s Bazar and identify all the issues that are hindering and obstructing the repatriation process. “We’ve also…
Forge national unity against autocracy: Dr Kamal
Dhaka, May 7 (UNB) – Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossain on Tuesday urged people to get united against autocracy and restore healthy politics in the country. “In an autocratic system, the rule of law and freedom of speech are obliterated…
BNP criticises PM again for her “remark on Khaleda”
Dhaka, May 8 – BNP on Tuesday voiced deep concern over Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent reported remark in London about Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment, saying it will erode people’s confidence in the judiciary. In a statement, party secretary general Mirza…
Rewriting the rules on #MeToo globally
By Nisha Varia New Yprk, Apr 30, 2019 (IPS) – I have been working to protect the rights of women workers for 25 years, and whether I speak to domestic workers, election workers, farmers, or activists, their experience of sexual…
Indonesia sinks 51 foreign boats to fight against poaching
Indonesia, May 5 (AP/UNB) — Indonesian authorities resumed their tough stance against illegal fishing in the country’s waters by sinking 51 foreign ships Saturday, as the government ramps up efforts to exert greater control over its vast maritime territory. The…
Myanmar frees Reuters reporters jailed for Secrecy Act crime
Yangon, May 7 (AP/UNB) — Two Reuters journalists who were imprisoned for breaking Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act over reporting on security forces’ abuses of Rohingya Muslims were pardoned and released Tuesday. The convictions of Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe…
Myanmar: Deaths in Army Custody Need Independent Inquiry
The Killing of 6 Villagers in Rakhine State Should Be Fully, Credibly Investigated New York – Myanmar authorities should independently investigate the killing of detainees held by the military in Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 2,…
Like Libya and Syria, Venezuela is not ‘just about oil’
By Andre Vltchek Yes, the latest research confirms that Venezuela is so rich in natural resources, that it could single-handedly satisfy all global demand for oil, for over 30 years. And it has much more than oil to offer, in…
Fakhrul’s decision not to take oath a bad strategy: AL
Dhaka, May 1 (UNB) – Awami League acting general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif on Wednesday said BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul’s decision not to take oath as a Member of Parliament (MP) is a ‘bad political strategy’. Hanif said this at…
Maoist rebels kill 15 police commandos, driver in India
New Delhi, May 1 (AP/UNB) — Maoist rebels on Wednesday attacked a van carrying police commandos in the insurgents’ stronghold in western India and killed 15 officers and their driver, officials said. The rebels triggered a land mine blast in…
Case filed over raid at Dhaka ‘militant den’
Dhaka, April 30 – A case was filed yesterday over the raid at a ‘militant den’ in Bosila area of Dhaka city. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-2 Senior Warrant Officer Md Abdullah filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station on Monday…
Massacre of the innocents: Whereto from here?
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Apr 30 2019 (IPS) – We have been here before. This blooded precipice is familiar, this looming abyss. What is unfamiliar, what renders the Easter Sunday massacre most vile and truly nightmarish is the total absence of any…
Refugees threatened, attacked in Sri Lanka: HRW
(New York) – The Sri Lankan government should take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of South Asian refugees and asylum seekers from violence. Since the April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday bombings by alleged Islamist militants on churches and hotels that…
Suspected drug trader killed in Sirajganj ‘gunfight’
Sirajganj, Apr 30 – A suspected drug trader was killed in a reported gunfight between two gangs at Raipur Railway Station in the Sadar Upazila early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Nurul Islam Mohon, 55, son of late Hayat…