By Jonathan Cook Nazareth: Few books on Palestinian history become bestsellers. But one, titled A History of the Palestinian People: From Ancient Times to the Modern Era, managed to rocket to the top of Amazon’s charts this month. Its author,…
Category: Conflicts
Carving out forest land to shelter desperate Rohingya
Dhaka (Reuters) – Hard-pressed to find space for a massive influx of Rohingya Muslim refugees, Bangladesh plans to chop down forest trees to extend a tent city sheltering destitute families fleeing ethnic violence in neighbouring Myanmar.
Rohingya: Walk a mile in their shoes
Nahar Khan My reminiscences of Cox’s Bazar are deeply rooted in my childhood during family vacations taken with my parents and three siblings – horse rides on the beach, sunsets against the widest horizon, charcoal barbecues by nightfall, and copious…
Burma: Military Massacres Dozens in Rohingya Village
Soldiers Shot, Stabbed Men and Boys in Maung Nu, Rakhine State Dhaka – The Burmese military summarily executed several dozen Rohingya Muslims in Maung Nu village in Burma’s Rakhine State on August 27, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. Witnesses…
Report on raid at militant den of Kalyanpur deferred
Dhaka – The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka yesterday deferred the submission of the report in the case filed over operation at a militant den in the capital's Kalyanpur to November 12.
Aid groups seek $434 for Rohingya refugees
Humanitarian organisations helping Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh said on Wednesday they need $434 million over the next six months to help up to 1.2 million people, many of them children, who need life-saving help. There are an estimated 809,000…
Aung San Suu Kyi’s stripped of ‘Freedom of Oxford’
Dhaka, Oct 4 – An honour granting Aung San Suu Kyi the Freedom of Oxford has been withdrawn by the city’s council because of her response to the Rohingya crisis.
US Muslim, Jewish group branching out to build haromny
Dearborn, Oct 4 (AP/UNB) — A national Muslim-Jewish alliance formed to fight hate crimes and forge better ties between them is branching out to build on its mission.
Burma: US arms sales suspension call faces road block at UNSC
By Thalif Deen UN, Oct 3 (IPS) – When US Ambassador Nikki Haley called for a virtual arms embargo against the repressive and much-maligned military regime in Myanmar, she took a passing shot at two of her fellow veto-wielding, permanent…
Foreign envoys say Myanmar villages burned down
Ambassadors of 20 mostly western countries based in Myanmar in a joint statement has said they saw Rohingya villages were burned to the ground with residents fleeing elsewhere while visiting the Rakhine state, the scene of the violent military crackdown.…
BNP calls Myanmar repatriation offer as eyewash
BNP on Monday described the decision of Bangladesh and Myanmar to form a joint working group to start the repatriation process of all the Rohingyas staying in Bangladesh as eyewash and deception. “The meeting between Bangladesh and Myanmar is nothing…
Sweden and Germany first to hold trials on atrocities in Syria
Efforts to bring those responsible for atrocities in Syria before European courts are starting to bear fruit, notably in Swedish and German courts, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. While various authorities in Europe have opened investigations…
Sri Lankan monk remanded for attack on Rohingya Muslims
Colombo, Oct 2 (AP/UNB) — A Sri Lankan court has remanded a Buddhist monk who, alongside other hard-line Buddhists, stormed a U.N. safe house for Rohingya Muslims, forcing the refugees to flee for protection.
Las Vegas gunman used ‘bump-stock’ device to speed fire
Las Vegas, Oct 3 (AP/UNB) -The gunman who unleashed hundreds of rounds of gunfire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas attached what is called a “bump-stock” to two of his weapons, in effect converting semi-automatic firearms into fully…
58 killed, 515 injured in Las Vegas Music Concert shooting
Las Vegas, Oct 2 (AP/UNB) — A gunman perched on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel-casino unleashed a hail of bullets on an outdoor country music festival below, killing at least 58 people as tens of thousands of…
Syrian refugees being summarily deported from Jordan
Amman – Jordanian authorities have been summarily deporting Syrian refugees – including collective expulsions of large families, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Syrians are not being given a meaningful chance to challenge their removal and…
BNP against working group for Rohingya repatriation
Dhaka, Oct 2 – The BNP on Monday opposed the decision of Bangladesh and Myanmar to form a joint working group to start the repatriation process of all the Rohingyas staying in Bangladesh, saying it is an uncertain process to…
Burma-BD for joint group to start Rohingya repatriation
Dhaka, Oct 2 – Bangladesh and Myanmar on Monday agreed to form a joint working group to start the repatriation process of all the Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, which Dhaka sees as a “progress.”
Govt has failed to prevent Rohingya influx: BNP
Dhaka – The BNP has accused the government of not taking a tough line against the forced migration of over half a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The government should have used ‘tougher language’ while addressing the crisis, said Mirza…
Minister of Suu Kyi’s office in Dhaka for talks
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s emissary has flown in Dhaka amid pressure over the situation in Rakhine State that has pushed over half a million Rohingyas into Bangladesh.
Egypt’s militants claim attack targeting Myanmar embassy
Egyptian militant group Hasm claimed responsibility on Sunday for a small explosion at Myanmar’s embassy in Cairo, saying it was in retaliation for that country’s military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims.
WFP chief says world must step up Rohingya aid
Cox’s Bazar, Oct 1 (AP/UNB) — The head of the United Nations’ food-assistance agency on Sunday urged the international community to step up its support for the relief operation for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh or risk “a massive catastrophic disaster.”
2 women killed in knife attack at French train station
Marseille, Oct 1 (AP/UNB) — A man with a knife attacked people at the main train station in the southeastern French city of Marseille on Sunday, killing two women before soldiers fatally shot the assailant, officials said. French police warned…
Myanmar Minister due Sunday night to discuss Rohingya issue
Dhaka, Oct 1 – Amid the growing pressure on Myanmar, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is now sending her representative to discuss the Rohingya issue with the Bangladesh government.
Tillerson says US has direct channels to talk to N Korea
Beijing, Oct 01 (AP/UNB) — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged on Saturday that the United States is maintaining direct channels of communications with North Korea even as tensions rise over the North’s nuclear and missile programs and the…
Govt now diplomatic ‘orphan’, alleges BNP
Dhaka, Sept 30 – BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Saturday said the government has turned ‘orphan’ diplomatically with no support from close foreign friends over Rohingya issue.
Oxford college removes Suu Kyi portrait
London, Sept 30 (BSS/AFP) – The Oxford University college where Aung San Suu Kyi studied said Saturday it had taken down a portrait of the Myanmar leader, a decision that follows widespread criticism of her over the Rohingya crisis.
Syria’s survival is blow to jihadists
By Alastair Crooke Syria’s victory in remaining still standing – still on its feet, as it were – amid the ruins of all that has been visited upon her, marks effectively the demise of the Bush Doctrine in the Middle…
Plastic sheets to cover Rohingyas in open-air camps
Dhaka, Sept 30 – The United Nations refugee agency has announced that it has started distributing plastic sheeting and essential relief items to Rohingyas arriving in Bangladesh from Myanmar as part of a massive effort to cut the time refugees…
Myanmar: Global appeal for UN action – HRW
Stop Crimes Against Humanity The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council should take immediate steps to address the human rights abuses and humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya population, Human Rights Watch and 87 other nongovernmental organizations said today.