Tamenglong June 21: People of Tamenglong have been suffering with the construction of railway tracks for the past 10 years. Now they are going to face another problem – oil exploration. To understand likely impact of oil exploration people gathered…
Category: Environment
Over 100 people feared buried by China landslide
Beijing, June 24 (AP/UNB) – A county government in southwestern China says around 100 people from 40 homes are feared buried by a landslide that crashed into their homes.
The world is burning
By IPS World Desk Rome, June 23(IPS) – Record high temperatures are gripping much of the globe and more hot weather are to come. This implies more drought, more food insecurity, more famine and more massive human displacements. In fact,…
Excessive use of arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury…black soils
By IPS World Desk Rome, June 23 (IPS) – Soils are polluted due mostly to human activities that leave excess chemicals in soils used to grow food, the United Nations reports.
Dhaka more expensive than Washington for expats
Dhaka, Jun 23 – Dhaka city is more expensive than Washington, capital of the United States in terms of cost of living for expatriates, according to Mercer’s 2017 Cost of Living Survey.
After May Brexit opening, EU leaders ask: where’s the beef?
Brussels – British Prime Minister Theresa May’s show of goodwill at the European Union summit left the 27 other EU leaders with “thousands of questions” and eagerly awaiting a more detailed proposal on the future right of EU citizens to…
Lack of public awareness ‘key challenge to RTI implementation’
Dhaka – Making people aware of the Right to Information Act 2009 and encouraging them to use it is the main challenge in implementing the law, says the Information Commission. -UNB
Concerted effort in global resilience to turn back desertification
As we mark World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought tomorrow, notable strides have been achieved in building resilience to these issues globally. From Africa to Asia, concerted effort has led to gains in development, and all regions are experiencing…
China’s ‘straddling bus’ heads for scrap yard
It seemed like a glimpse into the city of tomorrow – but China’s “straddling bus” was riddled by doubts early on and now is headed for the scrap yard. The futuristic idea was a bus that would drive above traffic,…
Grenfell Tower type cladding used in around 600 UK high rises
Around 600 high rises across England are using similar cladding to Grenfell Tower, Downing Street estimates. Tower blocks across the UK are being examined after the London blaze, which left 79 people dead or missing, presumed dead. Three samples have…
MEPs reject move to curtail ban on neonicotinoid pesticides
Members of European Parliament MEPs have overwhelmingly rejected an attempt by a UK Conservative MEP to oppose a full ban on neonicotinoid pesticides that have been linked to bee decline.
Refugee protection an obligation under international law
By Secretary-General António Guterres UN, June 21 (IPS) – It is impossible to be ten years as High Commissioner for Refugees, doing my best to try to help the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, without changing your life. And, indeed,…
Austrian claims property Barrister Moudud evicted from
Dhaka – An Austrian citizen has claimed the heir of the property from which BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed has recently been evicted.
Benelux, Baltic and Nordic leaders meet ahead of EU summit
The Hague – Leaders of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are due to meet with counterparts and senior officials from Baltic and Nordic nations for talks ahead of a European Union summit and two days after formal negotiations on Britain’s…
Growers at Bordeaux winefest unite against climate change
This is the wine industry’s new normal: heavy rains, floods, hailstones, drought and sometimes even frost. Wine makers who once took great pleasure in competing against each other to offer the best wine on the market are now locked in…
Immigration and economic growth: Is keynes back?
by Bo Rothstein There is something very strange going on in the current debate on refugee immigration. There is a lot of alarmist talk about youth gang criminality, problems related to labor market integration, falling results in school, honor-related violence…
Global coral bleaching may be ending, US agency says
Coral reef bleaching may be easing after three years of high ocean temperatures, the longest such period since the 1980s, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday. Its experts said satellite data and other analysis showed widespread bleaching was…
A private-sector solution to the refugee crisis
Nirj Deva Brussels – International development is not just about alleviating poverty; it is also about delivering security, stability, and economic opportunities to poor and fragile communities, thereby preventing citizens from having to flee their home country in search of…
EU shifting rescue of migrants risks lives: HRW
(Milan) – Libyan forces have engaged in reckless conduct during recent rescue operations that endangered people being rescued in international waters in the Mediterranean, Human Rights Watch said today. These incidents indicate that Libyan forces lack capacity to safely perform…
Bangladesh still hosts largest number of Myanmar refugees: Report
Dhaka – The number of refugees from Myanmar rose to 490,300 by the end of 2016, from 451,800 the previous year with Bangladesh remaining to host the largest number of them – 276,200, says a new global report. -UNB
Donkeys at dawn: a rubbish job in the Algiers Kasbah
It’s a rubbish job, but someone has to do it. Or some animal: in the alleyways of Algiers’ famed Kasbah, donkeys shift tonnes of trash every day. Some streets in the Kasbah are so narrow that single file is necessary.…
Bangladesh braces for another heavy rain spell
Dhaka, Jun 19 – Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at places of four divisions of the country due to active monsoon for 24 hours of Monday.
France pledges $34 mln for foreign climate experts
France on Saturday made good on its promise to invite foreign climate change experts to the country, pledging 30 million euros to fund the work of up to 50 researchers. The move comes two weeks after President Emmanuel Macron criticised…
UK resolute in face of adversity: Queen
The Queen has said it is “difficult to escape a very sombre national mood” following tragedies in London and Manchester in recent weeks. Her message comes as residents caught up in the Grenfell Tower fire which killed at least 30…
Noiseless river ‘bubble’ taxi sails through Paris test
An odd-looking electric boat taxi whose inventor believes it could be an eco-friendly transport solution for cities worldwide was put to the test in Paris for the first time Friday. The brainchild of French yachtsman Alain Thebault, the aerodynamic Sea…
Climate change may trigger more landlsides: Experts
Md Rafiqul Islam, UNB staff writer Dhaka, Jun 16 – In the wake of recent devastating landslides in Chittagong region taking more than 150 lives, experts predict that the country’s hilly region will face more landslides in future due to…
Migrant workers pour trillions into world economy
By Roshni Majumdar UN, Jun 15 (IPS) – A new report by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says the flow of money from migrants—commonly located in developed countries—to their families in lower income countries has doubled over the…
UK PM orders tower block fire inquiry
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry into the massive fire that engulfed a west London block of flats, killing at least 17 people. That figure is expected to rise, as fire chiefs have said they…
London fire death toll rises to 17
At least 17 people died in a massive fire that engulfed a west London block of flats, police said, as they warned that figure could rise further. Earlier, the fire service said rescuers did not expect to find any more…
Withdraw SDGs progress report: Global Coalition
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage UN, Jun 14 (IPS) – A report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fails to capture the the true picture of water challenges and the UN must withdraw it, said a global civil society coalition.