The quality of the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink depend directly on the state of our biodiversity, which is now in severe jeopardy. We need a transformational change in our relationship with nature…
Category: Environment
Mexico-US migration: What can data tell us?
Douglas Massey, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, shares his views on data and migration between the US and Mexico. This interview took place during first International Forum on Migration Statistics, organized by OECD, IOM and UN…
Repatriation halted as Rohingya decline going back: Official
Dhaka – Despite all the preparations from the Bangladesh side, the scheduled Rohingya repatriation did not take place in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday as Rohingyas are unwilling to go back.
Halt Rohingya repatriation plan: HRW
The Bangladesh government should follow the recommendations of senior United Nations refugee and human rights officials and immediately halt the proposed repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said Thursday.
Rohingyas staging demonstrations, unwilling to go back
Rohingyas in different camps are staging demonstrations expressing their unwillingness to return to their homeland although Bangladesh and Myanmar have completed all the necessary preparations to repatriate some 150 of them on Thursday afternoon.
All SDGs relate in some way to the oceans
When Peter Thomson, the United Nation’s Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, heard in 2010 there was going to be a 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, he knew he had to include the ocean question.
Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) centre launched at ICIMOD
Kathmandu, 13 November 2018: A centre of excellence on Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) was launched on Tuesday at ICIMOD to improve access to modern, affordable and reliable energy services in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.
Two thirds of African cities face ‘extreme climate risk’
Rapid population growth and poor infrastructure have put two out of three cities in Africa at “extreme risk” of the threats posed by climate change, according to a new analysis released Wednesday.
Myanmar must show seriousness about Rohingya return from Bd
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday called on the government of Myanmar to show its seriousness in creating the conditions for return by addressing the root causes of the crisis in Rakhine state, particularly the systematic…
Using data to restore land
A new landmark initiative aims to make quality data and tools available to the international community in order to combat an “existential crisis”: land degradation.
HC orders judicial probe into 22 deer hunting in the Sunderbans
Dhaka, Nov 11 – The Bangladesh High Court yesterday asked for a judicial probe into a reported incident of hunting 22 deer from the Sundarbans in Satkhira’s Shyamnagar area in July this year.
470 kms of rivers to be dredged with BD-India joint finance
The Cabinet on Monday approved ‘Addendum to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade’ under which 470 kms of rivers will be dredged with joint financing of Bangladesh and India.
Rajshahi city to be free from garbage and polythene
Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has said the city areas will be declared free from garbage, waste and polythene by January of next year.
California wildfires death toll rises to 25
The death toll in the wildfires raging through California has risen to 25, according to officials. This comes after 14 more bodies were discovered in or near the decimated town of Paradise in the state’s north, bringing the number of…
Peace, stability not possible sans rural development
Rome, 9 November 2018 – At this week’s Paris Peace Forum, Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will ask global leaders to consider the crucial role that increased investment in rural areas of developing…
US proposes rule banning asylum for illegal migrants
Migrants who cross the southern US border illegally will no longer be eligible for asylum under a new rule, the Trump administration has said. The new measures would deny asylum to those who breach any presidential restriction on entry. The…
Long-life wood products significant carbon capturers
Can the way we use wood mitigate climate change and support the bioeconomy? The answer is yes, according to a new PhD thesis from the University of Eastern Finland, investigating how wood use can contribute to avoiding or reducing the…
Global protests to save the Sundarbans on Saturday
On November 10 protests are taking place in many cities around the world including London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Toronto, Calgary and Dhaka, says a press release received in Dhaka.
‘Control 10 rivers including Ganga to oceans plastic-free’
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus has called upon all to feel the urgency of controlling 10 rivers in the world, including the Ganges, which are shockingly contributing 80 to 90 percent of plastic pollution to the world’s oceans.
BD-India transboundary river dying for structure in Jessore
Many structures have been built illegally by encroaching both banks of Haor river, once linking Bangladesh and India border as authorities concerned are sleeping at the wheel.
29 Malaysia-bound Rohingyas rescued from sea
Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 33 people including 29 Rohingyas from a trawler in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday night.
Rainwater harvesting eases daily struggle in Argentina
“I’ve been used to hauling water since I was eight years old. Today, at 63, I still do it,” says Antolín Soraire, a tall peasant farmer with a face ravaged by the sun who lives in Los Blancos, a town…
Delhi suffers toxic smog hangover after Diwali firework frenzy
Air pollution in New Delhi hit hazardous levels Thursday after a night of free-for-all Diwali fireworks, despite Supreme Court efforts to curb the smog-fuelling partying.
Recovery of endangered whales hampered by humans long after hunting
When an endangered female North Atlantic right whale spends months, even years, disentangling itself from cast-off fishing nets, there’s not much energy left over for mating and nursing calves. Coping with such debris, along with ship collisions and other forms…
Halt rushed plan of Rohingya repatriation: UN expert
A UN human rights expert has urged Bangladesh to shelve the plan to start repatriating Rohingya refugees to Rakhine this month, saying the Myanmar government has failed to provide guarantees they would not suffer the same persecution and horrific violence…
Spain finds 17 dead migrants, 100 survivors in Mediterranean
Spain’s maritime rescue service says at least 17 people have died trying to reach Spain in boats departing from North Africa.
HC orders to form 5-member body to examine WASA water
The High Court on Tuesday directed the concern authorities to form a five-member committee to test water supplied by Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (DWASA) through pipeline.
S Africa’s top court protects women’s equality, land rights
South Africa’s highest court has delivered two landmark decisions protecting women’s rights to equality and land ownership, as well as the rights of communities living in mining areas.
Should do more to help prevent violence in Myanmar: Facebook
Facebook said Monday that an independent report it commissioned found the company hasn’t always done enough to prevent its platform from being used to spread hate speech that has fueled deadly violence in Myanmar.
Delhi schools asked to restrict outdoor activities
Authorities here have asked Delhi schools to restrict their outdoor activities as stubble burning in neighbouriung Punjab and Haryana blackened skylines of the Indian capital.