By Fabiana Frayssinet Buenos Aires, Aug 23 2018 (IPS) – The Argentine Senate’s rejection of a bill to legalise abortion did not stop a Latin American movement, which is on the streets and is expanding in an increasingly coordinated manner…
Category: Environment
Inclusion in water: breaking down barriers
SOMA GHOSH MOULIK In many countries, women walk over six kilometres to collect water. Between 2006 and 2012 in Niger, women travelled an hour, on average, to fetch water. Worldwide, 4.5 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation services…
Alarming No. of Rohingya children orphaned by violence
One in two Rohingya children who fled to Bangladesh without their parents were orphaned by brutal violence, said a new research study on Saturday.
Rohingya influx: Rights bodies demand justice
Different rights bodies on Saturday formed a human chain and demanded that Myanmar junta must be brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for justice, otherwise ethnic cleansing and genocide like the one in Rwanda will recur in the history.
Suitable public transport, house must for disabled people
Even though over six billion people—nearly one billion of whom will have disabilities— are expected to live in urban centres by 2050, many of the world’s major urban cities have a long way to go before their infrastructure becomes inclusive…
French tomato grower takes on Monsanto over weedkiller
Weaving through the aisles of his greenhouse in northern France, Jean-Claude Terlet, a retired farmer who grows tomatoes for local markets, seems to be brimming with energy.
New AI leader with a vision to redefine human rights
By IPS Correspondents Johannesburg/UN, Aug 21 2018 (IPS) – The human rights movement must be bigger, bolder, and more inclusive if we are to tackle today’s challenges, said Amnesty International’s first South Afric a Secretary-General.
How many people can share a toilet?
Submitted by Rebecca Jean Gilsdorf An Introduction to Shared Sanitation Co-authors: Rachel Cardone, Martin Gambrill How many people can share a toilet? This question might sound like the start of a joke but it’s actually a serious issue for many…
UK seeks long-term global support for Rohingyas
The United Kingdom (UK) has called on the international community to provide long-term support to keep Rohingya people — both in Bangladesh and Myanmar– safe in the years to come.
Minor domestic help for livelihood, now fights for life
A ten-year-old girl is fighting for life at the district’s Sadar Hospital after being reportedly abused massively during her employment earlier as a domestic help in Dhaka.
Harvey’s deluge killed dozens and caused billions in damage
Houston, Aug 23 (AP/UNB) — Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas last August as a powerful Category 4 storm, killing dozens of people and causing billions of dollars in damage. Though its fiercest winds quickly dissipated, the storm hovered for days…
Race to save drowning Rohingya boy exposes spiraling crisis
Ukhiya, Aug 23 (AP/UNB) — The little boy emerges into view amid a chorus of panicked shouts and the thunder of feet from the horde sweeping past us. He is slumped over the shoulder of a man, his skinny arms…
Tackling a crisis of too much, too little, too polluted
Guangzhe CHEN The world’s water problems have regularly made the news in 2018. And the scale of the crisis behind the headlines is stark. It is a crisis of too much, too polluted and too little.
Timing of Rohingya return depends on BD: Suu Kyi
Singapore, Aug 210 (AP/UNB) — Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi says it is difficult to put a time frame on the return to Rakhine state of ethnic Muslim Rohingya because her nation needs the cooperation of the country to…
UAE is leading in building cities of tomorrow
The idea and concept of a city that is not only sustainable but also happy is firmly entrenched in the decisions, minds and hearts of the UAE leadership. It is for this reason why one can even see a vital…
Myanmar security forces torture Rohingya returnees: HRW
Refugees Arrested, Mistreated as Accused Militants Bangkok – Myanmar authorities have tortured and imprisoned Rohingya refugees who returned to Rakhine State from Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The mistreatment reinforces the need for international protection, including United Nations monitors…
Why strengthening land rights strengthens development
by Mahmoud Mohieldin, Anna Wellenstein Washington, DC – For most of the world’s poor and vulnerable people, secure property rights, including land tenure, are a rarely accessible luxury. Unless this changes, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be impossible to…
Eid animal wastes to be removedin 24 hrs: Dhaka Mayor
The wastes of sacrificial animals on the Eid day will be removed from the capital within 24 hours, said Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon.
Monsoon brings new hardships to poorly equipped camps: MSF
The onset of monsoon rains in Bangladesh has brought further misery to Rohingya refugees living in makeshift shelters of bamboo and plastic sheeting across the Cox’s Bazar peninsula, says MFS on Sunday.
Trains bring drinking water to flooded southern Indian state
Indian authorities are bringing drinking water by train to the flooded southern state of Kerala, where over 300 people have died and 300,000 are displaced in the worst flooding in a century.
Work out plan to build every village as township: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday stressed the need for working out future plans to address water supply, sewerage treatment and waste management issues for the country’s rural areas alongside the capital as the government wants to develop every village…
First satellite to measure global winds set for launch
A satellite designed to measure Earth’s global wind patterns is set to be hoisted into orbit Tuesday from the Arianespace launch site in French Guiana.
Ecuador tightens entry rules for Venezuelan migrants
Ecuador has brought in new rules to stop Venezuelan migrants entering the country without a passport, leaving many stranded in neighbouring Colombia. Thousands of Venezuelans fleeing their country’s economic and political crisis have been crossing into Ecuador from Colombia using…
34,000 Rohingyas murdered in Rakhine since Aug last
Over 24,000 Rohingyas were murdered and 18,000 Rohingya women and girls raped during Myanmar’s crackdown in Rakhine State since August last year, says a research report.
122 sea turtles found dead on Mexico beach
Mexican authorities said Friday they found 122 sea turtles dead on a beach in the southern state of Chiapas, mostly from an endangered species.
LPG stoves to save remaining forests near refugee camps
By International Organization for Migration Cox’s Bazar, Aug 17 2018 (IOM) – A major environmental project to provide around 250,000 families with liquid petroleum gas (LPG) stoves and gas cylinders has been launched by UN agencies and the government in…
Take charge of your food: Your health is your business
By Sunita Narain New Delhi, Aug 17 2018 (IPS) – The minimum we expect from the government is to differentiate between right and wrong. But when it comes to regulating our food, it’s like asking for too much. Our latest…
Yazidi woman encounters ‘IS’ captor in Germany
The past she was attempting to flee came back to haunt a young Yazidi woman in a small town in Germany. Her former IS tormentor confronted her on the street and “told me he knew everything about me.” A young…
Cultivating resilience to climate change
Danielle Nierenberg For every degree Celsius that the temperature rises, farmers can see crop yields drop as much as 7 percent. But organizations like Crop Trust are joining global institutions, farmers, and eaters to guarantee a better future for food.
People urged to sacrifice animals at designated spots
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Thursday urged people to slaughter their sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha in designated places to avoid environmental and health hazards.