By Rene Wadlow On Tuesday, 23 April 2019, the United Nations Security Council voted resolution N° 2467 concerning the use of rape as a weapon in times of armed conflict. This resolution builds on an earlier resolution of 24 June…
Category: Feature
Eiffel Tower’s 130th birthday: Laser show for Iron Lady
Paris, May 16 (AP/UNB) — Paris wished the Eiffel Tower a happy birthday Wednesday with an elaborate nighttime laser show retracing the monument’s 130-year history. Earlier in the day, the monument invited 1,300 children to a giant “snack time” beneath…
Unlocking the power of women
NEW YORK, May 15 2019 (IPS) – This June, thousands will flock to Vancouver for a global dialogue on how to accelerate progress for girls and women under the banner of power, progress and change. At the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, the…
Mystery of the death of widow, her daughter and son
Dhaka, May 15 – The doctor in charge of conducting post mortem on the three mysterious dead bodies in the capital’s Uttarkhan area said there might be cases of both murder and suicide in the incident. Dr Sohail Mahmud, the…
Double life sentence for rape, burning victim to death
Cumilla, May 13 (UNB)— A man was sentenced to two life terms in prison on Monday for raping a girl on false promise of marriage and burning her to death when she was pregnant. Cumilla Women and Children Repression Prevention…
Cricket: Sheikh Rasel, BKSP win
Dhaka, May 12 (UNB) – Sheikh Rasel Sports Development Academy and Bangladesh Krira Shikka Protishtan (BKSP) won their respective matches in the Dhaka Premier Division Women’s Cricket League at two separate venues of BKSP on Sunday. Venue: BKSP-3 Team: Gulshan…
Gunmen attack Catholic church in Burkina Faso; 6 killed
Ouagadougou, May 13 (AP/UNB) — Authorities say gunmen have attacked a Catholic church in Burkina Faso, killing a priest and five worshippers. The attack on Sunday took place in Dablo, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Ouagadougou. Urbain…
Rape threat: Sylhet intern docs for punishing student leader
Sylhet, May 12 – The intern doctors at Sylhet Women’s Medical College Hospital (SWMC) staged a demonstration demanding the immediate arrest of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader over his rape threat to one of their fellows. They brought out…
Senior cop withdrawn for neglect of duty in Nusrat murder case
Dhaka, May 12 – Superintendent of Police (SP) of Feni SM Jahangir Alam Sarker has been withdrawn for negligence of duty over the murder of Feni madrasa girl Nusrat Jahan Rafi. The SP was attached to the Police Headquarters (PHQ)…
G7 must support feminist aid agenda to tackle inequality
Dhaka, May 12 (UNB) – G7 development aid must prioritise the needs of women and girls if they are to tackle poverty and economic inequality, said Oxfam on Sunday. The Group of Seven (G7) is a group consisting of Canada,…
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…
Huawei unveils Y Max phablet in BD on the occasion of Eid
Dhaka, May 8 – Huawei has unveiled its new attraction Y Max phablet in Bangladesh with extra facility for gaming and watching features. The hybrid fabulous device, combining the size format of smartphone and tablet, is equipped with super large…
Decisive victory for the persecuted Christians in India
In 2016, Pastor Balu, his wife, his son, and members of his congregation were violently attacked, later detained by the police and falsely accused of forcing conversions to Christianity. It brings me great joy to announce that, after a long…
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…
Complex at Tagore’s house Kuthibari in BD nears completion
Kushtia, May 10 – The construction of a magnificent complex is on in full swing at Shilaidaha Kuthibari, Rabindranath Tagore’s country house that holds numerous memories of the celebrated poet. Deputy Commissioner of the district Aslam Hossain says he is…
The burning of Notre Dame and the spirit of place
By Jan Lundius Stockholm/ROME, May 6, 2019 (IPS) – The catastrophic fire in Notre Dame produced a massive emotional reaction. In a Paris famous for its secularism tearful people knelt on the pavement, sang the Ave Maria and prayed to…
Meghan, Harry present royal newborn to public
London, May 8 (AP/UNB) — Royal couple Meghan and Prince Harry revealed their newborn son to the public on Wednesday, with the proud new mother declaring him “a dream.” The couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, posed…
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…
Five put on remand over nurse killing after rape
Kishoreganj, May 8 (UNB) – A court here on Wednesday placed five people on an eight-day remand each in a case filed over killing a nurse after rape in a moving bus at Gazaria nearby Bajitpur upazila. Those remanded are…
Brazil national museum recovers 200 Egypt pieces after fire
Rio De Janeiro, May 8 (AP/UNB) — Brazil’s national museum said Tuesday it has recovered 200 pieces from its Egypt collection after a devastating fire last September. The collection had 700 pieces and was the largest in Latin America before…
BNP hosts iftar for orphans, ulema
Dhaka, May 7 – In the absence of party chairperson Khaleda Zia, BNP hosted an iftar party on her behalf for orphan students and ulema (Islamic scholars) on Tuesday, the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan. The programme…
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…
Holy month of fasting Ramadan begins
Dhaka, May 6 – The Holy Ramadan, the Islami month of self-restraint for self-purification through fasting and abstinence, begann in Bangladesh on Tuesday as the new crescent moon was sighted on Monday. Lailatul Qadr, the night of divine blessing and…
e-shopping booms in Bangladesh ahead of Eid
Dhaka, May 7 – Online shopping has started gaining momentum in Bangladesh ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr amid its growing popularity with the boom in internet access across the country. An increasing number of people, mostly city dwellers, choose e-shopping to save…
Bangladesh Madrasa girl ‘raped’ in Sherpur
Sherpur, May 2 – Police are looking for a 40-year-old man who is suspected of raping an eighth-grader in Sreebardi Upazila on Wednesday. The victim was alone at her house in Shankar Ghosh village around noon when Ujjal Mia, the…
Austerity is hurting women’s health
by Fran Darlington-Pollock A close look at how the austerity practiced in the UK since 2010 has affected women’s health shows a gender lens must always be applied to see the full picture. Where you live can kill you—and, in…
শরীয়তের আইন পরিবর্তনের দু:সাহস দেখালে জবাব দেবে
ইসলামী আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশের সিনিয়র নায়েবে আমীর মুফতী সৈয়দ মুহাম্মাদ ফয়জুল করীম বলেছেন, সম্পত্তিতে নারী-পুরুষের সমান ভাগ নিশ্চিতকরণের নামে কুরআনের আইনের পরিবর্তনের পায়ঁতারা করলে তাদেরকে ছেড়ে দেয়া হবে না। শরীয়তের আইন পরিবর্তনের সাহস দেখালে তার দাঁতভাঙ্গা জবাব দেয়া হবে। তিনি বলেন,…
Rewriting the Rules on #MeToo Globally
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 harassment and violence has been a common thread. The other…
Japan gets a new emperor as Naruhito vows to pursue peace
Tokyo, May 1 (AP/UNB) — Emperor Naruhito inherited the sacred sword and jewel Wednesday that signaled his succession as the 126th member of his family to rule Japan, pledging in his first public address to follow his father’s example by…
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…