July 6, 2019 SANDRP Late that night of July 2, shouts of “Dharan Futla, Dharan Futla” (The dam has breached!) saved the already-scared 62-year-old Narayan Gaikwad and his family, as the family ran to a nearby hill. Tivare Dam (Longitude:…
Category: In Focus
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…
Where camels walk on water
Tesfaye Bekalu Camels can walk on water. I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. And if you don’t believe me, well, just look at the picture below to see camels walking on water in…
How to rewrite the rules of globalisation
by Joseph Stiglitz How did globalization create such discontent in developed and developing countries alike? Nobel laureate and INET grantee Joseph Stiglitz explains. Stiglitz says that a corporate-driven policy agenda and the distorted economic views bolstering them have deepened inequality…
Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
US President Donald Trump will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, senior administration officials have said. Arab leaders earlier warned against moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, with one saying this would be “a flagrant provocation to Muslims”. But…
Behind the pomp of the Queen’s Speech
London (CNN)Britain will take extra security precautions to protect Queen Elizabeth II ahead of her speech Wednesday — a member of Parliament will be held hostage at Buckingham Palace and guards with lanterns will check the cellars at the Palace…
UK police arrest 9th man in concert bombing investigation
Manchester- British police investigating the Manchester Arena bombing have arrested a ninth man while continuing to search addresses associated with the bomber who killed 22 people. AP/UNB news reported
Police make 2 more arrests over Manchester bombing
Manchester – Police have arrested two more people and are searching a new site in Manchester suspected of links to the bombing that killed 22 people at a pop concert. AP/UNB news agency reported
Man cooks egg on road in Odisha’s intense heat wave
New Delhi – Even as Odisha is experiencing an intense heat wave with temperatures touching 45 degree Celsius in some places, a man took to cooking an egg on the road to demonstrate just how bad the situation is! UNB…
Press Freedom Confce urge free-pluralistic media, scribes’ safety
Jakarta, Indonesia, May 4 – The four-day international conference on “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies” organised by UNESCO marking the World Press Freedom day ended on Thursday urging states to recognise…
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates sapphire anniversary of reign
February of this year is notable for the fact that the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is celebrating her sapphire anniversary, marking 65 years on the British throne. She has reigned as queen of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the…
Trump’s inauguration – full speech: Rolling US back
Here’s a full transcript of his speech: “We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together, we will determine the course of…
Lines from Barack Obama’s farewell address
(CNN)President Barack Obama bid farewell on Tuesday night in a formal address to the nation from his adopted hometown of Chicago, calling on the country to be “anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy.” The speech centered on the values of…
Queen Elizabeth II misses Christmas service
England (AP/UNB) — A heavy cold is keeping Queen Elizabeth II from attending the traditional Christmas morning church service near her Sandringham estate in rural Norfolk, England.
Man foretold USSR collapse, 9/11 attack; now sees US fall under Trump
A sociologist who predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union and 9/11 attacks warns that American global power will collapse under Donald Trump. Johan Galtung, a Norwegian professor at the University of Hawaii and Transcend Peace University, first predicted in…
Global call for moratorium on new genetic extinction tech
Cancun, Mexico – This week, international conservation and environmental leaders are calling on governments at the 2016 UN Convention on Biodiversity to establish a moratorium on the controversial genetic extinction technology called gene drives. Gene drives, developed through new gene-editing…
Higher learning only for high calibre pupils: BD experts
Dhaka – The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recommended limiting the master’s course to only meritorious students to ensure the high quality of education, UNB news agency has reported. “It’s desirable that master’s courses will remain open only for selected…
Hate crimes surge: Violence against Muslims up – FBI
Hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S. surged in 2015 in the biggest increase since 9/11, according to FBI data released Monday. The increase from 2014 to 2015, as a racially charged presidential campaign got under way, was second only…
‘Lost nuke’ missing since cold war off Canada coast found?
Sean Smyrichinsky thought he saw a UFO when he encountered object that may have been abandoned by an American bomber before crash in British Columbia The Canadian navy will be heading to the coast of British Columbia to investigate claims…
Islamic protest in Rome, the heart of Christendom
Dhaka – Thousands of Muslims demonstrate outside the iconic Colosseum in Rome after small mosques are shut down by the authorities to avoid youngsters becoming radicalized Dhaka- Thousands of Muslims gathered outside Rome’s Colosseum to protest the closure of mosques…
Internet closure cost countries $2.4bn, BD 69mn in 2015-16
Dhaka: A study report, released on Thursday in Washington DC, quantifies the economic cost of internet shutdowns around the world over the past year, including those that occurred in Bangladesh.
After emerging from hideouts, Colombia’s rebels now in limbo
Bogota (AP/UNB) — As peace talks in Colombia advanced over the past year, 7,000 rebel fighters began slowly emerging from their jungle hideouts hoping for, if not a hero’s welcome, at least an outstretched hand from fellow Colombians tired of…
Pakistan completely rejects India’s claim of attack
Pakistan has “completely rejected” India’s claim to have sent troops across its disputed border in Kashmir to kill suspected militants, as India has evacuated villages near the frontier amid concerns about a military escalation.
Planet 50-50 Champion, Agent of Change Award for PM
New York, Sept 22 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has received the ‘Planet 50-50 Champion’ and Agent of Change Award’ for her outstanding contributions to women empowerment. The UN-Women recognised the Prime Minister as ‘Planet 50-50 Champion’, while Global…
British envoy to KSA performs Hajj after converting to Islam
Britain’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia has been inundated with congratulations from across the Islamic world after it emerged that he converted to Islam and carried out the first Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca ever performed by a senior UK diplomat. The…
Your local business opportunity from global chanllenges
News Desk The global challenges posed by climate change also offer business opportunities to address those. These opportunities are based on new values of utilising resources sustain-ably taking care of their continued regeneration, instead of using those up to meet current…
Bangladesh on track to enter world’s top 30 economies: US
Dhaka – With two decades of six percent growth per year, Bangladesh is on track to become a top-30 economies by 2030 despite ‘serious’ security challenges, says the United States.
Nepal’s child brides and grooms
Nepal Has The Third Highest Rate of Child Marriage in Asia Narendra Chamar, who is now in his early 30s, laughs these days when he speaks about his marriage. But during the actual ceremony he cried so much they had…
Ignorance isn’t really bliss, and Sept. 11 won’t be just another day
In one of the dirty little secrets of American democracy, journalists who are supposed to keep a watchful eye on government usually earn less money than the people politicians hire to tell them — and taxpayers — what to think.…