Pope Francis on Tuesday urged the leaders of majority-Buddhist Myanmar, mired in a crisis over the fate of Muslim Rohingya people, to commit themselves to justice, human rights and respect for “each ethnic group and its identity”. The pope avoided…
Category: Int’l relations
Time Magazine sold in Koch-backed deal
US magazine publisher Time Inc will be bought by rival media company Meredith Corporation for $2.8bn (£2.1bn). The deal is backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who are known for supporting economically conservative causes.
South African wins Miss Universe crown
Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who represented South Africa, won the Miss Universe crown Sunday. The 22-year-old, who recently earned a business management degree, was crowned at The AXIS theater at Planet Hollywood casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The runner-up was Miss…
From Gothenburg social summit to social union
On 17 November, the European Parliament, Council and Commission proclaimed a European Pillar of Social Rights in Gothenburg. The launch of the Pillar signals a cautious but steady paradigm shift, away from austerity, at least at the level of the…
UK ministers to launch post-Brexit economy plan
The government’s plan to boost UK industry ahead of the country leaving the EU is due to be launched later. The industrial strategy is aimed at lifting growth, which official forecasts suggest will slow due to the UK’s poor productivity…
Dozens of flights cancelled as Bali volcano erupts
Denpasar, Indonesia, Nov 26 (BSS/AFP) – A volcano Denpasar Indonesian tourist hub of Bali sent plumes of grey smoke and steam thousands of metres into the air for the second time this week, triggering flight cancellations which have left thousands…
Islamic counter-terrorism summit
Riyadh, Nov 26 (BSS/AFP) – Saudi Arabia gathered officials from 40 Muslim countries on Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance, a move Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared a “clear signal” to extremism.
Brazil offers to share wind energy experience
Brazil has offered to share its experience in the field of wind power with Bangladesh. Brazilian Ambassador in Dhaka Joao Tabajara De Oliveira Junior made the offer when he met State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid at his…
Saudi Islamic counter terrorism summit launched
Saudi Arabia gathered officials from 40 Muslim countries on Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance, a move Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared a “clear signal” to extremism. “In past years, terrorism has been functioning in…
Nepalis vote for stability in historic polls
Nepalis across the country’s mountainous north voted Sunday in elections that may herald much-needed change after 20 ruinous years marked by a bloody Maoist insurgency, a devastating earthquake and crippling political instability. Voters cast their ballot for representatives in new…
Rangpur city election lithmas test for both Govt & EC: BNP
BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Sunday said their party thinks the upcoming elections to Rangpur and other city corporations will be an acid test for both the government and the Election Commission ahead of the national election. “We…
BD wants Rohingya crisis solved without harming ties: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the government wants to solve the Rohingya crisis keeping the ‘good relations’ with neighbouring Myanmar unharmed.
Pope visit may help but Rohingyas have to go back: Cardinal
The top Catholic official in Bangladesh hopes Pope Francis’s visit there and to Myanmar will bolster moves to alleviate the Rohingya refugee crisis that has put the neighbouring nations in the global spotlight.
Govt of Nepal to build Budhi Gandaki project on its own
Ratan Bhandari Nov 25 – The Nepal government on Friday decided to develop the Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project on its own, nearly two weeks after it terminated the contract agreement with the China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) to build the…
Global Compact on Refugees must address young people’s needs
By Chelsea Purvis London, Nov 23 (IPS) – An estimated seven million refugees – about one-third of the global refugee population – are between 10 and 24 years old, yet this demographic is often overlooked in humanitarian and development responses.…
’80pc BD married women face violence from partners’
Dhaka, Nov 25 – Over 80 percent of the currently married women in Bangladesh have experienced violent behaviour from their partners at least once and such violence include, among others, physical, sexual, economic, and controlling, says a report.
BNP questions justification of MoU on Rohingya repatriation
Dhaka, Nov 25 – BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday questioned the justification of hurriedly signing the Rohingya repatriation instrument with Myanmar without involving the United Nations and other international stakeholders.
Burma Task Force calls bilateral Rohingya repatriation deal fraud
November 24: Fleeing genocide by the Myanmar (Burmese) Military, the number of recent Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh has surpassed 620,000. The US government has formally recognized Myanmar policies as “ethnic cleansing.” The world is waking up to the long…
Govt. forced public servants to join Suhrawardy Udyan rally: BNP
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday alleged that the government is using the public servants for political purposes like that of the 1975 Baksal regime. Speaking at a human chain programme, he also said the government…
Rohingya repatriation arrangement signing to fool people: BNP
BNP senior leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Saturday said the government has signed the Rohingya repatriation instrument with Myanmar only to deceive the country’s people. “This (Rohingya repatriation instrument) is a ploy of the current government. They’ve done it…
Don’t let Razakars-killers return to power
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged all to remain alert so that Razakars, Al Badrs, war criminals, killers and manipulators of history can never return to power. “…Razakars, Al Badrs, war criminals, killers and history manipulators should never come…
US to stop arming anti-IS Syrian Kurdish YPG militia: Turkey
The US is to stop supplying arms to the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG, Turkey has said. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said President Donald Trump had made the promise in a phone call to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.…
Sinai attack kills 235, Sisi pledges forceful response
Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to respond with “the utmost force” after 235 people were killed at a North Sinai mosque during Friday prayers. The al-Rawda mosque in the town of Bir al-Abed was bombed and fleeing worshippers…
EU to monitor Rohingya repatriation process
The European Union has said it will monitor the implementation of the instrument signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar on return of Rohingyas to Myanmar with attention in full compliance with international law. “We now expect the agreement signed (on Thursday)…
Rights groups for ourside monitor to monitor Rohingya repatriation
The two governments signed a pact on Thursday settling terms for a repatriation process. They aim to start the return of Rohingya in two months in order to reduce pressure in the refugee camps that have mushroomed in the Cox’s…
Rakhine not yer safe for Rohingyas: UN rights body
The return of Rohingyas must be voluntary, and take place in safe and dignified conditions that pave the way for lasting solutions, said the UNHCR on Friday. “At present, conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are not in place to enable…
PM admits incidents of enforced disappearances: BNP
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through her statement in parliament on enforced disappearance has admitted that the government has involvement in it. “The Prime Minister talked about enforced disappearance yesterday (Thursday).…
A Cop cut at COP23?
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage UN, Nov 23 (IPS) – Despite a few victories, the UN’s annual climate change conference ended without achieving its goals or injecting a sense of much needed urgency.
US Foreign Minister for action against Rohingya ethnic cleansing
The Trump administration declared on Wednesday that Myanmar’s brutal crackdown on its Rohingya minority constituted “ethnic cleansing,” a long-anticipated designation that will open the door to sanctions against the country’s military commanders and intensify pressure on its civilian leader, Daw…
BD, Myanmar sign deal on Rohingya repatriation
Bangladesh and Myanmar today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas who fled to the neighbouring country to escape a military crackdown in Western rakhine state, the foreign office said. “Bangladesh and…