Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar), Nov 23 (UNB) – Bangladesh and Myanmar finally signed an ‘instrument’ on Rohingya repatriation on Thursday with no ending deadline amid high hopes that the forcibly displaced Rohingyas will start returning to their homeland within the…
Category: Int’l relations
Myanmar must find solution to Rohingya crisis: PM
Dhaka, Nov 22 – Reiterating that Myanmar has to find a solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said her government is committed to taking steps for sending back the forcibly displaced Myanmar citizens to…
MoU likely: BD for timeframe, UN role in Rohingya repatriation
Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar), Nov 22 – Bangladesh and Myanmar are expected to sign an ‘Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State’ here on Thursday as some vital points are still to agree on. “We had a good…
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe resigns, ending 37-year rule
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has resigned, parliament speaker Jacob Mudenda has said. A letter from Mr Mugabe said the decision was voluntary and he had made it allow a smooth transfer of power.
The Int’l debate on generic medicines of biological origin
The South Centre recently published Research Paper No. 82: ” The International Debate on Generic Medicines of Biological Origin,” authored by Germán Velásquez, Special Advisor on Health and Development of the South Centre. The debate on generic medicines is not…
Democracy À La Carte in Catalonia
by Manuel Serrano We live in the era of fake news and alternative facts. Fascism has been so debased as a phrase that fascists nowadays are simply those with whom we disagree. They are the others. The bad and the…
At climate summit, two global energy alliances emerge
By Stella Paul Bonn, Nov 19 (IPS) – As the summit of governments known as COP23 reached its conclusion in Bonn, Germany this week, two clear alliances have emerged in the global energy landscape.
Cash transfers in Benin: A response to child trafficking
Za-Kpota, November ‒ The commune of Za-Kpota, in central Benin, has long had the unfortunate reputation of serving as the support base for child trafficking to Nigeria, where the children are exploited for cheap labour in the Abeokuta stone quarries…
Amnesty accused Myanmar of imposing Aparthied on Rohingya
Myanmar’s suffocating control of its Rohingya population amounts to “apartheid”, Amnesty International said Tuesday in a probe into the root causes of a crisis that has sent 620,000 refugees fleeing to Bangladesh. Distressing scenes of dispossessed Rohingya in Bangladeshi camps…
The tyranny of toilets – reflections on World Toilet Day
Maitreyi Bordia Das In the lead-in to World Toilet Day, we hear a great deal about the role of toilets in sanitation and in better health and human development outcomes. Toilets are good development. We hear less about the fact…
Support for rights grows at Bonn climate talks
When it was announced that the government of Fiji would chair this year’s climate talks in Bonn, Germany, expectations were high. As a small island, Fiji sees climate change as an existential threat.
ASEM participants agree on cessassion of hostilities in Rakhine
Foreign Ministers of Asian and European countries have agreed on the broad points of the Rohingya issue, and asked for the immediate cessation of hostilities, halting the outflow of Rohingya from Rakhine State, and early return of the displaced population…
Zimbabwe ruling party sacks Mugabe as chief
Clinging to his now virtually powerless post, longtime Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was fired as ruling party chief to cheers Sunday, and was set to discuss his expected exit with the army commander who put the world’s oldest head of…
US Senator calls atrocities in Burma crimes against humanity
Visiting US Senators today dubbed as “war crimes” the atrocities inflicted on Rohingyas by Myanmar security forces as they called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a day after visiting them in their makeshift refuge in Cox’s Bazar.
Elections as per Constitution, says Amu
Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu on Sunday said the next parliamentary election will be held according to the Constitution, and not under the supervision of any person.
All political parties to get equal opportunities in polls
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Sunday said there is no reason for any political party, including BNP, to be worried about the Rangpur city polls as they will ensure a level-playing field and all-out security measurers for voters.
US nuclear chief to resist ‘illegal’ presidential strike order
The top nuclear commander in the US says he would resist any “illegal” presidential order to launch a strike. Air Force Gen John Hyten, said as head of the US Strategic Command he provided advice to a president and expected…
Palestinians ‘could freeze US ties’ over Washington office closure
The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has warned it will freeze its ties with the US if it carries out a threat to close the PLO office in Washington. In a video on Twitter, PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat called the…
Satellite signals bring hope of Argentina’s missing sub rescue
After days of searching for its missing submarine with 44 crew aboard, Argentina’s navy received distress signals late Saturday, authorities said.
Abducted businessman Aniruddha-Return home
Dhaka, Nov 18-Businessman Aniruddha Kumar Roy has returned to his Gulshan residence on early Thursday after 70 days of his reported abduction, police said quoting his family members.
China prefers mediating Bangla-Burma talks on Rohingya
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday expressed his country’s willingness to facilitate talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar to resolve the protracted Rohingya crisis which has hit Bangladesh hard. Wang Yi made the offer when he met Prime Minister…
Mugabe makes first appearance since army takeover
President Robert Mugabe attended a university graduation ceremony on Friday, making his first public appearance since military generals took control of Zimbabwe earlier this week. In a display of defiance, Mugabe, 93, arrived at the ceremony in the capital Harare,…
Traffic restrictions at Dhaka Cantonment on 21 November
There will be restrictions on traffic inside the Dhaka Cantonment on November 21 as a number of programmes have been chalked out marking the Armed Forces Day. All vehicles except those carrying cantonment residents and the invited guests have been…
UN asks Burma to end attacks against Rohungya
UN member-states on Thursday urged Myanmar authorities to end a military campaign against the Muslim Rohingya in a resolution adopted despite opposition from China, Russia and some regional neighbours. The General Assembly’s human rights committee overwhelmingly endorsed the measure presented…
Leave no one behind – stop caste based discrimination
Disaggregation statement Civil Society submission for the 6th IAEG-SDG meeting in Bahrain Nov 13 Thank you for giving us the opportunity to present. Disaggregation of data is a pertinent issue to stakeholders. Disaggregation is more than just a technical discussion.…
Inquire Prof Mubashar Hasan’s whereabouts – Amnesty
Mubashar Hasan, a prominent Bangladeshi academic, has not been seen or heard from since 7 November and may have been subject to an enforced disappearance.
Digital Security Act not to harass journalists: Inu
Dhaka, Nov 16 – Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Thursday said the government is going to formulate the Digital Security Act to ensure common people’s digital security, not to harass journalists.
Zimbabwe calm but tense as Mugabe asked to go peacefully
People across Zimbabwe are starting another day of uncertainty amid quiet talks to resolve the country’s political turmoil and the likely end of President Robert Mugabe’s decades-long rule. Mugabe has been in military custody and there is no sign of…
Macron invites Saad Hariri, family to France
French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Lebanese PM Saad Hariri and his family to France, but said he was not offering political exile. French officials say Mr Hariri will arrive “in the coming days”. Mr Hariri resigned unexpectedly during a…
AU leader says Zimbabwe takeover seems like a coup
The Zimbabwean military’s takeover of power and detention of President Robert Mugabe “seems like a coup”, key regional bloc the African Union says. Its head, Alpha Conde, said the AU demands an immediate return to constitutional order. The military denies…