Dhaka – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to officially inaugurate the 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference on Sunday at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad (Bangladesh Parliament).
Category: Int’l relations
US lawmakers seek new sanctions on Burma military
US lawmakers proposed sanctions Friday against Myanmar’s military, in some of the strongest efforts yet by Washington to pressure the Southeast Asian nation to end abusive treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority. House Republicans and Democrats introduced legislation that would…
Suu Kyi stripped of Freedom of Glasgow
Glasgow City Council has unanimously voted to withdraw their offer to award Myanmar’s de facto leader leader Aung San Suu Kyi freedom of the city. The decision comes following criticism of her response to the Rohingya refugee crisis amid alleged…
UN reports 31 new complaints of sex abuse
UN, Nov 4 (AP/UNB) — The United Nations on Friday reported 31 new allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation against peacekeepers and civilians working for U.N. agencies in the three-month period from July and through September — almost half against…
Greece: 3 dead, several missing as boat with migrants sinks
Athens, Nov 3 (AP/UNB) – Authorities in Greece and Turkey say at least three people have died and several more are believed to be missing after a boat carrying migrants from Turkey sank off the Greek island of Kalymnos.
Trump embarks on marathon tour of Asia
US President Donald Trump has embarked on an 11-day trip to Asia during which he will visit Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. It will be the longest tour of Asia by a US president in 25 years.…
‘Never again’: Investing in prevention and early action
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage UN, Nov 2 (IPS) – After the Rwandan genocide, the United Nations promised ‘never again.’ But has the international community kept their word? From Mexico to Myanmar, conflicts and humanitarian crises have multiplied.
Global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration
By Prasad Kariyawasam Colombo, Sri Lanka, Oct 31 (IPS) – At this crucial juncture of international migration, where numerous push and pull factors have engendered unprecedented migration flows across the globe, the ongoing discussions at the United Nations must lead…
UN Security Council: Refer Burma to the ICC
The United Nations Security Council should refer Burma to the International Criminal Court (ICC) because of Burma’s failure to investigate mass atrocities against ethnic Rohingya, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing a new question-and-answer document. UN member countries should…
Scientists discover hidden chamber in Egypt’s Great Pyramid
Cairo, Nov 2 (AP/UNB) — Scientists have found a hidden chamber in Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza, the first such discovery in the structure since the 19th century and one likely to spark a new surge of interest in the…
How long will UN Security Council be missing in action on Burma?
New Resolution Opportunity for Council to Address Crisis Philippe Bolopion Two months into one of the most vicious ethnic cleansing campaigns in recent history, the United Nations Security Council is still missing in action. For all its pledges to protect…
Rosatom chief for priority to develop global nuke power industry
Dhaka – The Director General of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM Alexey Likhachev, emphasized the main priorities for development of the global nuclear power industry for in the near future. He was speaking at the International Ministerial Conference…
Longest living dolphin in captivity dies in Japan aquarium
A female bottlenose dolphin has died at a Japanese aquarium only weeks after breaking a national record of more than four decades in captivity, an official said Thursday. Nana, thought to be around 47 years old, was discovered drowned on…
UN call for safe voluntary repatriation of refugees
United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees (Protection) Volker Turk has urged the Myanmar government to ensure a safe environment and the protection of all communities in Rakhine State. Turk reiterated the right of return of the hundreds of thousands…
Another 3000 Rohingyas wait at no-man’s land to enter
Around 3,000 more Rohingyas, fleeing persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have gathered at the no-man’s land of Anjumanpara along the border in Ukhia upazila on Wednesday to enter Bangladesh. Major Iqbal Ahmed, deputy captain of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)-34 Battalion,…
Hasina 30th among 100 most powerful women in world
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken the 30th position on the list of 100 most powerful women in the world this year. Forbes’ another list of the ‘World’s 22 Most Powerful Women in Politics’, Sheikh Hasina reserved the 9th rank…
Suu Kyi visits Myanmar region torn by Rohingya conflict
Yangon, Nov 2 (AP/UNB) – Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi visited the conflict-torn area of northern Rakhine state for the first time Thursday, as her government said a repatriation plan for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who’ve…
Mounting illicit financial outflows from South
By Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Zera Zuryana Idris Kuala Lumpur, Oct 31 (IPS) – Although quite selective, targeted, edited and carefully managed, last year’s Panama Papers highlighted some problems associated with illicit financial flows, such as tax evasion and avoidance.…
The assertion of identity
By Chandra Muzaffar News reports about communities and regions asserting their identity are capturing media headlines everywhere. While the media gives a lot of coverage to an event or action connected with the phenomenon — a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan…
Global media and info literacy confce underlines collaboration
Montego Bay, Jamaica – The sixth annual celebration of global media and information literacy (MIL) was held in West Indies university Mona, Kingston, Jamaica from 24-27 October last.
Yangon blames Dhaka for Rohingya repatriation delay
Myanmar insisted on Wednesday it was ready to set up a repatriation process for Rohingya Muslims even as more risked their lives fleeing the country, but it voiced fears Bangladesh was delaying an accord to first get international aid money.…
Dhaka seeks EU support for ending Rohingya crisis
Citing the recent engagements between Myanmar and Bangladesh, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Wednesday expressed hope that the European Union will continue their persuasion with Myanmar until the Rohingyas return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity. The…
US likely to live up to Paris accord: UN environment chief
Geneva, Oct 31 (AP/UNB) – The head of the U.N. environment program said Tuesday the United States is likely to live up to the Paris climate deal despite President Donald Trump’s planned pullout, because “all the big American companies” are…
‘Cowardly act of terror’: Truck driver kills 8 on bike path
New York, Nov 1 (AP/UNB) — A man in a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists along a busy bike path near the World Trade Center memorial on Tuesday, killing at least eight and seriously injuring 11 in…
Rohingya Crisis: EU Commissioner Stylianides reaffirms support
Brussels/Dhaka, 31 Oct – The Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides has started a two-day visit to Bangladesh, to assess the situation on the ground and visit EU aid projects that are addressing the Rohingya refugee crisis.…
EU Commissioner in Dhaka to address Rohingya crisis
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management of European Commission Christos Stylianides today reached here on a two-day visit to address the Rohingya crisis. His visit comes a week after the EU and its Member States pledged over 5percent of…
200 killed in tunnel collapse near N Korea nuke test site
More than 200 people are feared to have died when a tunnel caved in at North Korea’s nuclear test site after its latest detonation, a Japanese news report said Tuesday. A tunnel collapsed at Punggye-ri in early September, days after…
Unesco recognises Bangabandhu’s 7 March speech
Unesco has recognised the historic 7th March speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as an important documentary heritage. The speech has been included in the Memory of the World International Register, a list of world’s important…
7-year-old minor girl violated in Chandpur
Chandpur, Oct 31 – A seven-year-old girl was violated allegedly by a young man in Sontoshpur area of Faridganj Upazila on Monday afternoon.
Stopping child marriage forever
By Shahiduzzaman Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct 30 (IPS) – The mother moved in like a tigress to save her cub. In 2015, when her 13-year-old daughter Shumi Akhter was about to be married off, Panna Begum pleaded with her husband, Dulal…