Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his 100th birth anniversary.
Category: Int’l relations
COVID-19: States mustn’t abuse emergency to suppress HR
UN human rights experts on Monday urged states to avoid overreach of security measures in their response to the coronavirus outbreak and reminded them that emergency powers should not be used to quash dissent.
Bangladesh rejects US human rights report as ‘one-sided’
The government has rejected as “one-sided and unacceptable” a human rights report in which the US criticised Bangladesh over “lopsided” 2018 parliamentary polls.
Cross-border train, bus services to India suspended
Dhaka, March 13 – Following India’s decision suspending all visas, barring a select few categories, the existing Indo-Bangla cross-border passenger train and bus services will remain suspended from March 15 to April 15.
Xi calls UN chief for urgent int’l action against COVID-19
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over phone, urging the international community to take urgent action in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.
China’s expert team, medical supplies fly into Rome
A charter flight carrying a 9-member Chinese aid team, along with tonnes of medical supplies, arrived at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Thursday night, in part of China’s efforts to help Italy contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Fakhrul ‘cancelled’ scheduled meeting with Indian FS
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir reportedly cancelled a pre-set meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla though it was Fakhrul’s request to have a meeting, an informed source said here on Wednesday.
Thakurgaon man humiliates wife in public
A woman has reportedly been forced to swallow urine after her head was shaved by her husband at Mistripara in Baliadangi upazila for her refusal to engage in anti-social activities.
PM Hasina’s Tokyo visit postponed in view of COVID – 19
Dhaka, March 10 – The scheduled visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan on March 30 has been postponed considering the global outbreak of the COVID-19, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said yesterday.
Xi makes 1st visit since outbreak to China’s epicenter Wuhan
President Xi Jinping visited China’s virus epicenter Tuesday for the first time since cases of a then-unidentified respiratory illness emerged in the city of Wuhan in December.
US starts troop pullout, seeks end to Afghan leaders’ feud
The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had…
Delhi confirms Modi’s Dhaka visit deferral
Dhaka, March 10 – Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Monday confirmed the deferral of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh scheduled for March 17.
‘Safety of HR defenders, whistle blowers. Journos priority’
The protection of human rights defenders, whistle blowers and journalists, as well as freedom of expression, information and assembly must be priorities for leaders of the 54 Commonwealth countries who need to work for transparency, good governance and rule of…
International Women’s Day Sunday
Dhaka, March 08 – The International Women’s Day is being celebrated in the country, as elsewhere across the globe, on Sunday highlighting women’s rights and equality.
On 8th March – and all the other days: Each for equal
By Prof. Margaret Kobia, Amb. Aline Kuster-Ménager, Amb. Erasmo Martinez Martine and Siddharth Chatterjee Gender equality is a basic human right and a prerequisite for sustainable development, so why does inequality persist in so many countries, and what can we…
Strong children, strong democracy
by Heinz Sünker on 3rd March 2020 Educational research models children as autonomous actors. Education policy, notably in Germany, still, however, aims to guide innate capacities into adulthood.
Video: I am generation equality: Realizing women’s rights
Mar 6 2020 (IPS) – The narrative surrounding women’s rights in 2020 carries much hope and possibility. This year’s International Women’s Day, bearing the theme “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights,” falls on the celebration’s 110th anniversary.
Interview: Libya’s chaos explained
Civilians Bear the Brunt of Renewed Fighting Hanan Salah Senior Libya Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division Amy Braunschweiger Senior Web Communications Manager Extensive fighting in Libya re-ignited last April when an armed group based in eastern Libya launched…
How have women’s legal rights evolved over the last 50 years?
Tea Trumbic Today, women have just three-quarters of the legal rights of men. In 1970, it was less than half. The Women, Business and the Law 2020 report presented results from our recent effort to document how laws have changed…
Myanmar lawyer details crimes against Rohingyas in 2013
Myanmar’s legal counsel in an ongoing genocide trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) once compared the government’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews during the Holocaust, according to a previously unreleased video footage of…
Slavery modernises, adapts to stay alive in Brazil
By Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 5 2020 (IPS) – “Slave labour is not declining; it has taken on new forms and is growing; it expanded to new sectors where it did not previously exist,” said Ivanete da Silva…
There can be no green peace without gender equality
By Jennifer Morgan AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands, Mar 5 2020 (IPS) – Gender inequality – like the climate emergency – is not inevitable, but is kept in place by the poor choices too many cis men make on a daily basis.…
Developing countries spurn US proposal on differentiation
Geneva, 4 Mar (D. Ravi Kanth) — India, South Africa, China, and several other countries have spurned the controversial proposal from the United States to bring about differentiation for availing of special and differential treatment (S&DT) among developing countries in…
To attack a female journalist’s credibility, go after her body
By Natalie Southwick and Renata Neder NEW YORK, Mar 4 2020 (IPS) – Brazilian journalist Patrícia Campos Mello made her career reporting from conflict zones around the world — but lately, the greatest threats to her security are coming from…
World remains violent, highly discriminatory place for girls
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 4 2020 (IPS) – Twenty-five years after the historic Beijing women’s conference in China – a milestone in advancing equal rights – violence against women and girls is not only common, but widely accepted, a new UN…
Govt not ‘embarrassed’ over dissent on Modi’s visit: Quader
The government is not ‘embarrassed’ over the call to resist Narandra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh and the protesters should welcome him, said Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday.
India for border free from criminal acts: Shringla
India on Monday said there is equal number of Indian citizens getting killed along the border and stressed keeping the border safe free from any kind of criminal activities through joint cooperation.
Indian FS Shringla in city to finalise Modi’s visit
Dhaka, March 02 – Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla arrived here on Monday morning to finalise things ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit this month.
Coronavirus: Nasa images show China pollution clear amid slowdown
Satellite images have shown a dramatic decline in pollution levels over China, which is “at least partly” due to an economic slowdown prompted by the coronavirus, US space agency Nasa says.
Muhyiddin Yassin new Malaysia PM, Mahathir loses bid
Kuala Lumpur, AP/UNB, Feb 29 – Malaysia’s king has appointed seasoned politician Muhyiddin Yassin as the new prime minister, trumping Mahathir Mohamad’s bid to return to power after a week of political turmoil that followed his resignation as prime minister.