Iraqi forces said they fought off an overnight attack by Islamic State militants near the city of Ramadi, which the insurgents overran at the weekend in the most significant setback for the government in a year.Islamic State is seeking to…
Category: Int’l relations
US fears Shia militias could worsen Iraqi sectarian fires
The use of Shia militias to try to take back the Iraqi city of Ramadi from Islamic State risks unleashing more sectarian bloodletting, current and former US officials said, but Washington and Baghdad appear to have few other options.
“These are people floating around, waiting to die”
Interview with Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch Thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims remain stranded at sea without adequate food and water. On Wednesday, 20 May, Malaysia and Indonesia finally bowed to mounting international pressure, announcing that they would offer…
Branded a troublemaker – Ruth’s story
Birgit Schwarz As a little girl, Ruth Riviera (not her real name) loved to step into her dad’s army boots and strut around the house with pride and self-importance. Her dad, a Non-Commission Officer in the US Army, was her…
6 Baltimore officers involved in Freddie Gray’s death indicted
By Kayla Ruble A grand jury has decided to indict the six Baltimore police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray, who died after sustaining a severed spine while in police custody in April. Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby…
Sold for ransom: On the trail of Thailand’s human traffickers
By Jonathan Head As the trade in human beings becomes more and more profitable, the BBC’s Jonathan Head discovers that entire communities in Thailand are helping the traffickers. Earlier this month, I accompanied a group of Thai volunteers through the…
Islamic State ‘in control’ of Syria’s Palmyra
Islamic State militants have taken near complete control of the Syrian city of Palmyra, home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient ruins. There are fears that the militants will destroy the ruins, which Unesco has designated a World…
Missing migrant boat found as countries offer shelter
Migrants found by the BBC last week drifting off the coast of Thailand have been rescued by Indonesian fishermen. A BBC reporter who reached their boat says it is filthy and insect-infested. In a significant change, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed…
ISIS tightens its grip on Iraqi twon of Ramadi
Islamic State militants are cementing their hold on Ramadi – the Iraqi city they captured on Sunday, reports say. Militants were going door-to-door looking for government sympathisers and throwing bodies in the nearby Euphrates river, residents were quoted as saying.
‘Clinton emails won’t be released until January 2016
By Jason Leopold Roughly 55,000 pages worth of emails that belong to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won’t be released any time soon, according to court papers filed Monday night, which say the State Department doesn’t intend to make the…
Bnp slams Govt for advocating ‘limited democracy’
BNP on Monday voiced deep concern over Awami League-led 14-party spokesman Mohammad Nasim’s assertion that they do not believe in ‘too much of democracy’, BNP on Monday alleged that the government is plotting to annihilate democracy in the name of…
Islamic State says it has full control of Iraq’s Ramadi
Islamic State militants said they had taken full control of the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday in the biggest defeat for the Baghdad government since last summer.In a statement, the group said it had seized tanks and killed…
Iraqi city of Ramadi falls to Islamic State
The Iraqi city of Ramadi has fallen to Islamic State (IS) after government forces abandoned their positions, officials say. The police and military made a chaotic retreat after days of intense fighting. But the US refused to confirm the capture,…
IS militants being smuggled to Europe with boat refugee
Islamic State (IS) is smuggling militants from North Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea in ships carrying thousands of immigrants.Libyan government adviser Abdul Basit Haroun has told the BBC that a large part of human trafficking from North Africa…
Myanmar denies responsbility for migrant boat crisis
Myanmar’s government has said it is not responsible for the migrant boat crisis in south-east Asia, and may not attend an emergency summit on the issue. Thousands of migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar are feared stranded in boats in the…
10 policemen died in attacks by miscreants in 2014
A total of 102 on-duty members of Bangladesh Police died of sickness, road accidents or attacks by miscreants in 2014. The deceased included 12 sub-inspectors(SIs), 12 ASIs, three inspectors, one ASP, one sergeant, one TSI (town sub-inspector), three ATSI, two…
Reconstitute Human Rights Commission: Bnp
BNP on Saturday demanded the government reconstitute the statuary National Human Rights Commission. “The current human rights commission formed by the government is an ineffective institution… human rights is a parameter to consider a democratic country. The HR condition in…
Eight bodies recovered from wreckage of US helicopter in Nepal
The bodies of eight soldiers have been recovered from the wreckage of a US military helicopter lost on an earthquake relief mission in Nepal high on a mountainside, Nepali officials said on Saturday.The remains would soon be transferred to Kathmandu,…
Egypt’s Morsi sentenced to death
An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted president Mohammed Morsi to death over a mass prison break in 2011. The former leader has already been sentenced to 20 years in jail for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his…
Indonesia military imposing ‘virginity tests’
Jakarta – International military physicians convening in Indonesia should urge President Joko Widodo to abolish discriminatory and invasive “virginity tests” for female recruits and fiancées of military officers in the Indonesian armed forces, Human Rights Watch said today. The International…
Islamabad blames India for terror in Pakistan
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Thursday alleged that Indian foreign intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was “involved in various terrorist activities” in his country.During an informal interaction with journalists here, Chaudhry said RAW was involved in…
Toll rises to 96 in Tuesday’s Nepal quake
The toll in the powerful earthquake that rocked Nepal on Tuesday has reached 96, Nepal Police said on Thursday.The 7.3- magnitude quake with the epicentre in Dolakha district, some 130 km east of Kathmandu, caused heavy human loss as well…
Modi on China visit in a diplomacy of mutual conveniene
Indian PM Narendra Modi is in China on a three-day visit intended to boost economic co-operation but in danger of being overshadowed by mutual mistrust. Ties between the two countries are strained because of a long-running border dispute.
UN condemns killing of blogger Ananta Das
The United Nations has condemned the brutal killing of Ananta Bijoy Das, another fatal attack against online activists in Bangladesh. The UN called for thorough investigations into these crimes to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Motorcycle gunmen kill 43 in bus attack in Pakistan’s Karachi
Gunmen on motorcycles boarded a bus and opened fire on commuters in Pakistan’s volatile southern city of Karachi on Wednesday, killing at least 43, police said, in the latest attack directed against religious minorities this year.
US condemns blogger Ananta murder
The United States has condemned the brutal murder of writer and blogger Ananta Bijoy Das, the latest in a recent string of attacks against writers and bloggers in Bangladesh. “The United States condemns the brutal murder of writer/blogger Ananta Bijoy…
North Korea’s Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol executed
North Korea’s Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol has been executed, South Korea’s spy agency has told parliament, according to media reports. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said MPs were told Mr Hyon had been killed on 30 April by anti-aircraft fire…
At least 42 killed as second major earthquake hits Nepal
By Sally Hayden Another earthquake has hit Nepal killing at least 37, just over two weeks after a 7.8 earthquake resulted in the deaths of more than 8,000 people. This time the epicenter was close to the base camp of…
Europe weighs quota system, crackdown in migrant crisis
With thousands from Africa and the Middle East continuing to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, Europe’s response to the crisis seemingly comes down to two choices: Stanch the flow, or accept and resettle the migrants. Now, however, it…
Another strong earthquake hits Nepal, 26 killed
At least 26 people were killed and over 150 were injured when a big earthquake struck Nepal on Tuesday.Initial reports reaching here said that 19 people were killed in Dolakha district, located about 170 km from here.