The Nepal government urged nations to send aid and braced for the toll to rise after rescuers overnight were hampered by strong aftershocks, blocked highways and a lack of equipment. People used their hands in many places to dig for…
Category: Int’l relations
UN urges peafeful, trnsparent election
The United Nations on Sunday urged all concerned in Bangladesh to ensure a transparent, peaceful and inclusive election process. “The United Nations urges all concerned to ensure a transparent, peaceful, and inclusive election process,” said UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh…
City to be foolproof security zone for polls: DMP Commissioner
A foolproof security zone will be created in the capital on the day of the City Corporation elections so that voters can cast their votes without any fear. “A foolproof security zone will be created in the city on the…
Devastating Nepal earthquake death toll rises to 758, triggers deadly Everest avalanche
The death toll in the powerful earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday has risen to 758, a home ministry official said, of which 467 were in the Kathmandu Valley that is the most heavily populated part of the Himalayan country.
Nepal earthquake worst in 80 years: Death toll crosses 1,865
A powerful earthquake — the country’s worst in 80 years — rocked mountainous Nepal on Saturday, killing more than 1,800 people and leveling buildings and centuries-old temples. Dozens if not hundreds remained trapped under mounds of rubble. Hospitals in the…
Refrain from any actions that spark more violence: EU
The spokesperson of the European Eunion has called upon all sides to refrain from actions, centring on the elections, that could spark more violence in Bangladesh. The statement issued from Brussels on Friday was as follows: “In the run up…
Gallipoli centenary: Australia, New Zealand mark Anzac Day
Australia and New Zealand are remembering soldiers from the two countries who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War One. An indigenous Australian didgeridoo player began the ceremony before dawn.
Report slams Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh over Rohingya plight
Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar must do more to protect vulnerable refugees – particularly Myanmar’s stateless Rohingya Muslims – from being victimised by human traffickers, says Fortify Rights, a U.S.-based human rights advocacy group. A year-long investigation by the grop…
Mexico Govt brushing off report of another massacre of civilians
Word emerged this week that Mexican government forces were likely behind a mass killing of civilians in the state of Michoacán, the third extrajudicial massacre by state forces known in Mexico in less than a year. The government said it…
US strike inadvertently killed US, Italian hostages; Obama apologizes
A US drone strike in January targeting an al Qaeda compound in Pakistan near the Afghan border inadvertently killed an American and an Italian who had been held hostage for years by the group, US officials said on Thursday.
High level’ of radiation detected in Tokyo park
Japanese authorities have detected an unusually high level of radiation around playground equipment in a Tokyo park, report local media. The park, in the Toshima ward in central Tokyo, has been fenced off.
Warehouse strike threatens Yemen aid delivery
Beirut – An airstrike by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition that destroyed a humanitarian aid warehouse in northern Yemen on April 18, 2015, was an apparent violation of the laws of war. The attack in Saada killed at least one unidentified…
Will Europe make migrant crisis worse?
Bill Frelick “Tragic developments” was the apt descriptionby the European Commission of what may prove to be the largest maritime disaster the Mediterranean has seen. But while European officials have been quick with sympathetic words following the capsizing on Saturday…
Rana Plaza factory collapse still plagues survivors
Emma Daly Roksana and Beauty lingered outside that fateful morning two years ago – neither wanted to go inside to start turning out jeans and shirts in the factories housed in Rana Plaza the day after they had been evacuated…
Cantt best location for army as reserve force for polls: CEC
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has said the army can best fulfill its role as a reserve force during the three city corporation elections from inside the cantonments. “The cantonment is centrally located in Dhaka. It is ideal to…
Campaign launches to elect first female UN Secretary-General Since its founding 70 years ago, the United Nations has been led by men, a tradition that some women’s rights advocates are determined to break when the global body elects a new secretary-general…
Ban ki-moon for safe, secure environ for polls campaigning
Un secretary general Ban ki-moon has underlined the need for secure and safe environment for campaigning only though which transparent, inclusive and credible electios are possible. This was sated by Moon’s spokeman Stéphane Dujarric in the daily noon briefing at…
2 years after Rana Plaza Tragedy, rights abuses still rampant
By Kanya D’Almeida and Naimul Haq DHAKA, Apr 2015 (IPS) – Some say they were beaten with iron bars. Others confess their families have been threatened with death. One pregnant woman was assaulted with metal curtain rods. These are not…
Saudis end air campaign in Yemen, seek political solution
Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday it was ending a month-long campaign of air strikes against the Houthi rebels who seized large areas of Yemen and said it would back a political solution to bring peace to its war-ravaged neighbor.
EU awareness seminars on Horizon 2020 program held
Two awareness seminars on Horizon 2020, the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) were held in Chittagong and Dhaka on 21-22 April respectively. The two seminars were…
Bnp briefs diplomats: Khaleda’s motorcade attacked again
The BNP on Tuesday briefed the diplomats of 16 countries and the EU stationed in Dhaka about Monday’s attack on its chairperson Khaleda Zia’s motorcade in the city’s Karwanbazar area during her electioneering. A four-member delegation of BNP, led by…
South Africa’s ‘Rainbow Nation’ turns dark as immigrant attacks rise
When he heard angry screams and the hammering of hatchets on the door of his shack last week, Malawian Folias Sakai thought he was about to become the eighth person to be killed in anti-immigrant attacks that have swept South…
China’s Xi Jinping agrees $46bn superhighway to Pakistan
China’s President Xi Jinping has signed agreements with Pakistan promising investment of $46bn (£30.7bn). The focus of spending is on building a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a network of roads, railway and pipelines between the long-time allies.
Hundreds drown off Libya, EU leaders forced to reconsider migrant crisis
As many as 700 migrants were feared dead on Sunday after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean, raising pressure on Europe to face down anti-immigrant bias and find money for support as turmoil in Libya and the Middle East worsens…
Country lost 6000 sq km in ITLOS verdict for weak policy: Bnp
BNP on Thursday alleged that Bangladesh has lost around 6,000 square kilometres of sea areas with the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas judgement and complained that it reflected India’s will. The party also alleged that the verdict…
Continue operation, trace Bnp’s Salahuddin: HC
The High Court on Monday ordered the police to continue their regular operation to trace missing BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed and submit their progress report to the Home Ministry over the next six months. An HC bench comprising Justice Quamrul…
4th US-Bangla partnership dialogue April 29-30
The fourth Partnership Dialogue between Bangladesh and the United States will be held here on April 29-30 to review the progress and identify areas for cooperation on bilateral, regional and international priorities. It will also focus on the expansion of…
South Africa anti-immigrant violence: Hundreds held
More than 300 people have been arrested in South Africa in connection with a wave of violence against immigrants from other parts of Africa, the minister of home affairs says.
Afghanistan suicide bomb in Jalalabad leaves many dead
At least 33 people have been killed and 100 injured in a suicide bomb attack in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.
Saudi Arabia pledges $274m to meet UN call for Yemen aid
Saudi Arabia, which is leading an air campaign against rebels in Yemen, has pledged to provide exactly the amount of emergency aid to the country as called for in a UN appeal on Friday. The official Saudi news agency said…