BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday alleged that now the human rights in the country is not only under threat but also on the verge of ruination. “The government itself is violating the human rights,” he said…
Category: Int’l relations
DCC polls not possible in Jan, says CEC
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Tuesday said it is not possible to arrange polls to bifurcated Dhaka City Corporation in January next. “Why should I hold election in January? We’ll need more time to take our preparations. Time…
Relations with Bangladesh elevated to new paradigm: Pranab
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said Bangladesh-India relations were elevated to a whole new paradigm with the visit of the Bangladesh Prime Minister to New Delhi in 2010 and the subsequent visit by the Indian Prime Minister to Dhaka…
Military, police better not work together as in Rab: US official
A senior US official has apparently suggested that the military and police had better not work together, as they now do at RAB – but if they have to, there should be adequate oversight and accountability. The US assistant secretary…
Outgoing Canadian envoy meets Khaleda
Outgoing Canadian High Commissioner in Dhaka Heather Cruden met BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday. The hour-long meeting that began around 8:30pm was held at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.
Syria conflict: UN in record humanitarian aid appeal
The UN says it will need a record $16bn (£10.5bn; 13.3bn euros) to fund its humanitarian operations next year, with almost half the total going to help victims of the Syrian conflict.
Iran’s President Rouhani warns against corruption
President Hassan Rouhani has spoken out against corruption in Iran and warned that it is “endangering” the country’s Islamic Revolution.
Shrien Dewani murder case thrown out by South African judge
British businessman Shrien Dewani has been cleared of murdering his wife during their South Africa honeymoon, after the judge threw out the case.
China Temples to get ‘authenticity certificates’
Temples in China will be given certificates to show they’re legitimate, in an attempt to stop worshippers from being scammed, it’s reported. Religious authorities are handing out the documents to real Buddhist and Taoist temples to differentiate them from fake…
Typhoon Hagupit sweeps across Philippines
Typhoon Hagupit is sweeping across the Philippines, toppling trees and power lines and threatening areas with heavy rain, flooding and mudslides.
Typhoon Hagupit batters Philippines
Typhoon Hagupit is sweeping across the eastern Philippines, toppling trees and power lines and threatening coastal areas with a powerful sea-surge. More than half a million people have fled coastal villages in the area, which was still recovering from Typhoon…
China arrests ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang
Ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang, the most senior Chinese official to be investigated for corruption, has been arrested and expelled from the Communist Party, state media report. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s top prosecuting body, said it had opened a formal…
Dhaka offers Thimpu partnership in its hydro-power projects
Bangladesh urged Bhutan to consider it as a partner in its future hydro-power projects as Dhaka and Thimpu on Saturday agreed to bridge the existing trade gap between two countries through the expansion of trade and commerce. The request came…
Al-Qaeda chief Adnan el Shukrijumah ‘killed in Pakistan’
A senior al-Qaeda militant, accused of planning to bomb trains in New York and London, has been killed in Pakistan, the country’s military says.
UK-born US journalist Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie have been killed by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen during a failed rescue bid.
Bhutanese PM Tshering arrives in Dhaka on 3-day visit
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay arrived in Dhaka on Saturday morning on a three-day official visit at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. An aircraft of Royal Bhutan Airlines “Drukair” carried the Bhutanese Premier and the…
Upstream superpowers: Chinese, Indian policies more alike
by Sanjib Baruah Chinese and Indian policies on river systems are more alike than different. On November 23, the first power-generating unit of the Zangmu hydropower complex on the Yarlung Tsangpo or the Brahmaputra in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region became…
Al-Qaeda chief Adnan el Shukrijuma ‘killed in Pakistan’
A senior al-Qaeda militant, accused of planning to bomb trains in New York and London, has been killed in Pakistan, the country’s military says. Adnan el Shukrijumah was killed in a raid in north-western Pakistan, near the Afghan border, the…
Why rights-based approaches to mitigate deforestation matter
Francesco Martone Deforestation and climate change are human rights issues. Indigenous peoples must be at the forefront of future mitigation and adaptation actions. Forests have been at the centre of climate change negotiations for many years now, in particular in…
US tried to stop January 5 election, says PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said the USA had tried its best to stop the January 5 election in Bangladesh, which was inevitable to continue democracy and constitutional rule. “They (USA) tried their best to make sure that this…
ICC drops Uhuru Kenyatta charges for Kenya ethnic violence
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague have withdrawn charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Comment on Nisha Desai further isolates Dhaka
Mohammad Zainal Abedin writes from NY Ruling Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on November 28 branded American Assistant Secretary of South Asia & Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal, as minister of ‘dhuee ana’ (two pennies). This is…
Turkey’s landmines kill civilians fleeing Kobani
Istanbul – Landmines placed decades ago by the Turkish military have killed at least three civilians trying to flee Syria and injured at least nine others, Human Rights Watch said today. The landmines, in a restricted zone along the border…
Death sentence for facebook posts?
New York – Iran’s judiciary should vacate the death sentence of a 30-year-old man who faces imminent execution for Facebook posts linked to his account. On November 24, 2014, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld a criminal court ruling sentencing Soheil Arabi…
West Bengal CM Mamata agrees to Land Boundary Agreement
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced her approval to the Indo-Bangla Land Boundary Agreement, brightening the prospect for the implementation of the long-pending deal, saying “the problem will be solved soon”. “A solution is being worked out…
Lebanon ‘holding IS leader’s daughter and ex-wife’
DNA tests confirm Lebanon is holding the young daughter of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the country’s interior minister says.
President Putin urges Russian resilience for hard times
President Vladimir Putin has warned Russians of hard times ahead and urged self-reliance, in his annual state-of-the nation address to parliament.
Global Social Business Summit concludes in Mexico City
The Global Social Business Summit took place in Mexico City from 27-28 November 2014. It was inaugurated by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus on the morning of 27 November at Expo Bancomer convention centre in Mexico City. Professor Yunus made…
Islamic State: Coalition fight against IS ‘may take years’ – Kerry
The international coalition’s fight against the Islamic State militant group may take years, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said.
Egypt sentences 188 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death
More than 180 supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood have been sentenced to death in Egypt over a 2013 attack on a police station near Cairo.