Beijing, June 20 (AP/UNB) — The leaders of China and North Korea are holding talks in the North Korean capital. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sat down for talks Thursday…
Category: Int’l relations
Beyond the EU budget zero-sum game
by Leonardo Costa Discussion of the EU budget brings strife between supposed net contributors and beneficiaries. Yet the picture is more complex and Europe-wide taxation offers a way out. When it comes to the budget for the European Union, the…
Prioritize Rohingya rights, safety: ASEAN lawmakers
Dhaka, June 19 (UNB) – ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Progressive Voice on Wednesday said the government of Myanmar must ensure that the human rights of the Rohingya community…
New UK rules to end gender stereotypes in ads may go further
by Magadlena Zawisza Advertisers still often hit consumers with gender stereotypes. And do they often miss—at their own business expense. Remember the infamous ‘beach body ready’ campaign from 2015 for the supplement brand Protein World? It’s the one that challenged…
Invest in refugee-hosting countries matching hospitality: UN
Dhaka, June 19 – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has laid emphasis on investment in the countries which are hosting refugees despite struggle with their own economic challenges and security concerns. “I want to recognise the humanity of countries that host…
In rare article for N. Korean party daily, Xi offers ‘grand plan’
Chinese President pledges to use the upcoming summit with Kim Jong Un to strengthen Sino-DPRK ties Dagyum Ji June 19th, 2019 – Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he is open to developing a “grand plan” with North Korea to…
Independently investigate Morsy’s death: HRW
Beirut – Egyptian authorities should be investigated for the mistreatment of former President Mohamed Morsy, who died on June 17, 2019, after years of insufficient access to medical care, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday. The United Nations Human Rights Council,…
Global FDI flows fall for third consecutive year
Geneva, 13 Jun (Kanaga Raja) – Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows fell by 13 percent in 2018 to $1.3 trillion, the third consecutive year of a decline in FDI, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has…
What to expect from the Bonn climate talks this month
Bonn, 17 June, 2019 (Meena Raman) – As students, youth and environmental activists around the world staged recent protests and continue to do so demanding for urgent and greater climate action on the part of governments in combatting climate change,…
China will oppose attempts to suppress its dev, says envoy
Geneva, 13 Jun (D. Ravi Kanth) – China is ready to offer a package of market access concessions to the United States for reaching an agreement in the trade war launched by Washington, but will fiercely oppose attempts to “demonize”…
Brain disease kills more than 100 Indian children
PATNA, India, June 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – More than 100 children in the Indian state of Bihar — home to some of the country’s worst health indicators — have now been killed by a brain virus potentially linked to lychees,…
BD embassy holds ‘Voice of Conscience’ premiere in Washington
Dhaka, June 18 (UNB) – The Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, DC organised the premiere of documentary ‘Voice of Conscience’ by eminent journalist and human rights activist Shahriar Kabir in the USA on Monday. The premiere was held as a part…
Egypt’s ousted president Morsi dies in court during trial
Cairo, Jun 18 (AP/UNB) — Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi who was ousted by the military in 2013 after a year in office, collapsed in court while on trial Monday and died, state TV and his…
Tensions rise as Iran speeds up enrichment, US sends troops
Tehran, Jun 18 (AP/UNB) — Iran will surpass the uranium-stockpile limit set by its nuclear deal in the next 10 days, an official said Monday, raising pressure on Europeans trying to save the accord a year after the U.S. withdrawal…
UN releases special video featuring 2 BD female pilots
Dhaka, June 17 (UNB) – The United Nations (UN) has released a special video featuring Flight Lieutenants Nayma Haque and Tamanna-E-Lutfi who brought much pride for Bangladesh through serving in UN peacekeeping mission as helicopter pilots in the sub-Saharan country…
Indian envoy visits Khagrachhari BD-IND Moitree Bridge site
Khagrachhari, June 16 (UNB)- Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das visited the under-construction Bangladesh-India Moitree Bridge-1 and Ramgarh land port here on Sunday. While visiting the sites Riva Ganguli said, “Moitree Bridge and land port will increase scopes…
Over 40% of newly elected Indian lawmakers facing charges
New Delhi, Jun 16 (AP/UNB) — India’s recent national election delivered a historic victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, but also exposed the influence of money, power and questionable morality on the world’s largest democracy. Nearly 43%…
Teesta, Rohingya feature Dhaka-Delhi Foreign Minister-level talks
Dhaka, June 15 – Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has asked his new Indian counterpart S Jaishankar to expedite initiatives to resolve the Teesta issue and sought active supports over the Rohingya crisis in their maiden talks in Tajikistan,…
BSF DG dubs border killings ‘unfortunate deaths’
Dhaka, June 15 – The chief of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has called the killings of Bangladeshi nationals along the border ‘unfortunate deaths’. BSF Director General Rajni Kant Mishra insisted that the Indian border guards use non-lethal weapons and…
Hong Kong leader suspends unpopular bill for now
Hong Kong, Jun 15 (AP/UNB) -Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said she will suspend a proposed extradition bill indefinitely. Lam told media Saturday she took the move in response to widespread public unhappiness over the measure, which would…
Asia-Pacific Region falters on UN development goals
By Thalif Deen UN, Jun 14, 2019 (IPS) – UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a Chatham House meeting in London last week that the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of the legacies of the late Secretary-General Kofi Annan,…
An uncertain future for Palestinian refugees
By Charlotte Munns UN, Jun 12 2019 (IPS) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been forced to justify its existence at the United Nations ahead of a pledging conference…
UK lab destroys largest world stock of animal-killing virus
Scientists have destroyed the UK’s laboratory stocks of a virus that once caused devastating cattle losses. These stocks accounted for most of the world’s lab samples of rinderpest, which were held at The Pirbright Institute in Surrey. Rinderpest and the…
Formal education for Rohingyas in multi-year planning urged
Dhaka, June 14 (UNB)— Speakers at a roundtable suggested engaging Rohingyas in multi-year planning, providing formal education and more support as their repatriation continues to be delayed. They also urged involving Rohingyas with meaningful and productive activities. National Daily Samakal…
BBC’s Global Food Chain Champion India School Meals Project
On Wednesday evening at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in Bristol, the BBC World Service Global Champion Award was presented to Akshaya Patra – the world’s largest charity-run school meals project. This is the third year The Food Chain…
5 testify in Holey Artisan Café attack case
Dhaka, June 13 – The Anti-terrorism Special Tribunal of Dhaka yesterday recorded the depositions of five policemen in the Holey Artisan café attack case and later Judge Md Mojibur Rahman of fixed June 18, as the date for next hearing…
Shops in Hong Kong close doors to ‘find breath of freedom’
Hong Kong, Jun 13 (AP/UNB) — By the entrance of his restaurant, Kelvin Chung hung a piece of paper announcing the restaurant’s intention to strike on Wednesday. “Hoping to find a breath of freedom,” the sign said, adding that the…
Iran newspaper asks Abe: How Can You Trust A War Criminal’
Tehran, Jun 12 (AP/UNB) — With Japan’s prime minister on the way to Tehran for a historic visit, a hard-line Iranian paper published a front page image Wednesday of a mushroom cloud from a nuclear blast — a reference to…
Islamic State in Afghanistan aims to attack US, general says
Ramstein Jun 13 (AP/UNB) — The Islamic State group in Afghanistan is a “very worrisome” threat to the United States, and U.S. counterterrorism efforts have yet to shrink its extremist ambitions, a senior American general said Wednesday. Marine Gen. Frank…
BD businesses keen to boost investment in African nations
Dhaka, June 12 (UNB) – The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) on Wednesday expressed its keen interest to develop trade relations with and enhance Bangladeshi investment in the African countries. The interest was conveyed at a…