SEPANG: Ten people were killed as the factory bus they were in plunged into a monsoon drain along Jalan S8 Pekeliling, near MAS Kargo, KL International Airport here Sunday (April 7). Eight foreigners and a local bus driver were killed…
Category: Int’l relations
Last BD national polls did not meet fairness standard: UK MP
Dhaka, April 07 – The last parliamentary polls of Bangladesh held in December did not meet the standard of fairness, said visiting member of parliament of the United Kingdom Mark Field yesterday. He said UK wants to see lively debate,…
BD Border Guards deployed in St. Martin’s island near Burma
Dhaka, Apr 7 (UNB) -The government on Sunday deployed members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at Saint Martin’s Island in Teknaf upazila in Coxs Bazar. Sources at the BGB headquarters said BGB members started patrolling the St. Martin’s Island, a…
UK has no comment on cases, Field about Tarique
Dhaka, Apr 7 (UNB) – British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field has reiterated his government’s position not to comment on individual cases though Bangladesh seeks the UK support to bring back convicted BNP leader Tarique…
World Health Day Sunday
Dhaka, Apr 7 (UNB) – The World Health Day is being observed in the country, as elsewhere across the globe, on Sunday. The theme of this year’s day is: Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for Primary Health Care (PHC) with a…
US threatens International Criminal Court
(Washington, DC) – The United States decision to impose visa bans on International Criminal Court (ICC) staff will imperil accountability for grave international crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on March 15, 2019 announced that the bans…
China says lightning caused forest fire that killed 31
Beijing, Apr 6 (AP/UNB) — Lighting sparked a forest fire in mountainous western China last month that killed 27 firefighters and four local helpers in one of the country’s deadliest days for first responders, investigators said. Acting on accounts of…
313 more courts, 346 new magistrates to reduce BD case-jam
Dhaka, Apr 5 – The BD government has planned to set up 313 more courts across the country and appoint 346 judicial magistrates, aiming to reduce the plight of justice-seekers and ease the pressure of mounting cases, official sources said.…
Growing ethnic, religious intolerance threat to Asean peace?
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr 5 2019 (IPS) – When the one-year anniversary of Malaysia’s historic presidential election outcome rolls around in early May, the wave of euphoria that followed it will be all but a wistful memory. The surprise outcome that…
China Republic still UN Security Council permanent member?
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 5 2019 (IPS) – The Republic of China (Taiwan) withdrew from the United Nations in protest when it was ousted from its highly-prized permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC) about 48 years ago. But according to…
Resolve Rohingya crisis respecting int’l laws: Swiss envoy
Dhaka, Apr 6 (UNB) – Switzerland has reiterated that all efforts towards resolving the Rohingya crisis must be guided by respect for obligations under international laws, particularly human rights law. The country has also called for full implementation of the…
David Malpass 13th President of World Bank Group
Washington, April 5 – The Executive Directors of the World Bank today unanimously selected David R. Malpass as President of the World Bank Group for a five-year term beginning on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. The Board expressed its deep gratitude…
Foreign Diplomats in BD on pleasure trip to Sreemangal
Dhaka, Apr 5 (UNB) – Diplomats stationed in Dhaka and heads of some international organisations are in Sreemangal to spend some time in one of the most verdant places in Bangladesh. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen is leading the delegation…
Myanmar military again attacking civilians in Rakhine: UN
Dhaka, Apr 5 (UNB) – The United Nations has said the Myanmar military is again carrying out attacks against its own civilians which may constitute war crimes and said they are “deeply disturbed” by the intensification of conflicts in Rakhine…
PM Hasina criticises US for issuing red alert in BD
Dhaka, Apr 5 (UNB)- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday sharply criticised the USA for issuing an alert on Bangladesh without citing any reason or giving any explanation. “I saw the USA issued an alert. They didn’t inform us why…
Samsung quarterly profit likely fell sharply as chips drop
Seoul, April 5 (AP/UNB) — Samsung Electronics Co. says it’s operating profit for the last quarter likely fell more than 60% from a year earlier amid falling memory chip prices and slowing demand for display panels. The South Korean technology…
US embassy issues security alert for its citizen in BD
Dhaka, Apr 4 (UNB) – The US embassy here on Wednesday issued fresh alert for its citizen living in Bangladesh encouraging them to exercise heightened awareness of the ongoing threat posed by transnational terrorist organizations such as ISIS and al-Qa’ida.…
Thousands missing in Mozambique following Cyclone Idai
Strong winds, heavy rains, and massive flooding caused by Cyclone Idai two weeks ago have left a trail of destruction in central Mozambique, on a scale that won’t be known until the rain waters recede. But it’s already known that since March 14,…
BNP briefs foreign diplomats on polls, democracy
Dhaka, Apr 4 (UNB) – BNP on Thursday briefed foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka about the country’s latest situation and some other issues, including party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s health condition and recent upazila polls. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam…
May: UK to seek further Brexit delay, try to break logjam
London, Apr 3 (AP/UNB) — With Britain racing toward a chaotic exit from the European Union within days, Prime Minister Theresa May veered away from the cliff-edge Tuesday, saying she would seek another Brexit delay and hold talks with the…
UN HR experts condemn Rohingya deportation by India
Geneva, April 3 (UNB) – UN human rights experts condemned the Indian Government’s decision to deport three more Rohingyas to Myanmar and urged the authorities to stop such forced deportations which are prohibited under international law. The three Rohingyas deported,…
Grassroots organising points in fight against repression
JOHANNESBURG, Apr 2 2019 (IPS) – “I never thought it would get so big and I think it is amazing.” The words of a 16-year-old Swedish teenager who skipped school to protest outside her government’s inaction on climate change. Greta Thunberg…
The NPT and conditions for nuclear disarmament
By Daryl G. Kimball Washington DC, Apr 1 2019 (IPS) – Fifty years ago, shortly after the conclusion of the 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), the United States and the Soviet Union launched the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Negotiated…
Sri Lanka: Don’t end death penalty moratorium – HRW
The Sri Lankan government should drop plans to resume executions, which would end an unofficial 43-year moratorium in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 31, 2019, President Maithripala Sirisena said that a date had been set to resume carrying out…
The case of Rohingya refugee students in BD – HRW
The Bangladeshi government has expelled scores of Rohingya refugee children from schools in southeast Bangladesh since late January 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. Officials have ordered secondary schools near the refugee settlements in the Cox’s Bazar district to dismiss Rohingya students,…
2nd woman recounts unwanted touching by Biden
Washington, Apr 2 (AP/UNB) — Aides to Joe Biden are striking a more aggressive tone as the former vice president faces scrutiny over his past behavior toward women. In a statement Monday, Biden spokesman Bill Russo blasted “right wing trolls”…
HR defenders need to be defended as much as they defend rights
GENEVA, Apr 1 2019 (IPS) – They are ordinary people – mothers, fathers, sisters, sons, daughters, brothers, friends. But for me they are extraordinary people – the ones who have the courage to stand up for everyone else’s rights. They are…
UNHCR gives buses for students in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar city
Dhaka, Apr 1 (UNB)— UN refugee agency UNHCR donated five buses for students of local colleges in Ukhiya and Cox’s Bazar city. The gesture is part of the agency’s appreciation of the local community’s role in responding to the Rohingya…
UK Parliament rejects alternatives to May’s Brexit deal
London, Apr 2 (AP/UNB) — Britain’s Parliament has spoken — and it has said no, again. Lawmakers seeking a way out of the country’s Brexit morass on Monday rejected four alternatives to the government’s unpopular European Union divorce deal that…
Slovak liberals cross fingers for election of Zuzana Čaputová
Disbelief and a hint of fear flashed across Zuzana Čaputová’s face as the news broke. After explaining to the Guardian how she would bolster the rule of law in Slovakia if elected president, Čaputová, a 45-year-old lawyer and the frontrunner…