ROME, Mar 22 2019 (IPS) – If we ever needed proof of how the political system has become self-referential and unable to update itself, the latest student march in more than 1,000 towns is a very good example. Of course, politicians…
Category: Int’l relations
Thailand election: Pro-military political party takes lead
A pro-military political party in Thailand has taken an unexpected lead in the country’s first election since the army took power five years ago. With more than 90% of ballots counted, the Palang Pracha Rath Party has gained 7.6 million…
BD turning into a land of enforced disappearances
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the arch-rival of the ruling Awami League, yesterday accused the government of turning Bangladesh into a state of enforced disappearances. “Numerous leaders and activists of BNP and opposition have been victims of enforced disappearances…The government now…
115 dead after ethnic militia attack central Malian village
Mali, Mar 24 (AP/UNB) — Militia fighters descended on a village in central Mali before dawn Saturday, killing at least 115 people in the latest deadly attack blamed on an ethnic militia, local authorities said. The massacre in the village…
Brexit march: Million joined protest for fresh referendum
Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in central London calling for another EU referendum, as MPs search for a way out of the Brexit impasse. Organisers of the “Put It To The People” campaign say more than a million…
Christchurch attacks: Al-Noor mosque reopens to worshippers
Worshippers have returned to the Al-Noor mosque in Christchurch for the first time since a mass shooting there in which dozens of people were killed. The building had closed so police could investigate the attack but on Saturday small groups…
Additional investments, focus on rural dev in Global South
IFAD Vice-President at global conference to call for additional investments and focus on rural development in Global South Buenos Aires, 20 March 2019 – The world needs to harness the power of exchanges between countries in the Global South if…
Russia implements comprehensive LNG project
March 21, 2019 – Rostec State Corporation and the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region signed an agreement on implementing a comprehensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) project Northern Dvina – LNG in the region. The document stipulates an LNG plant construction…
Chattogram, Mar 23 – Assistant High Commissioner of India in Chattogram Anindya Banerjee on Saturday said around 1.45 mln Bangladeshi nationals visited India in 2018 on tourism, medical and business purposes. At a press briefing at the assistant high commission’s…
Indian PM Modi greets Pakistan PM Imran Khan on Pak Nat’l Day
New Delhi, March 23 (Xinhua/UNB)- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, greeting him on the occasion of Pakistan’s national day, confirmed an official source in the Indian external affairs ministry on Saturday.…
BD High Court bans movie on wrongly imprisoned Jaha Alam
Dhaka, March 20 – The High Court (HC) on Wednesday banned the making of any movie or drama on Jaha Alam, who was wrongly imprisoned for three years in place of the real accused, in connection with more than two…
Israeli forces’ 2018 Gaza actions may constitute war crimes
Geneva (Kanaga Raja) – During the large-scale demonstrations that began in Gaza on 30 March 2018, individual members of the Israeli Security Forces, in the course of their response to the demonstrations, killed and injured civilians who were neither directly…
World’s Largest Criminal Industry: Modern Slavery
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 19 2019 (IPS) – Modern slavery and human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal industries and one of the biggest human rights crises today, United Nations and government officials said. During an event as part of…
Thailand: Structural Flaws Subvert Election – HRW
(New York) – Thailand’s military government has failed to create conditions for a free and fair national election on March 24, 2019, Human Rights Watch said. The process for forming a new government, in which the junta-appointed Senate will have half the…
UN concerned at fresh fighting in Rakhine
Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB) – UN acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Knut Ostby has expressed deep concern over new reports of fighting between the “Arakan Army” and Myanmar security forces causing civilian casualties and displacement of communities in…
Dhaka issues travel advice for BD nationals in Australia
Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB) – Bangladesh has issued travel advice for its nationals living in Australia and travelling to the country. They are advised to be vigilant at all times, particularly in public places, stay informed of potential risks to…
Asian shares advance under impact of US-China trade talks
Tokyo, Mar 18 (AP/UNB) — Shares rose in Asia on Monday as investors awaited signs the U.S. and China could be making progress in negotiations on resolving the trade war between the two biggest economies. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added…
Attack on Dutch city of Utrecht; Bangladeshis safe
Dhaka, Mar 18 – No Bangladeshi national has been affected due to latest terror attack in the Dutch city of Utrecht that left three dead and nine others injured, says the Bangladesh Embassy in The Hague on Monday. Bangladesh nationals…
ACC to seek stay on production of Jaha Alam movie
Dhaka, March 18 – The Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC is going to file a petition with the High Court today (Tuesday) seeking a stay order on making of a film based on the story of the wrongly imprisoned Jaha Alam.…
Dhaka issues travel alert for Bangladesh nationals in NZ
Dhaka, March 18 – Bangladesh government has issued travel alerts for its citizens who are living in New Zealand or preparing to visit the country after the gruesome attacks on two mosques in Christchurch. Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday…
BD rejects US report on HR, sends protest note
Dhaka, Mar 18 (UNB) – Bangladesh has rejected the US State Department’s 2018 country reports on human rights practices saying many things about Bangladesh mentioned in the report ‘by and large’ more applicable to the US rather than Bangladesh. “I’ve…
After terror attack, New Zealand leader shows resolve, empathy
Christchurch, Mar 17 (AP/UNB)— The attributes that helped Jacinda Ardern rise to become New Zealand’s leader at age 37 include her optimistic outlook and bright personality. And she became an inspiration to working women around the world last year when…
Sri Lanka seeks to send more migrant workers to the EU
The 5th meeting of the Joint Readmission Committee between Sri Lanka and the European Community was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo on 11th March 2019, the Foreign Ministry said recently. The Meeting was co-chaired by Additional Secretary…
NZ mosque shootings mentally break some BD cricketers
Dhaka, Mar 17 — Bangladesh team has returned to Bangladesh after an unexpected end of New Zealand tour. Mahmudullah Riyad, the Bangladesh Test captain during the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, said upon the return to the country that they…
Urgent call to African food sovereignty movements
JOHANNESBURG, Mar 8 2019 (IPS) – Africa is facing dire times. Climate change is having major impacts on the region and on agriculture in particular, with smallholder farmers, and especially women, facing drought, general lack of water, shifting seasons, and floods…
Was slavery world’s first human rights violation?
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 7 2019 (IPS) – The United Nations, which diligently monitors human rights violations worldwide, believes that centuries-old slavery still exists worldwide. The UN mandate on “contemporary forms of slavery” includes, but is not limited to, issues such as:…
Turbulence injures 30 on flight from Istanbul to New York
New York, Mar 10 (AP/UNB) — Severe turbulence injured 30 people aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul that landed safely at New York’s Kennedy International Airport on Saturday afternoon, officials said. Spokesman Steve Coleman of the Port Authority of…
Global Compact for safe orderly migration -Objectives
Global Compact for safe, orderly migration – Objectives Collect and utilize accurate and disaggregated data as a basis for evidence-based policies Minimize the adverse drivers and structural factors that compel people to leave their country of origin Provide accurate and…
Japanese woman honored by Guinness as oldest person at 116
Tokyo, Mar 9 (AP/UNB) — A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello was honored Saturday as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records. The global authority on records officially recognized Kane Tanaka in a…
Dhaka-Moscow joint body reviews Rooppur NPP work
Dhaka, March 09 – The 4th meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee (JСС) of Russia and Bangladesh on the construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was held at a city hotel in Dhaka recently. The main topic of discussion was…