The food people eat around the world is becoming “alarmingly homogenous” according to UN data, even though access to a wide variety of nutritious food has never been greater. That warning comes as the world marks the International Day for…
Category: Lead 1
Bonda tribe of India’s Odisha hit by changing climate
by Tanmoy Bhaduri The Bonda people, living in hilltop villages on the Kondakamberu mountain range in Odisha, are one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the state. • Rising temperatures and deforestation, along with poor development and…
Saudis say they will defend themselves, as Trump warns Iran
Dubai, May 20 (AP/UNB) — Saudi Arabia does not want war but will not hesitate to defend itself against Iran, a top Saudi diplomat said Sunday after the kingdom’s energy sector was targeted this past week amid heightened tensions in…
Bahrain orders its citizens to leave Iraq, Iran
Dubai, May 19(AP/UNB) — Bahrain is ordering all of its citizens to immediately leave Iraq and Iran, amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry made the announcement via its state-run news agency Saturday afternoon. It cited the…
Saudis blame Iran for drone attack amid calls for US strikes
Dubai, May 17 (AP/UNB) — Saudi Arabia accused Tehran of being behind a drone strike that shut down a key oil pipeline in the kingdom, and a newspaper close to the palace called for Washington to launch “surgical” strikes on…
Ganga is shifting away from Patna
by Hridayesh Joshi “In last 20 years Gangaji has moved too far from here, perhaps our sins have caused this. We pollute it so much and dig its heart (for mining) day and night. This was bound to happen,” said Chandru…
Satellite images show no major damage to ‘sabotaged’ ships
Dubai, May 14 (AP/UNB) — Four oil tankers anchored in the Mideast were damaged by what Gulf officials described as sabotage, though satellite images obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday showed no major visible damage to the vessels. Details…
Connecticut man accused of threatening to kill Trump
New Haven, May 12 (AP/UNB) — A Connecticut man has been indicted on charges that he threatened to kill President Donald Trump and sent letters he claimed contained anthrax. Gary Joseph Gravelle of New Haven faces charges including conveying false…
Myanmar asked to give humanitarian access to conflict zones
Dhaka, May 10 (UNB) – The UN human rights body has called on the government of Myanmar to immediately grant humanitarian access to all conflict zones, including northern Rakhine State where restrictions on humanitarian access is exacerbating the suffering of…
Pyongyang launches two projectiles from NE province: Seoul
The launch took place at 1630 KST from DPRK’s North Pyongan Province: JCS Oliver Hotham North Korea on Thursday afternoon test-fired at least one projectile, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced, the country’s second such test in less…
Chinese envoy to BD defends BRI against ‘debt traps’ debate
Dhaka, May 8 (UNB) – Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo on Wednesday defended its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) against charges that it creates debt traps saying the BRI partners will now have a better understanding. He said China…
Myanmar frees Reuters reporters jailed for Secrecy Act crime
Yangon, May 7 (AP/UNB) — Two Reuters journalists who were imprisoned for breaking Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act over reporting on security forces’ abuses of Rohingya Muslims were pardoned and released Tuesday. The convictions of Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe…
India prepares for ‘extremely severe’ Bay cyclone
New Delhi, (AP/UNB) — Indian authorities have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people along the country’s eastern coast ahead of a cyclone moving through the Bay of Bengal. Meteorologists say Cyclone Fani could bring “extremely severe” wind and rain when…
UK defense chief fired over Huawei leaks, denies role
London, May 2 (AP/UNB) — British Prime Minister Theresa May summarily fired Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson Wednesday after an investigation into leaks from a secret government meeting about the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. He denied any involvement in the leak.…
UK defense chief fired over Huawei leaks, denies role
London, May 2 (AP/UNB) — British Prime Minister Theresa May summarily fired Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson Wednesday after an investigation into leaks from a secret government meeting about the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. He denied any involvement in the leak.…
Maoist rebels kill 15 police commandos, driver in India
New Delhi, May 1 (AP/UNB) — Maoist rebels on Wednesday attacked a van carrying police commandos in the insurgents’ stronghold in western India and killed 15 officers and their driver, officials said. The rebels triggered a land mine blast in…
Renewables to become the norm for the Caribbean
KINGSTON, Apr 29 2019 (IPS) – Jamaica and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are embracing renewable energy as part of their plans to become decarbonised in the coming decades. The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, has committed the island…
Refugees threatened, attacked in Sri Lanka: HRW
(New York) – The Sri Lankan government should take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of South Asian refugees and asylum seekers from violence. Since the April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday bombings by alleged Islamist militants on churches and hotels that…
Mozambique cyclone victims Forced to trade sex for food: HRW
The Mozambique authorities should urgently investigate and appropriately prosecute alleged sexual exploitation of Cyclone Idai victims by local officials, Human Rights Watch said today. Hunger and destruction caused by the cyclone have left hundreds of thousands of women vulnerable to abuse. Victims, residents, and…
Oil spill in canal as tankers derail, skide of track in Ctg
Chattogram, Apr 29 – Oil spilled into a canal after a freight oil tanker train carrying furnace oil derailed and the tankers skidded off the track in Egaromile area of Hathazari upazila on Monday afternoon. Md Ruhul Amin, Upazila Nirbahi…
New study says universe expanding faster and is younger
Washington, Apr 29 (AP/UNB) — The universe is expanding faster than it used to, meaning it’s about a billion years younger than we thought, a new study by a Nobel Prize winner says. And that’s sending a shudder through the…
Future of Rohingya refugees in BD ‘hangs in the balance’
At the end of a joint visit to the country, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, head of UN migration agency (IOM) António Vitorino, and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, reiterated their commitment to find safe and sustainable solutions for Rohingya…
Lost in the Cyberworld? The Enigmatic Mr Assange
STOCKHOLM / ROME, Apr 23 2019 (IPS) – Trump´s electoral success was preceded by a rise of chauvinistic politics in most of Europe, paired with electoral triumphs of far-right candidates in several other countries. A development accompanied by revelations of corrupt…
Belt & Road Forum begins in Beijing: 37 countries attend
Dhaka, April 24 – A three-day second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) began in Beijing on Thursday. Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun left Dhaka for Beijing on Wednesday to attend the BRF, said an official. Under…
People in a Mumbai waste-filled slum barely make it to 40
by Apekshita Varshney • Every day, 9000 metric tonnes of waste goes to the 134-hectare Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai. • The life expectancy of people living around the dumping ground hovers at 39 years, as against an urban life…
Myanmar lawmaker: 50 believed dead in mudslide at jade mine
Naypyitaw, Apr 24 (AP/UNB) — More than 50 people are believed to have died in a mudslide at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar, a lawmaker representing the area said Tuesday. Tin Soe said three bodies have been recovered…
Arab League pledges $100M a month to Palestinian Authority
Cairo, Apr 22 (AP/UNB) — The Arab League has pledged $100 million per month to the Palestinian Authority to make up for funds withheld by Israel because of payments made to the families of Palestinian attackers and prisoners. Palestinian President…
Blasts in 2 Sri Lanka churches on Easter Sunday: 50 hurt
Sri Lanka, Apr 21 (AP/UNB) — At least 138 people were killed and hundreds more hospitalized from injuries in near simultaneous blasts that rocked three churches and three luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, a security official told…
Gunmen shoot 13 people dead at eastern Mexico family party
Mexico City, April 20 (Xinhua/UNB) — Gunmen shot dead 13 people at a party on Friday night in the city of Minatitlan in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, local media reported. Seven men, five women, and a child were…
Mali violence: PM and entire government resigns
Dhaka, Apr 19 (UNB) – The prime minister of Mali and his entire government have resigned, following an upsurge of violence in the country, reports BBC. On Wednesday, a motion of no confidence was submitted as MPs blamed Prime Minister…