Washington , Feb 7 (AP/UNB) — President Donald Trump predicted Wednesday that the Islamic State group will have lost by next week all the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. He said the U.S. will not relent in…
Category: Lead 1
Pope publicly acknowledges clergy sexual abuse of nuns
Aboard The Papal Plane, Feb 6 (AP/UNB) — Pope Francis on Tuesday publicly acknowledged the scandal of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns and vowed to do more to fight the problem, the latest sign that there is no end…
New EU program of EUR 205mn to strengthen Education in Bd
Dhaka, 5 February – Today, with the launch of the Human Capital Development Programme 2021 (HCDP-21) the European Union confirms its continued commitment to Bangladesh for the development of the country’s Education sector. This EU-funded programme aims to provide improved…
Bullets in the Crackdown on Venezuela’s Protests
CARACAS, Feb 1 2019 (IPS) – The protests in Venezuela demanding an end to the presidency of Nicolás Maduro in the last 10 days of January, whose soundtrack was the sound of banging on pots and pans in working-class neighbourhoods, had…
Costs of post-9/11 US wars to 2019: $5.9 trillion
By Neta C. Crawford Nov 2018 –The United States has appropriated and is obligated to spend an estimated $5.9 trillion on the war on terror through the Fiscal Year 2019, including direct war and war-related spending and obligations for future…
Queen Elizabeth to be evacuated in case of Brexit unrest
Dhaka, Feb 3 (UNB) – British officials have revived cold war emergency plans to relocate the royal family should there be riots in London if Britain suffers a disruptive departure from the European Union, reports local media on Sunday newspapers.…
The criminalization of peaceful expression in Myanmar
This is the time to talk about freedom of expression. We expected it to become better, but it’s becoming worse and worse. —Maung Saungkha, activist and poet, Yangon, April 2018 They are not using the law to protect the people…
Heavy rain, flooding causes 12 deaths in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, Jan 31 (AP/UNB) — Saudi Arabia says 12 people have died and more than 170 have been injured this week due to flooding from heavy rain in the northwest. The Civil Defense says Thursday that 10 people died…
Myanmar parliament approves step toward Constitution change
Naypyitaw, Jan 30 (AP/UNB) — Myanmar’s parliament voted Tuesday to create a committee to propose amendments to the country’s military-enacted constitution, which grants the armed forces the power to block any change. The proposal to form the committee was presented…
US charges China’s top Huawei official with stealing secrets
Washington, Jan 29 (AP/UNB) — The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Monday against Chinese tech giant Huawei, a top company executive and several subsidiaries, alleging the company stole trade secrets, misled banks about its business and violated U.S. sanctions. The…
Hezbollah leader warns Israel over attacks in Syria
Beirut, Jan 27 (AP/UNB) — The head of the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon warned Israel late Saturday over its continued attacks in Syria, saying a miscalculation could drag the region into a war. Hassan Nasrallah made the comment during…
Queen urges common ground in remarks seen as Brexit nod
London, Jan 26 (AP/UNB) — Queen Elizabeth II has urged people to seek “common ground,” in remarks widely interpreted as a veiled criticism of the toxic debate surrounding Britain’s departure from the European Union. While the monarch didn’t mention Brexit…
Trump ends govt shutdown sans his border wall money for now
By Emma Ockerman Jan 26, 2019President Donald Trump went on national television, walked out of a meeting with key Congressional leaders, and incessantly tweeted, all to insist he wouldn’t reopen the government until he received $5.7 billion in funding for…
Five killed in central Florida bank shooting, police say
A gunman killed five people in a bank in central Florida on Wednesday, then called police himself and eventually surrendered, local authorities said. The shooting occurred at the SunTrust Bank in Sebring, a town of about 10,000 people 95 miles…
5 fatally shot inside Florida bank, suspect arrested: Police
A gunman opened fire inside a Florida bank Wednesday, killing five people before surrendering to a SWAT team, police said. The shooter called police to report that he had fired shots inside the bank in Sebring, in central Florida. Negotiations…
Royal decree for Thailand’s election issued
A royal decree for Thailand’s general election was issued on Wednesday to be followed by the announcement of the election date within the next five days.
Filipino Muslims vote on autonomy after long peace effort
Marawi, Jan 22 (AP/UNB) — Muslims in the southern Philippines voted Monday in a referendum on a new autonomous region that seeks to end nearly half a century of unrest, in what their leaders are touting as the best alternative…
UN forecasts global economic growth around 3 percent in 2019
The global economy will grow around 3 percent annually in 2019 and 2020, but waning support for multilateralism, escalating trade disputes, increasing debt and rising climate risks are clouding prospects, the United Nations said Monday.
Mexican pipeline explosion kills 73, leaves nightmare of ash
Gerardo Perez returned Saturday to the scorched field in central Mexico where he’d seen an illegal pipeline tap burst into flames to see if he could recognize missing friends. He couldn’t. Only a handful of the remains still had skin.…
Rohingya Crisis: Myanmar’s too slow efforts frustrate UN chief
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has pointed out that Myanmar’s “too slow” efforts to ensure Rohingyas’ safe return to their place of origin in Rakhine making him frustrated enormously.
UK’s May faces no-confidence vote after Brexit plan crushed
British lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce deal with the European Union on Tuesday, plunging the Brexit process into chaos and triggering a no-confidence vote that could topple her government.
Brexit uncertainty risks UK rights
The United Kingdom Parliament’s decision on Tuesday night to reject decisively the European Union withdrawal agreement leaves the country’s future up in the air.
Brexit: Theresa May faces ‘meaningful vote’ on her deal
MPs are preparing to vote on whether to back Theresa May’s deal for leaving the European Union.The so-called “meaningful vote” will take place later as five days of debate on Brexit comes to an end.
Dhaka-Delhi bilateral talks next month in New Delhi
Dhaka, Jan 14 – Bangladesh and India will hold the next round of foreign minister-level bilateral talks in the first week of February, aiming to take the relations between the two countries to newer heights.
City of London moves to revoke award from Suu Kyi
Dhaka, Jan 12 – City of London Corporation councillors have voted in favour of removing the honorary freedom award granted to Aung San Suu Kyi over her failure to condemn atrocities committed against the Rohingya people in Myanmar.
4 dead, including 2 firefighters, in Paris blast
Paris, Jan 12 (AP/UNB) — France’s interior minister says that four people have been killed, including two firefighters, and 47 have been injured in the blast at a bakery that was apparently caused by a gas leak in central Paris.
A closer look at the World Bank’s sizable China portfolio
China continues to borrow an average of $2 billion a year from the World Bank, making it one of the Bank’s top borrowers—despite being the world’s second-largest economy and itself a major global lender, according to our study released today.
BB heist: Philippine court jails former RCBC manager
A Philippine court on Thursday held former manager of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), Maia Santos-Deguito, guilty of money laundering offenses in connection with the $81 million Bangladesh Bank heist.
US-China trade talks wrap up, with outcome unclear
Uncertainty over the outcome of China-U.S. trade talks cast a pall Thursday over Asian markets as both sides kept mum about what lies ahead.
Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day Thursday
The historic Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be observed on Thursday.