Dhaka, Mar 11: The holy Shab-e-Meraj will be observed in the country tonight (Thursday night) with due religious fervour. On the 27th of Arabic month of Rajab every year, the Muslims observe the Shab-e-Meraj, the night when Prophet Hazrat Muhammad…
Category: Society
Footballer Topu stands beside destitutes
DHAKA – Like the other sportsmen, national football team defender Topu Bormon also come forward to extend his helping hand by donating one week of fooding cost to two hundred under privileged families, who have been undergoing hardship due to…
EU support to strengthen social security in Bangladesh
The European Union (EU) has transferred EUR 24 million or Tk 230 crore to the government of Bangladesh to support key national reforms in social security. With this grant, the EU recognizes and supports the government’s commitment to the eradication…
Why not restrict the gender detection of unborn babies: HC
The High Court on Monday issued a rule seeking explanation as to why a policy should not be formulated to restrict the gender detection of unborn babies.
World News Day: How newsrooms made an impact in society
Thirty-eight newsrooms. Forty-seven stories. Making an impact that has been felt far and wide. Editors and journalists in newsrooms around the world have come together to showcase some of the work they do and the effort that goes into producing…
From tusks to tails, nations eye trade in endangered species
Geneva, Aug 17 (AP/UNB) — From guitars to traditional medicines and from tusk to tail, mankind’s exploitation of the planet’s fauna and flora is putting some of them at risk of extinction. Representatives of some 180 nations are meeting in…
Bomb blast kills 63, injures 180 at wedding party in Kabul
A bomb has exploded in a wedding hall in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing 63 people and wounding more than 180. Witnesses told the BBC a suicide bomber detonated explosives during a wedding ceremony.
Int’l Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples today
Dhaka, Aug 9 (UNB)- Members of ethnic groups around the globe are observing the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Friday with the theme ‘Indigenous Languages’. On December 23, 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided in its…
Is civil society arguing itself out of political space?
By Felix Dodds New York, Jul 29 2019 (IPS) – As some of you will know I have a new book out Stakeholder Democracy: Represented Democracy in a Time of Fear. (other contributors to the book were: Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Carolina…
Tens of thousands take part in LGBT event in Berlin
Berlin, July 28 (AP/UNB) — Tens of thousands have been marching through Berlin in celebration of Christopher Street Day, one of Germany’s largest LGBT pride observances. Revelers from across the country and abroad were parading through Berlin on Saturday from…
Germany honors resisters who tried to assassinate Hitler
Berlin, Jul 19 (AP/UNB) —Germany is marking the 75th anniversary of the most famous plot to kill Adolf Hitler, honoring those who resisted the Nazis — who were stigmatized for decades as traitors — as pillars of the country’s modern…
The EU needs a ‘Social Imbalances Procedure’
by Sebastiano Sabato, Bart Vanhercke and Francesco Corti on 17th July 2019 The focus of the European Union on fiscal consolidation has left European societies out of kilter and undermined the union’s legitimacy. A Social Imbalances Procedure could begin to…
Bridegroom braves rain and flood to live up to word
Sylhet, July 13 (UNB) – “But I have promises to keep,” is probably what echoed in the mind of young bridegroom Rubel Ahmed when he set out for the house of his would-be bride in a nearby village.
Kushtia rape victim forced to detail in public; video goes viral
Kushtia, July 7 – The video clip of a mentally-challenged teenage rape victim being harassed publicly by arbitrators in the name of settling the issue in Khoksa Upazila has gone viral, triggering public outcry. Although six days have elapsed since…
Creating social legitimacy in the EU
by Christian Schweiger In our ‘Europe2025’ series, Christian Schweiger argues the EU will only survive long-term if it builds its future agenda on broad public support through open dialogue and innovative consultation. Throughout the past decade the European Union has…
Indigenous rights approach a remedy to climate change crisis
By Friday Phiri Jun 29, 2019 (IPS) – The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) was held in Bonn, Germany to rally behind a new approach to achieving a future that is more inclusive and sustainable than the present – through the…
Create new world based on social feeling: Dr Yunus
Bangkok, June 28 (UNB) – Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus here on Friday shared his thoughts on “super happiness” encouraging his global audience to join hands for creating a new civilization based on “social feeling, sharing and caring” coming out…
ILO’s Non-binding treaty to end harassment at workplace?
By Thalif Deen UN, Jun 26, 2019 (IPS) – Against the bbackdropof widespread charges of sexual abuse and harassment at workplaces– including the United Nations– the International Labour Conference (ILC) last week adopted a “Convention” and a set of “Recommendations”…
MH 17: Charging Individuals based on flawed Investigation
The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) and the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) share Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s skepticism about Russia’s culpability in the shooting down of MH17 on the 17th of July 2014. The Dutch-led…
A case for 5-day school week
Teaching is more than a ‘job’: no one should teach who is not passionate about teaching When you weigh it all up, the five-and-a-half-day school week just isn’t worth the trouble and inconvenience Why are heavy children’s schoolbooks not produced…
Older and wiser?—when govts get it wrong on pensions reform
by Steve Coulter on 18th June 2019 Greater dependency ratios may imply pensions reform—but not that it be unfair. Europe is turning grey. By 2060 over a quarter of the EU’s population will be over 65. Ageing is accelerating as…
BD budget: TIB slams option to whiten black money
Dhaka, Jun 14 (UNB) – The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) criticised the proposed budget for keeping windows to whiten black money, calling it “unconstitutional”. “Buying flats, land procurement and investing in economic zones and high-tech parks with black money is…
Social imbalances in the EU
by Sylvia Schmidt Despite the economic recovery of recent years, persistent social imbalances—such as those affecting women and young people—must be taken into account in the debate on Europe’s future. In the wake of the European Parliament elections, this autumn…
Holistic effort stressed to stop child labour
Concerted effort of all government and non-government entities has become an urgent need to prevent child labour for the greater interest of flourishing children’s physical and mental health. Many children especially coming from the poor and distressed families suffer from…
India’s most significant innovations have roots in civil society
By Apoorva Oza Ahmedabad, Gujatar, India (IPS) – When we look at some of the things we take for granted in India today, there is a common thread to all of them. Every single one. They all originated from civil…
Botswana decriminalises gay sex in landmark case
By Cara Anna | AP Johennesburg — Botswana became the latest country to decriminalize gay sex on Tuesday, a landmark case for Africa, as the High Court rejected laws punishing it with up to seven years in prison. Jubilant activists in the…
Society: Financialisation destroys social solidarity
By Michael Lim Mah Hui and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Jun 4 2019 (IPS) – Finance has not stopped at dominating the real economy. The tentacles of finance have reached into significant, if not most parts of…
Consumer Rights Protection official’s transfer halted
Dhaka, June 4 – A day after transferring him to the Road Transport and Highways Division, the government on Tuesday revoked the transfer of Deputy Director of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) Manzur Mohammad Shahriar, who led…
Exploitation and Acculturation
By Jan Lundius Stockholm / Rome, Jun 3 2019 (IPS) – There are several means to make profitable use of other human beings, an endeavour that tends to turn others into tools by depriving them of their roots and self-respect.…
North Korea: The Kim Yong Chol purge that wasn’t
Reporters must be more responsible in separating fact from the fiction Fyodor Tertitskiy June 3rd, 2019 Short version – “not dead,” as Sherlock Holmes told John Watson at the beginning of the third season of the popular BBC series. And…