Collective memory has always been a symbolic political battleground. Historians and politicians have long been aware that shared representations of the past constrain political choices in the present by shaping communal ‘horizons of expectation’ of the future. The link between…
Category: Society
Cities go dark for Earth Hour, bring light to climate change
New York, Mar 31 (AP/UNB) — Cities around the world marked Earth Hour on Saturday by turning off lights at 8:30 p.m. local time in a call for global action on climate change. Earth Hour, spearheaded by the World Wildlife…
‘Don’t tell my husband I have leprosy’
MAJURO, Mar 28 2019 (IPS) – Meretha Pierson has been a nurse for the past seven years, working in the government-run leprosy clinic in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. Her patients come in all ages, from different economic backgrounds…
World Bank financializing development
KUALA LUMPUR and SYDNEY, Mar 26 2019 (IPS) – The World Bank has successfully legitimized the notion that private finance is the solution to pressing development and welfare concerns, including achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Agenda 2030. A recent McKinsey…
Nepal Police and community tackle violence against women
• Police and Community Partnership in Nepal Tackling Violence Against Women • According to a survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 61% of women who face domestic abuse in Nepal never report it. • Reporting cases of gender-based…
Without solidarity, democracy is lost
‘Western democracy is in crisis.’ Many pundits and scholars rehearse this narrative, in which the rise of populism and illiberalism are presented as challenging national democracies and the European Union. To address this challenge, it is suggested that existing democratic…
Ten women get Anannya Shirshodosh award
Dhaka, Mar 23 – Anannya, a fortnightly feminist magazine of Bangladesh, on Saturday awarded 10 women of the country for their outstanding contributions to their respective areas. “Anannya Shirshodosh 2018” awards were handed over to the distinguished women for their…
Himu Akram — a wizard of TV drama
Himu Akram has made a name for himself in the Bangladesh television industry for making dramas evolving with unconventional stories. His stories are full of subtle and funny characters. He likes to carry the audiences back to their childhood and…
World Social Work Day 2019 observed at RU
Rajshahi, March 19 – With the theme of ‘Promoting the importance of human relationships’ the Social Work department of Rajshahi University observed the World Social Work Day 2019 on Tuesday amid festivity and enthusiasm. On the day teachers, students and…
Full list of Bd freedom fighters by 26 March next, Minister
Dhaka, Feb 24 – Minister for Liberation War Affairs AKM Mozemmel Haque on Sunday told parliament that the government would publish a full list of the freedom fighters of the country’s War of Liberation in 1971 by March 26 this on…
How development excludes adivasi peoples
ODISHA, India, Feb 21 2019 (IPS) – Failing to understand the Adivasi world view and imposing the dominant development paradigm on Adivasi peoples is affecting their identity and well-being. The mainstream development paradigm has aggravated discontent among Adivasi communities. The reasons…
Chemical godowns not removed for owners’ unwillingness: PM
Dhaka, Feb 23 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said it is regretful that chemical godowns in Old Dhaka could not be relocated for the reluctance of owners. “The government wanted to construct ultramodern godowns with all facilities…
Local school is a model for energy and water in Rapa Nui
HANGA ROA, Chile, Feb 22 2019 (IPS) – A school in the capital of Easter Island (Rapa Nui, in the local indigenous tongue) gives an example of clean management with the use of solar energy, rainwater recovery and an organic vegetable…
Kidney awareness society gives free service to poor patients
Dhaka, Feb 21 – At least 3000 poor patients have received free health consultancy, medicine and laboratory tests from specialist Doctors in a free medical camp, organized by voluntary organization KAMPS on Thursday. Aiming to pay tribute to the language…
Iran’s Islamic Revolution at 40 – aiming at New World Order
By Firoz Osman Forty years ago a momentous event took place when the Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty, installed by the CIA, fled Iran, ushering in the Iranian Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on February 1, 1979. Western…
Poor quality employment a major challenge says ILO
Geneva (Kanaga Raja) – A majority of the 3.3 billion people employed globally in 2018 experienced a lack of material well-being, economic security, equal opportunities or scope for human development, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found. In its latest…
‘Nothing for us, without us’
By Justus Wanzala Makuleni, Kenya, Feb 18 2019 (IPS) – Julia Mutua is a resident of Kalawa ward in the semi-arid Makueni County in Eastern Kenya and a member of a women’s farmers group that runs a poultry project. “Women…
Reflections on achieving global education goals
Amina J. Mohammed New York – Throughout my life, I have seen the power of education. I have witnessed how quality education for all can support the creation of dynamic economies and help to sustain peace, prosperity, and stability. I…
Crucifying Julian Assange
By Chris Hedges What is happening to Assange should terrify the press. And yet his plight is met with indifference and sneering contempt. Julian Assange’s sanctuary in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London has been transformed into a little shop of…
Dhaka needs another push to eliminate leprosy: WHO envoy
Dhaka, Feb 11 (UNB) – Though Bangladesh has already achieved the leprosy elimination target, WHO Goodwill Ambassador Yohei Sasakawa thinks the country needs a further push with an all-out comprehensive approach to totally eliminate the world’s oldest disease from here.…
Instagram changes rules on self-harm postings after suicide
London, Feb 9 (AP/UNB) — Instagram has agreed to ban graphic images of self-harm after objections were raised in Britain following the suicide of a teen whose father said the photo-sharing platform had contributed to her decision to take her…
Bishwo Shahitto Kendro turns 40
Dhaka, Feb 8 (UNB) – Seeking a better society of enlightened people, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, one of the leading organisations of the country promoting literature among the people, celebrated its 40th anniversary on Friday. The day was commemorated with a colourful…
Civil society for resuming South Asian Regional Cooperation
Colombo, 30 January 2019 We, members of civil society networks of South Asia gathered in Colombo to deliberate on a South Asian Regional Agenda for Collective Advocacy on Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, have resolved to re-energise collaborations across South…
Family in tears as innocent Jaha Alam is released from jail
Dhaka, Feb 04 – Jaha Alam, who got released from jail after imprisoned wrongly for three years, wants compensation and justice for his sufferings. He was released from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur in the wee hours of of Monday…
Ending poverty is possible, but by facing up to inequality
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28 2019 (IPS) – World leaders have committed to ending poverty everywhere for all people by 2030. Achieving this aim means facing up to the need for dramatic declines in inequalities – in income, in opportunity, in exposure…
Corruption endangers democracy, social justice, rule of law
Dhaka, Jan 28 (UNB) – The High Court has observed that corruption, including financial crimes, today not only poses a grave danger to the concept of good governance, but also threatens the very foundation of democracy, social justice and the…
Education crisis: Being in school is not same as learning
The world is facing a learning crisisTeachers are the single most important driver of how much students learn. They have the responsibility to ensure that all children—each with their own challenges and potential—can learn effectively and have an enriching experience…
Bd Minister wants govt jobs as off-limits for Jamaat people
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq on Wednesday said a law will have to be formulated so that children of Jamaat leaders do not get government jobs. “Not only banning Jamaat organisationally, but also assets of its leaders will…
A sky full of kites becomes a death trap for birds
by Manon Verchot on 16 January 2019 • Every year around festivals like Makar Sankranti, when kites soar in the sky competing with each other, conservation organisations continue to rescue thousands of birds entangled or injured by these kite strings.
Is love an embarrassment?
I do not understand a word of Persian and cannot determine whether these lines, taken from a German translation, are a correct interpretation of Muhammad Hāfez-e-Shīrāzī´s original poem. Nevertheless, Hāfez, who lived 1315-1390 CE, was apparently one of those great…