When the World Trade Organization (WTO) met in Seattle, Washington in 1999, the Africa paper[1] carefully prepared by the Kenya representatives to the WTO in Geneva had set the stage for the rejection of the strict intellectual property rights which…
By Chandra Muzaffar The execution of 47 people by the Saudi authorities on the 2nd of January 2016 reinforces my deeply held conviction that the death penalty should be abolished. No State should have the power to impose the death…
New Delhi: “If the Western powers want then the ISIS can be crushed within days but it has been deliberately given a long lease of life by the West so that their military intervention can continue unabated in Syria and…
By K. P. Fabian It was on 17 December 2010 that Tareq Bouazizi, a 27-year-old street vendor of fruits barely making a living to support his family in the small town of Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia, attempted suicide by setting…
The name of senior North Korean official Choe Ryong Hae was listed among the state funeral committee for Kim Yang Gon, the Korean Central News Agency revealed Wednesday, marking the end of a more-than-two-month absence. Kim Yang Gon, director of…
By EurActiv In a year of crises for Europe, from the Ukraine war to Greece’s debt turmoil to the historic refugee influx, Germany’s Angela Merkel emerged as the continent’s de facto leader, drawing more praise and fire than ever. Whether…
New Delhi: The ruling BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh today played down the remarks Ram Madhav on Akhand Bharat – described as an integration of Pakistan and Bangladesh with India through popular goodwill – which triggered…
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav has said that parts of India – including Pakistan and Bangladesh – which were separated 60 years ago, will reunite to form “Akhand Bharat” (undivided India), the Times of India reported on Saturday. “The Rashtriya…
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat today lauded Bangladesh for helping Rohingya refugees, and reiterated US commitment to help find “just and durable solutions for Rohingyas”.”Bangladesh has hosted hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas for decades,” she said and appreciated Bangladesh…
Dhaka – Bangladesh along with other Muslim countries has decided to join the Centre against Terrorism and Extremism to be established in the Saudi capital of Riyadh to coordinate efforts against terrorism and extremism. The decision came following a request…
By Reuters and VICE News North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un made a rare appearance on Thursday to claim his country has successfully developed a hydrogen bomb — but outside experts were skeptical. Kim made the comments as he toured the…
By Miriam Wells Nothing unites British people more than contempt for a perceived idiot. And that’s exactly what happened overnight on Tuesday, with an outpouring of scorn, then fury, for US presidential candidate Donald Trump following his latest bigoted comments.…
After a long delay, the Saudi cabinet has approved a law that may pave the way for non-charity organizations to operate legally in the Kingdom. The law – long overdue – is a significant advance for a country where civil…
High-level meeting in Bangkok signals a thaw in long-standing tensions between nuclear-armed South Asian rivals. South Asia analysts expressed optimism on Monday after talks were secretly held between arch rivals India and Pakistan in the Thai capital – a move…
By Reuters and VICE News Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a State of the Nation address that Turkey would regret “more than once” shooting down a Russian bomber jet near the Syrian-Turkish border last week, and declared retaliatory sanctions…
Dhaka – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) 4-country Friendship Motor Rally under the Motor Vehicle Agreement, which had started from Bhubaneswar in Orissa of India on November 15, left Bangladesh via Benapole border on Tuesday night after flagging off…
Valletta, Malta – France’s president and the secretary general of the United Nations pleaded Friday at the Commonwealth summit for the world to unite and produce an ambitious agreement to combat climate change, with François Hollande saying “man is the…
Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said Ankara “will work with Russia and our allies to calm tensions” after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane. Writing in the UK’s Times newspaper, Mr Davutoglu stressed that fighting Islamic State was the main…
Dhaka – Refuting the claims of UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that there are doubts about Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal’s trials, Dhaka on Thursday said it is ‘highly disturbed’ over the UN rights body’s claims. “Bangladesh…
A Russian marine has been killed on a helicopter mission to rescue the crew of a jet downed by Turkey near the Syrian border on Tuesday. He died when his helicopter came under fire from rebels in northern Syria, where…
Dhaka, – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday pinned on robust Indo-Bangla relation in all socio-economic areas saying the two countries need to come forward with liberal mentality and sink narrowness to boost up ties. Bangladesh and India should strengthen…
The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to “redouble” action against Islamic State, following last week’s deadly attacks in Paris. The French-drafted document urges UN members to “take all necessary measures” in the fight against IS. IS said…
By Arshin Adib Moghaddam ‘ISIL massacres Shi’a in Iraq’, ‘Iran wants to Persianise the Arab world’, ‘Sunni extremist blows up Shi’a mosque in Kuwait’. Headlines like these dominate current media reports about western Asia, conveying the impression that sectarian violence…
Aop Assamese separatist leader has been handed over to India by Bangladesh, top Indian officials said. They said Golap Barua alias Anup Chetia, former ‘general secretary’ of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), has been handed over to Indian…
The leaders of China and Taiwan are to hold talks for the first time since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949. Discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou will begin in Singapore at 15:00 local…
By James Cogan Yesterday’s US deployment of the destroyer USS Lassen and surveillance aircraft into the 12-nautical mile zone surrounding the Chinese-controlled Subi and Mischief reefs in the South China Sea has qualitatively escalated tensions across Asia. The aim of…
Mohammad Zainal Abedin New York – Professor Dr. Justin Phillips, of Columbia University predicts that Hillary Clinton is the probable Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. Dr. Phillips made this assertion at a press briefing held on November 2 at…
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Singapore on Saturday – the first ever meeting between leaders of the two sides. Both said the talks would focus on relations across the Taiwan Straits. China has…
Ha-young Choi A summit between South Korea, China and Japan convened in Seoul on Sunday, adopting a joint declaration for peace and cooperation in north-east Asia and reiterated their stances on denuclearisation. The declaration included restarting the Six Party Talks…
By Nava Thakuria As Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) approaches for its next national elections, which emerges as the most important polls since the southeast Asian country was put under military dictatorship in 1962, speculations now rises high over the…