NsNewsWire | Bangladesh's First Press News Agency

Saudi Arabia officially rejects 2-year term on UN Security Council

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) — Saudi Arabia, in an unprecedented moved, formally rejected on Tuesday its two-year term on the UN Security Council, clearing the way for Jordan to take the seat as a replacement. The Middle East power had previously decried the 15-member council’s ineffectiveness in dealing with world affairs, notably the Syrian crisis and Israeli-Palestinian […]

Death toll in Philippines from typhoon Haiyan climbs to 1,833

MANILA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) — Death toll in the Philippines from typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) jumped to 1,833 with initial cost of damage increasing to 761.4 million pesos (17.4 million U.S. dollars), a senior government official said on Wednesday morning. The additional fatalities coming from Western Visayas reached 103, while the number of those […]

Hundreds of Bangladesh factories closed after labor unrest over wage hike

By Sheuli Akter DHAKA, Nov. 13 (NsNewsWire) — All the garment factories at a mega industrial belt Ashulia on the outskirts of Bangladesh capital Dhaka remained closed Wednesday following workers’ unrest over wage hike.. Citing security concerns, the apex body of Bangladesh’s woven garment manufacturers Tuesday night decided to shut down all the Ashulia garment factories. […]

Mauritian PM to join SL C’wealth summit boycott

Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has become the third leader to announce a boycott of this week’s Commonwealth summit in Colombo over Sri Lanka’s human rights record. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper are also staying away. Sri Lanka is accused of committing widespread abuses in the final months of […]

Bangladesh: Third gender hijra to be recognised in official documents

In a landmark decision, the government in Bangladesh has approved a proposal of the social welfare ministry to identify “Hijra” as a third possible gender identity. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the decision at a cabinet meeting on Monday. Hijra, often subsumed under the trans umbrella in the West, is a South Asian feminine gender identity. […]

Tourists stay away from Bangladesh during turbulent political times

Bengal Tours, a leading inbound tour operator, had around 100 visitors from Europe and Japan due in between October and the first week of November but all of them abandoned their planned trips, according to Masud Hossain, the company’s executive director. Local tour operators in Bangladesh are passing through a slump with foreign visitors calling […]

H&M Grabs More Control of Asia Factories Amid Bangladesh Unrest

Three decades after it started doing business with suppliers in Bangladesh, Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMB) is seeking greater control of production in a nation where it is among the largest purchasers of clothing. H&M this year agreed to become the sole client of two factories in Bangladesh and one inCambodia, helping convince building owners to offer satisfactory […]

Typhoon-stricken Filipinos rely on countrymen abroad for lifeline

As millions of Filipinos desperately search for sustenance and shelter in the devastation left by Typhoon Haiyan, many may be comforted by the knowledge that help is surely on the way from family members working abroad. The Philippines’ biggest export has long been its workers, with at least 10% of the country’s approximately 100 million […]

Bangladesh calls for intra-ASEM cooperation

DHAKA, Nov. 12 (Foreign Ministry Press Release) — Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni highlighted the need for ensuring food, water and energy security for development and called for intra-ASEM cooperation for addressing these non-traditional security concerns. She suggested that ASEM takes collaborative initiatives to manage common rivers, through basin wide and integrated water management. It […]