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 […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Australian Mobile Advertising Market to Reach $682 Million in 2018

Australia’s mobile advertising market is predicted to grow strongly at a CAGR of 39% from 2013 to 2018, with expenditure reaching $682 million in 2018. By that time, 70% of overall mobile advertising spend will be served on tablets, whilst 30% of adverts are expected to be served on smartphones. Frost & Sullivan’ says that […]

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Indian CEOs to attend Commonwealth biz forum in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) — Eleven high-profile officials of Indian companies have arrived here for a major Commonwealth business forum, though the Indian prime minister has opted out of the upcoming Commonwealth Summit in Colombo for human rights concerns, said the Indian High Commission here on Tuesday. The 11 chief executive officers (CEOs) belong to […]

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Bangladesh officials seize 320 gold bars from Qatar Airways flight

DHAKA, Nov.  12  (nsnewswire) — Bangladesh officials have again seized 320 gold bars weighing about 37 kilograms from an arriving plane from Doha. Alamgir Hossain, in charge of Airport Armed Police Battalion, told nsnewswire that they  seized the gold bars  worth about 150 million taka on Tuesday morning at about 6:00 a.m. Hossain said the […]

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No India-Bangladesh passport service from November 1

KOLKATA: The ministry of external affairs will discontinue the India-Bangladesh Passport (IBP) service from November 15. However, the passports already issued will remain valid till their expiry. No new applications for IBP will be accepted by any of the state governments, who were earlier delegated with the power to do so. The ministry has said that all […]

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