National - NsNewsWire

Nearly half million evacuated as cyclone lashes Bangladesh

by Naim-Ul-Karim DHAKA, July 30 (Xinhua) — Bangladesh evacuated nearly half a million people as cyclone Komen closed in on the country’s southeast coastlines on Thursday, with winds uprooting trees and tearing into hundreds of flimsy homes. One person is confirmed to have died in St Martin’s Island near Cox’s Bazar, some 292 km southeast […]

Plane debris found on Indian Ocean island fuels MH370 speculation

Plane debris found on the shore of the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean has fueled speculation that it could be part of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which mysteriously vanished more than a year ago with 239 people on board. AFP reported that the debris, which appeared to be part of an airplane’s wing, […]

Bangladesh’s apex court upholds top opposition leader’s death penalty

DHAKA, July 29 (Xinhua) — Bangladesh’s apex court has upheld the death penalty for a top opposition party leader for war crimes including mass killings during the country’s war of independence 43 years ago. A four-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha delivered the verdict on Wednesday morning, […]

U.S. refuses to pardon Snowden: White House

DHAKA, July 29 (NsNewsWire) — The White House on Tuesday reiterated its refusal standing to pardon the government information leaker Edward Snowden. Instead, it says, the former contractor should return to the U.S. and “accept the consequences of his actions.” “He should come home to the United States, and be judged by a jury of […]

Chinese embassy holds reception to mark 88th anniversary of PLA

DHAKA, July 29 (NsNewsWire) -Chinese embassy in Dhaka has held a reception to celebrate the 88th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. About 300 guests, including high-ranking officers of Bangladesh forces, military attaches from embassies in Bangladesh, foreign diplomats and scholars attended the event held on Tuesday night at the Chinese embassy. Chinese […]

Bangladesh police arrest eight in crackdown on Islamist groups

DHAKA, July 28 (NsNewsWire) – Police in Bangladesh have arrested eight suspected militants, including the chief of the outlawed Jamaat-ul Mujahideen group, as authorities step up a crackdown on hardline Islamists. Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people, targeted the militants after machete-wielding attackers this year hacked to death three online critics of religious […]

Reuters Boy Scouts lift blanket ban on gay adult leaders, employees

The Boy Scouts of America lifted its outright ban on openly gay adult leaders and employees on Monday, rolling back a policy that has deeply divided the membership of the 105-year-old Texas-based organization, reports Reuters. The new policy, which takes effect immediately, comes three years after the organization removed its prohibition on gay youth, but […]

Bangladesh discovers only 100 tigers in famed Sundarbans

DHAKA, July 27 (NsNewswire) — Bangladesh has only about 100 tigers living in the world’s largest mangrove forest, far fewer of the endangered animals than previously thought, following a recent survey, a top forestry official said Monday, reports AFP. Some 440 tigers were recorded during the previous census conducted in 2004 in the World Heritage-listed […]

Bangladesh expresses concern about India’s river-linking plan

DHAKA, July 26 (NsNewsWire) — A recent announcement in Delhi to go ahead with a scheme to link 30 rivers across the country, including the Brahmaputra and the Ganga in the Himalayas, set off a new round of grave concerns from its next door neighbor Bangladesh. New Delhi’s renewed thrust on the project has left […]