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Iran holds an anti-Islamic State cartoon contest

Not long after staging a cartoon contest satirizing the Holocaust, a group in Iran launched another event — this time, aimed at the Islamic State extremist group. According to its organizers, Iran’s House of Cartoon, the anti-Islamic State cartoon contest has received more than 800 submissions from countries as far afield as Brazil and Australia reports Ishaan […]

Denial of rights in Burma, Bangladesh lead to trafficking: HRW

DHAKA, May 27 (NsNewsWire) — Rohingya and other survivors of dangerous boat voyages from Burma and Bangladesh describe horrific treatment by unscrupulous smugglers and traffickers in Burma, and abuse and neglect aboard ships, Human Rights Watch said today. A regional meeting scheduled on May 29, 2015, in Bangkok must find solutions to the so-called boat […]

UN, Myanmar vow to cooperate in tackling “boat people” issue

YANGON, May 27 (NsNewsWire) — The United Nations and Myanmar have vowed to cooperate in tackling “boat people” issue both nationally and regionally, said a statement of the UN published Wednesday following the temporary visit of UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar to the camp in Rakhine state where rescued migrants were located. […]

Militants kill Bangladeshi UN peacekeeper in Mali

Mali, May 26 (NsNewsWire) — Militants opened fire on two Bangladeshi United Nations peacekeepers in Mali’s capital Bamako on Monday, killing one and wounding the other, security sources said. The dead is Nilkanto Hajong while the injured has been identified as Sirajul Islam, reports AFP. “Armed men that we have not yet identified shot at […]

Myanmar, Bangladesh in pact for return of 200 rescued from boat

Yangon, May 26 (NsNewsWire) — Myanmar said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with neighbouring Bangladesh to repatriate 200 Bangladeshis rescued from a boat off the Myanmar coast last week. A migrant crisis has flared up in Southeast Asia as Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis trying to escape poverty at home […]

Malaysia mass graves: police find 139 suspected sites

Malaysia, May 25 (NsNewsWire) — A total of 139 grave sites and 28 human-trafficking camps have been found in a remote northern Malaysian border region, according to the country’s top police official. National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar revealed the findings at a press conference a day after the government announced the discovery of camps […]

Myanmar vows to work with Bangladesh, other countries to address “boat people” issue

YANGON, May 24 (NsNewsWire) — Myanmar has pledged to cooperate with Bangladesh and other countries to address the issue of “boat people” at sea, hoping that the issue will be resolved amicably with Bangladesh as the latter is a friendly neighbor of Myanmar, said a statement of Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry published Sunday. However, Myanmar, like […]

ADB Approves Additional Loan to Boost Primary Education in Bangladesh

DHAKA, BANGLADESH – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $120 million loan in additional funding for a 6-year government-led program to improve the quality and reach of primary education in Bangladesh. The loan will be complemented by cofinancing from the European Union, the Global Partnership for Education, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and […]

Malaysia orders search and rescue for migrant boats

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has said his country will conduct search and rescue missions for Rohingya migrant boats in the Andaman Sea. Humanitarian aid would also be delivered by land and sea, he said. His announcement comes after weeks of authorities rejecting migrant boats and towing them out of Malaysian waters, reports BBC Malaysia […]