Bergman awaits verdict over war toll claim
A Bangladesh court is expected to rule Monday on whether an award-winning British journalist is guilty of contempt after he questioned the assertion that three million people died in the 1971 independence war.
In a case seen as a test of the country’s commitment to free speech, judges will decide if David Bergman acted unlawfully by doubting the official version of one of the most contentious issues in Bangladesh’s short history.
Bergman is the author of a popular blog about Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic court which has found several opposition supporters guilty of mass murder over their role in the 1971 conflict.
Women on the edge of land and life
November is the cruelest month for landless families in the Indian Sundarbans, the largest single block of tidal mangrove forest in the world lying primarily in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.
There is little agricultural wage-work to be found, and the village moneylender’s loan remains unpaid, its interest mounting. The paddy harvest is a month away, pushing rice prices to an annual high.
For those like Namita Bera, tasked with procuring 120 kg of rice per month to feed her eight-member family, there is seldom any p...
For those like Namita Bera, tasked with procuring 120 kg of rice per month to feed her eight-member family, there is seldom any p...
Saarc Summit ends amid tension, drama
With all the eight nations signing a last-minute deal to create a regional electricity grid and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif shaking hands after the first-day tension, the 18th Saarc Summit concluded here on Thursday.
The Summit came to an end in the afternoon with the adoption of a 36-point Kathmandu Declaration 2014.
Nepalese Prime Minister and Chairperson of the 18th Saarc Summit Sushil Koirala declared the Summit’s conclusion, terming it a success, UNB reports.
In his co...
Nepalese Prime Minister and Chairperson of the 18th Saarc Summit Sushil Koirala declared the Summit’s conclusion, terming it a success, UNB reports.
In his co...
Mozena for stronger bridges between Bangladesh, US
US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena on Sunday said necessary steps have been taken to expedite US visa application process from here which will help build stronger bridges between the people of the two countries.
“I’m a bridge builder…it’s my second job (to build bridges),” he said while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of new visa collection centre at Saimon Centre in the city.
The US envoy described the opening of three visa collection centers in Chittagong, Sylhet and Dhaka as an important development in promoting partnership, relationshi...
The US envoy described the opening of three visa collection centers in Chittagong, Sylhet and Dhaka as an important development in promoting partnership, relationshi...
Election commissions of Bhutan, Bangladesh, India and Malaysia
Have you thought about how Malaysia’s election commission compares with its counterparts in Bhutan, Bangladesh and India? And about how it compares with two Malaysian NGOs who are working on improving the election process in Malaysia?
Bhutan is home to fewer than one million people. Bhutan transitioned from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy in 2008 when the first general election was held. Bhutan is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), together with Malaysia.
Six ways to fix gender inequality at work
Switzerland is one of the world’s most successful economies, scoring highly in areas from innovation to institutional excellence. So why is our record less stellar when it comes to gender equality? Switzerland’s performance in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap 2014 Report is a case in point. We came first in the Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, but only 11th in terms of closing the gender gap. A closer look reveals an even starker contrast between economic success and gender bias. In the wealthy canton of Zurich, for example, women earn on average 24% less than men. In the financial sector, one of Switzerland’s signature industries, the difference is an astonishing 32%. To make matters worse, Swiss women are more at risk of poverty than men.
