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International News

NEW YORK, Sept 20, 2023 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the world major economies should exercise honesty about climate change to avoid impending crisis.

“We expect the world’s major economies to remain honest about climate change and do their fair share to avert the impending crisis," she said.

The prime minister made the remarks in a" High Level Thematic Session of Climate Ambition Summit on “Delivering Climate Justice: Accelerating Ambition and Implementation on Adaptation and Early Warnings for All" at ECOSOC Chamber here.

She arrived in New York on September 17 to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The premier said Bangladesh’s experience demonstrated that investing in adaptation and early warning makes perfect sense.

"We hope our development partners will seize these opportunities to deliver climate justice," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh has joined this session to lend support to two initiatives by the UN secretary general.

As a climate justice advocate, she said Bangladesh stands ready to align with any constructive move that advances the agenda.

The prime minister said that Bangladesh has requested the UN system to conduct a table-top exercise on nation-wide earthquake modeling.

She said they are working on Bangladesh's second satellite, Bangabandhu II, as an Earth Observatory.

"Bangladesh is willing to share its expertise with other vulnerable countries through South-South and triangular cooperation," she said.

She also expressed her hope that “early warnings for all” will be able to encourage MDBs and IFIs to join such efforts.

The premier mentioned that Bangladesh had reduced fatalities to a single digit compared to the millions that perished during the Bhola Cyclone in 1970.

"We have one of the world’s largest community volunteer programmes comprising 65,000 coastal people," she said.

Bangladesh's latest National Plan for Disaster Management has adopted an integrated multi-hazard early warning approach, the prime minister said.

"We are using mobile technology to provide regular updates on weather forecasts," she said.

 

Thematic Ambassador of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Saima Wazed was present.

"Expatriate Journalist and Freedom Fighter Delwar Jahid Emphasize Vital Role of Media in Bangladesh's Democratic Journey"
 
Dhaka, September 15, 2023 - In a recent webinar organized by the Election Monitoring Hub of the Bangladesh North American Journalists Network, Delwar Jahid, a prominent expatriate journalist, researcher, and heroic freedom fighter, emphasized the crucial role journalists play in the democratic journey of their country. Jahid underscored that journalists are not just conveyors of information but also the guardians of truth, advocates of transparency, and sentinels of democracy. With the upcoming elections in Bangladesh, the role of journalists as election observers will be of paramount importance, as they shoulder multifaceted responsibilities.
 
During the webinar, speakers stressed the need to establish and ensure an impartial, credible, and inclusive electoral process, allowing citizens to exercise their fundamental right to elect their representatives.
 
The online discussion took place on a Friday morning in Bangladesh and was hosted from Central Alberta, Canada. It was presided over by Delwar Jahid, the president of the organization, a Canadian expatriate writer, researcher, human rights organizer, and special project committee chairperson of the 'Step to Humanity Association.'
 
Notable participants in the discussion included Abu Morshed Chowdhury, President of Cox's Bazar Chamber of Commerce, and a prominent social activist and educationist. Also present were Dr. Anwar Zahid, former director of Bangladesh Rural Development Academy (BARD) and registrar of the University of Britain; Ali Akbar Masum, Chief Executive of the Adhikar Foundation; Md. Sajjad Hossain, Deputy Chief Reporter of the Bangladesh News Agency (BASS); Yasmin Rima, a  journalist, and Shamsul Habib, a journalist from the daily Jugantar.
 
Abu Morshed Chowdhury emphasized the importance of establishing a robust mechanism for fair elections within a democratic state system, stressing that Bangladesh's elections should align with the ideological spirit of the liberation war and not be influenced by domestic or foreign interests.
 
Dr. Anwar Jahid highlighted the multifaceted challenges faced by journalists during elections, including violence, and called for the publication of news in a fair and balanced manner.
 
Ali Akbar Masum discussed the challenges faced by journalists' livelihoods, particularly in a capitalist corporate system, and called for reforms in the political system to address self-interest conflicts.
 
Sajjad Hossain emphasized the need for professionalism and impartiality within the administration to conduct fair elections in today's interconnected age.
 
Yasmin Rima stressed the importance of proper training for journalists and election observers and advocated for a separate roadmap and budget for polling in high-risk areas.
 
The webinar also saw participation from various individuals, including Agriculturist Moazzem Hossain, the general secretary of Canada's 'Step to Humanity Association,' Khairul Ahsan Manik, the vice president of the Bangladesh North American Journalists Network, teacher Shirin Ferdosi, Esrar Zahid Khosru, Syfur Hasan, Md. Rafat Hossain, and trainee lawyers Aminul Islam and Ivana Hossain.
 
The speakers highlighted the vital role monitoring plays in ensuring transparency, impartiality, and fairness in Bangladesh's elections. They emphasized that election observation is a powerful tool for upholding democratic principles and protecting citizens' rights. Monitoring various stages of the electoral process, from voter registration to vote counting, is crucial for this purpose.

 

 

Edmonton, April 17, 2017 (ANV) - Bangladesh Community in Edmonton celebrates Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year-1424, with great enthusiasm and festivity.

Marking the day, two day-long colorful 'Baishakhi Mela' was organized by the Bangladesh Canada Association of Edmonton, where Bangladeshis living in Edmonton and its suburbs along with Canadian citizens participated. There were continuous cultural events since morning to evening. There was a live concert of Famous BD singer Ferdous Wahid at Bonnie Doon Community Hall.

The Baishakhi Mela premises were beautifully decorated with all the symbols of Bangla New Year celebrations.

WASHINGTON, Feb 26, 2015 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of destabilizing Ukraine through "land grabs," warning Moscow and the rebels had failed to meet the terms of a tattered ceasefire.

Putin had put in place policies which "violate all the international norms with respect to territory and behavior," Kerry told lawmakers.

"In Luhansk, and Donetsk, and now in Debaltseve, he has empowered, encouraged, and facilitated directly land grabs in order to try to destabilize Ukraine itself."

For a long time "the respect for international boundaries, and lines, and not taking territory by force, and subterfuge has been the standard for which nations have been trying to fight," Kerry told the House foreign affairs committee on Wednesday.

Top US officials have lashed Putin and his ministers in recent days as the fighting has continued in Ukraine, with Kerry on Tuesday directly accusing Russian leaders of lying "to my face" over the conflict.

"To date, neither Russia nor the forces it is supporting have come close to complying with their commitments," Kerry said Wednesday in a prepared statement to lawmakers on the second day of intense congressional hearings.

And he renewed warnings that "if failure continues, there will be further consequences -- consequences that would place added strains on Russia's weakened economy."

- 'How dumb do I look?' -

Asked if she believed Putin's assertions that he wanted peace in Ukraine, National Security Advisor Susan Rice retorted: "How dumb do I look?"

"No. In all seriousness, no. One cannot accept Vladimir Putin at his word because his actions have belied his words repeatedly, particularly in the context of Ukraine," Rice told PBS television.

Highlighting the biting sanctions which have already had a damaging effect on the Russian economy, Rice said that "how much he cares is a bigger question. I think he has to care."

"Will that, in the short term, cause him to -- to take the steps that we think are critical for him to take? That's a question to be answered. But this will come at a mounting and painful cost to the Russian economy and to Russian interests, particularly if he continues down this path."

NATO's top commander for Europe, Philip Breedlove, echoed her concerns, saying Putin has moved in a lot of force.

"Over a thousand combat vehicles, Russian combat forces, some of their most sophisticated air defense, battalions of artillery, Mr Putin has already set the bar ... very high in his interactions in Eastern Ukraine and in Donbass," he said in Washington.

"The disinformation campaign that Russia has out is quite pervasive," he argued.

But "what is clear is that right now it is not getting better; it is getting worse every day," Breedlove added.

For the first time since the European-brokered truce came into force on February 15, no deaths were reported in Ukraine's war zone by either side for the past 24 hours.

But there was still no confirmation, from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of a pull-back of heavy weapons from the frontline -- the other key plank of the truce.