Desk Report: British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh apparently conducted promotional activities for one of its new products in Dhaka’s Lalmatia area yesterday, defying the country’s tobacco control act, reports Daily Star. A group of 10-15 representatives of BAT Bangladesh set up a decorated point of sale, containing packs of the company’s new cigarette, at a…
Reuters: A Malaysian religious court on Tuesday postponed a caning sentence on two women convicted for having sex, media reports said, amid an outcry from human rights activists. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is routinely persecuted in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where sodomy is a crime and is seen as a threat to conservative…
BBC: Cholera cases in Yemen have been slashed by a new system that predicts where outbreaks will occur. Last year, there were more than 50,000 new cases in just one week – this year, the numbers plummeted to about 2,500. The system has enabled aid workers to focus efforts on prevention several weeks in advance…
The Guardian, UK: Air pollution causes a “huge” reduction in intelligence, according to new research, indicating that the damage to society of toxic air is far deeper than the well-known impacts on physical health. The research was conducted in China but is relevant across the world, with 95% of the global population breathing unsafe air….
UNB: The High Court on Tuesday asked the government to return the passport of Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury for six months. An HC bench of Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz and Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty passed the order after hearing a petition. Advocate Fazlur Rahman stood for Ariful while deputy attorney general Maniruzzaman Kabir…
Desk Report: Dhaka-bound people from the southwestern districts are facing immense sufferings due to long tailbacks at Daulatdia-Paturia ferry ghat in Goalondo and Shimulia-Kathalbari ferry ghat at Shibchar in Madaripur, reports Daily Sun. Passengers are being compelled to wait at the ferry terminals for three to six hours due to disruption in ferry services, sources…
M Humayun Kabir: The gravity of the UN report on human rights violations in Myanmar warrants the attention of both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council, said Mark Field, British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific. “We will discuss options for bringing the report before the Security Council with…
Reuters: Pedro Sanchez, speaking on his first tour of Latin America since becoming Spain’s prime minister in June, promised to support any effort to use dialogue in Venezuela to end an economic and political crisis that he said had deeply worried him. Sanchez kicked off his four-nation Latin American trip on Monday in Chile, one…
The Guardian: China is mulling scrapping its controversial birth restrictions, reversing nearly four decades of family planning policies as birth rates fall. Chinese couples are limited to two children at present, after rules were relaxed from the infamous one-child policy that was in force from 1979 to 2016. Now officials are poised to enact a…
AP: France’s high-profile environment minister, former TV personality Nicolas Hulot, has unexpectedly announced his resignation live on national radio, dealing a blow to the lofty green ambitions of President Emmanuel Macron. Clearly emotional, Hulot made clear his frustrations at what he said was France’s slow pace of progress on green issues. The long-time environmental advocate told…