Bimstec secretariat in Dhaka
Prime Minister Hasina inaugurated its first secretariat set up in Dhaka on 13th September. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an alliance of South and South East Asian countries. Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal are its members. The prime minister urged for more BIMSTEC initiatives in agriculture.
BIMSTEC is an abbreviation form, its full form is Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). It formed on 6 June 1997. The name was given in the first Summit on 31 July 2004. BIMSTEC has Fourteen priority sectors cover all areas of cooperation. Six priority sectors of cooperation were identified at the 2nd Ministerial Meeting in Dhaka on 19 November 1998.
Prime Minister Hasina inaugurated its first secretariat set up in Dhaka on 13th September. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an alliance of South and South East Asian countries. Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal are its members. The prime minister urged for more BIMSTEC initiatives in agriculture.
BIMSTEC is an abbreviation form, its full form is Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). It formed on 6 June 1997. The name was given in the first Summit on 31 July 2004. BIMSTEC has Fourteen priority sectors cover all areas of cooperation. Six priority sectors of cooperation were identified at the 2nd Ministerial Meeting in Dhaka on 19 November 1998.
Bangladesh: Law against child marriage
Bangladesh officials on 15th September approved the Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2014, a law that sets a two year jail term for any person who marries a girl under the age of 18. The act sets the minimum age of marriage for men at 21 and and for women at 18.
Ukraine ratifies landmark EU pact
Ukrainian lawmakers on 16th September ratified a landmark EU pact and adopted laws granting self-rule to the east in crucial votes that will shape the future of the splintered former Soviet state. But Russia signalled it had no intention of backing down in the most serious East-West standoff since the Cold War, announcing it plans to boost its troop presence in annexed Crimea.
The European and Ukrainian parliaments held simultaneous votes to approve the political and economic association agreement whose rejection by the former government triggered the country's worst crisis since independence in 1991.
Lawmakers in Kiev also voted to grant self-rule in eastern regions under the control of pro-Russian rebels and offer amnesty to fighters under a peace plan drawn up 11 days ago to halt the bloody five-month conflict. Poroshenko said the adoption of the 1,200-page EU deal was Ukraine's first step towards membership of the 28-nation bloc.
Back ground
The rejection of the broad EU pact by Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych in November set off the bloody chain of events that led to his ouster in February, Russia's subsequent seizure of Crimea and the unleashing of the revolt in the east. The conflict in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions has now killed almost 2,900 people and forced at least 600,000 from their homes, according to UN figures.
Russia's denials of involvement have not spared it from waves of punishing Western sanctions that have left President Vladimir Putin more isolated than at any stage of his 15-year rule.
NATO earlier this month also unveiled plans to boost its forces in eastern Europe in response to Russia's "aggression". Russia already has tens of thousands of soldiers in Crimea but denies NATO charges it sent more than 1,000 elite troops into eastern Ukraine to help the militias launch a surprise counter-offensive in August.
The truce signed on September 5 has offered the first significant glimmer of hope that the crisis may be abating, although up to 30 civilians and servicemen have since been killed, most in shelling around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
Under the terms of the truce, lawmakers adopted "special status" legislation that offers three years of limited self-rule to the coal and steel belt known as the Donbass that generates a quarter of Ukraine's exports.
The legislation calls for December polls in Donetsk and Lugansk and allows local legislatures to set up their own police forces and name judges and prosectors. Crucially, it also guarantees the right for Russian to be used in all state institutions -- a particularly sensitive issue in the mainly Russian-speaking regions.
Another law also grants amnesty to both the insurgents and Ukrainian government forces over their actions during the conflict, although rights groups have alleged abuses by both sides that could be considered war crimes.
Bangladesh officials on 15th September approved the Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2014, a law that sets a two year jail term for any person who marries a girl under the age of 18. The act sets the minimum age of marriage for men at 21 and and for women at 18.
Ukraine ratifies landmark EU pact
Ukrainian lawmakers on 16th September ratified a landmark EU pact and adopted laws granting self-rule to the east in crucial votes that will shape the future of the splintered former Soviet state. But Russia signalled it had no intention of backing down in the most serious East-West standoff since the Cold War, announcing it plans to boost its troop presence in annexed Crimea.
The European and Ukrainian parliaments held simultaneous votes to approve the political and economic association agreement whose rejection by the former government triggered the country's worst crisis since independence in 1991.
Lawmakers in Kiev also voted to grant self-rule in eastern regions under the control of pro-Russian rebels and offer amnesty to fighters under a peace plan drawn up 11 days ago to halt the bloody five-month conflict. Poroshenko said the adoption of the 1,200-page EU deal was Ukraine's first step towards membership of the 28-nation bloc.
Back ground
The rejection of the broad EU pact by Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych in November set off the bloody chain of events that led to his ouster in February, Russia's subsequent seizure of Crimea and the unleashing of the revolt in the east. The conflict in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions has now killed almost 2,900 people and forced at least 600,000 from their homes, according to UN figures.
Russia's denials of involvement have not spared it from waves of punishing Western sanctions that have left President Vladimir Putin more isolated than at any stage of his 15-year rule.
NATO earlier this month also unveiled plans to boost its forces in eastern Europe in response to Russia's "aggression". Russia already has tens of thousands of soldiers in Crimea but denies NATO charges it sent more than 1,000 elite troops into eastern Ukraine to help the militias launch a surprise counter-offensive in August.
The truce signed on September 5 has offered the first significant glimmer of hope that the crisis may be abating, although up to 30 civilians and servicemen have since been killed, most in shelling around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
Under the terms of the truce, lawmakers adopted "special status" legislation that offers three years of limited self-rule to the coal and steel belt known as the Donbass that generates a quarter of Ukraine's exports.
The legislation calls for December polls in Donetsk and Lugansk and allows local legislatures to set up their own police forces and name judges and prosectors. Crucially, it also guarantees the right for Russian to be used in all state institutions -- a particularly sensitive issue in the mainly Russian-speaking regions.
Another law also grants amnesty to both the insurgents and Ukrainian government forces over their actions during the conflict, although rights groups have alleged abuses by both sides that could be considered war crimes.
World’s wild tiger population to be counted by
2016
Thirteen countries with wild tiger populations agreed on 16th September to take part in a global count to establish how many of the critically endangered big cats are left and improve policies to protect them. The pledge came at a global conference in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka where more than 140 people have converged for three days to discuss actions to save the tiger.
The world's wild tiger population fell to little over 3,200 in 2010 from 100,000 only a century ago and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has listed the animal as critically endangered. Poaching, encroachment on its habitat and the illegal wildlife trade are blamed for the declining numbers.
In 2010 the 13 countries with tiger populations -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam -- launched a plan to double their numbers by 2022.
But poaching continues to be a major problem. Statistics from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, show that at least 1,590 tigers -- an average of two a week -- were seized between January 2000 and April 2014.
Bangladesh has come under fire for setting up a giant coal-fired power plant on the edge of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, home to one of the largest tiger populations. Experts fear the 1,320-megawatt power plant being built just 14 kilometres (nine miles) from the Sundarbans will pollute the water of the world's largest mangrove forest, jeopardising its delicate biodiversity and threatening the tiger population.
Thirteen countries with wild tiger populations agreed on 16th September to take part in a global count to establish how many of the critically endangered big cats are left and improve policies to protect them. The pledge came at a global conference in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka where more than 140 people have converged for three days to discuss actions to save the tiger.
The world's wild tiger population fell to little over 3,200 in 2010 from 100,000 only a century ago and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has listed the animal as critically endangered. Poaching, encroachment on its habitat and the illegal wildlife trade are blamed for the declining numbers.
In 2010 the 13 countries with tiger populations -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam -- launched a plan to double their numbers by 2022.
But poaching continues to be a major problem. Statistics from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, show that at least 1,590 tigers -- an average of two a week -- were seized between January 2000 and April 2014.
Bangladesh has come under fire for setting up a giant coal-fired power plant on the edge of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, home to one of the largest tiger populations. Experts fear the 1,320-megawatt power plant being built just 14 kilometres (nine miles) from the Sundarbans will pollute the water of the world's largest mangrove forest, jeopardising its delicate biodiversity and threatening the tiger population.
U.S. House approval Obama’s Syria plan
The US House of Representatives has approved President Barack Obama's plan to train and arm the moderate Syrian opposition taking on Islamic State. The vote passed by a large majority in the Republican-controlled House and is expected to be adopted in the Senate.
The endorsement came after President Obama repeated that he would not be committing American combat troops to ground operations in Iraq. The US has undertaken 174 air strikes against IS in Iraq since mid-August. The jihadist group controls large areas of Syria and northern Iraq.
In the most recent air strikes on 16th and 17th September, US forces destroyed two IS armed vehicles north-west of Irbil and several units south-west of Baghdad, according to US Central Command (Centcom). Mr Obama's new strategy plans similar attacks in Syria and calls on a coalition of 40 countries to confront the militant group.
Convinced International community
US Secretary of State John Kerry has completed a tour of the Middle East, trying to enlist allies in the fight against Islamic State (IS). During his campaign to recruit allies, he has managed to win the support of 10 Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The reasons for the toughness of US
The scale and scope of Islamic State (IS) marks it out from other jihadist groupings insofar as it already controls a significant swathe of territory across Syria and Iraq. IS has captured huge quantities of weaponry and has significant financial resources, giving it more of the character of a quasi-state rather than a cell-like terrorist organisation.
With its ambition to establish an Islamic caliphate expanding from the areas it already controls, it represents a clear threat to US allies in the region and, given the significant numbers of foreign fighters in its ranks, potentially to Western countries as well.
Support that US got
US Secretary of State John Kerry has received strong backing - at least on paper - from pro-Western states in the region. A declaration signed noted a range of measures that will be required - not just military action: controlling borders, clamping down on the funding of IS, efforts to counter its ideology and to constrain foreign fighters from joining it.
A number of Washington's Western allies are also stepping up to the mark, with Australia announcing that it will send 600 personnel, initially to the United Arab Emirates. (This is believed to include Special Forces soldiers to help train Iraqi and Kurdish units along with six FA-18 Super Hornet fighters, tankers and other support aircraft.)
All the signs from London are that Britain will join in although it is unclear when an announcement on military action might come and whether it would encompass just Iraq or extend to Syria, too.
The US House of Representatives has approved President Barack Obama's plan to train and arm the moderate Syrian opposition taking on Islamic State. The vote passed by a large majority in the Republican-controlled House and is expected to be adopted in the Senate.
The endorsement came after President Obama repeated that he would not be committing American combat troops to ground operations in Iraq. The US has undertaken 174 air strikes against IS in Iraq since mid-August. The jihadist group controls large areas of Syria and northern Iraq.
In the most recent air strikes on 16th and 17th September, US forces destroyed two IS armed vehicles north-west of Irbil and several units south-west of Baghdad, according to US Central Command (Centcom). Mr Obama's new strategy plans similar attacks in Syria and calls on a coalition of 40 countries to confront the militant group.
Convinced International community
US Secretary of State John Kerry has completed a tour of the Middle East, trying to enlist allies in the fight against Islamic State (IS). During his campaign to recruit allies, he has managed to win the support of 10 Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The reasons for the toughness of US
The scale and scope of Islamic State (IS) marks it out from other jihadist groupings insofar as it already controls a significant swathe of territory across Syria and Iraq. IS has captured huge quantities of weaponry and has significant financial resources, giving it more of the character of a quasi-state rather than a cell-like terrorist organisation.
With its ambition to establish an Islamic caliphate expanding from the areas it already controls, it represents a clear threat to US allies in the region and, given the significant numbers of foreign fighters in its ranks, potentially to Western countries as well.
Support that US got
US Secretary of State John Kerry has received strong backing - at least on paper - from pro-Western states in the region. A declaration signed noted a range of measures that will be required - not just military action: controlling borders, clamping down on the funding of IS, efforts to counter its ideology and to constrain foreign fighters from joining it.
A number of Washington's Western allies are also stepping up to the mark, with Australia announcing that it will send 600 personnel, initially to the United Arab Emirates. (This is believed to include Special Forces soldiers to help train Iraqi and Kurdish units along with six FA-18 Super Hornet fighters, tankers and other support aircraft.)
All the signs from London are that Britain will join in although it is unclear when an announcement on military action might come and whether it would encompass just Iraq or extend to Syria, too.
Scotland to remain in UK
Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after voters decisively rejected independence. With the results in from all 32 council areas, the "No" side won with 2,001,926 votes over 1,617,989 for "Yes". The margin of victory for the Better Together campaign - 55% to 45% - was greater by about 3% than that anticipated by the final opinion polls. The winning total needed was 1,852,828.
Alex Salmond to quit
Alex Salmond is to step down as Scottish first minister after voters rejected independence. He will also resign as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which he has led for a total of 20 years. Scottish voters backed the country staying in the UK by 2,001,926 votes to 1,617,989 in 19th September referendum
About Scotland:
Scotland ispart of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-west. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. Edinburgh, the country's capital and second-largest city. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. Scotland joined in UK in 1707
Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after voters decisively rejected independence. With the results in from all 32 council areas, the "No" side won with 2,001,926 votes over 1,617,989 for "Yes". The margin of victory for the Better Together campaign - 55% to 45% - was greater by about 3% than that anticipated by the final opinion polls. The winning total needed was 1,852,828.
Alex Salmond to quit
Alex Salmond is to step down as Scottish first minister after voters rejected independence. He will also resign as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which he has led for a total of 20 years. Scottish voters backed the country staying in the UK by 2,001,926 votes to 1,617,989 in 19th September referendum
About Scotland:
Scotland ispart of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-west. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. Edinburgh, the country's capital and second-largest city. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. Scotland joined in UK in 1707
Air strikes against IS by France
French planes have carried out air strikes on Islamic State (Isis) targets in Iraq. Less than 24 hours after President François Hollande announced he had approved a request from the government in Baghdad for air support, at least two French Rafale planes attacked the insurgents' positions.
French planes have carried out air strikes on Islamic State (Isis) targets in Iraq. Less than 24 hours after President François Hollande announced he had approved a request from the government in Baghdad for air support, at least two French Rafale planes attacked the insurgents' positions.
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