News Watch (17-03-2018)

Unicef to provide $113m to help kids

Unicef, as part of the Rohingya joint-response plan, will provide $113 million to meet the needs of 720,000 children - Rohingya as well as Bangladeshi children in the communities hosting them - through the end of 2018. The "extraordinary efforts" of the Bangladesh government, with support from the humanitarian community, brought crucial protection and relief to children and families, many of whom had escaped death, said the UN agency. The crisis continues - the Rohingyas are still fleeing Myanmar -- with around 500 new arrivals every week over the past month. The scale of immediate, basic, life-saving needs - 17 million litres of clean water -- needed every day, remains immense. — UNB

B Chy suffers mild stroke

Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury suffered a mild stroke early Friday. "Badruddoza Chowdhury suffered a minor stroke and he was advised to take a two-week full bed rest by his daughter and personal physician Dr Shaila Sharmin Chowdhury," said B Chowdhury's press secretary Jahangir Alam. The BDB chief is now under best rest at his residence under the supervision of Dr Shaila Sharmin, he said, adding that Badruddoza Chowdhury urged the countrymen to pray for his early recovery.— UNB

Another US funding deadline looms

WASHINGTON: As another US government funding deadline looms, a huge spending bill is ground zero in the latest battle between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over President Donald Trump's push to toughen immigration policy. Lawmakers have until March 23 to work out how to fund an array of government agencies for the next six months. —Reuters