The Quill Post

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the opening ceremony of national cultural festivals in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Sunday, Sep 15, 2025. In his address at the ceremony to mark the opening of the 40th National Cultural Festival and the 25th National Arts and Culture Festival for Persons with Disabilities, the emperor stressed the significance of holding the events this year, which marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "I hope the events will lead to the vitality needed to create new culture," he said. The imperial couple later interacted with those who appeared in the opening ceremony. Kenshiro Takada, a 17-year-old high school student from the town of Nagayo in Nagasaki who is a third-generation hibakusha atomic bomb survivor, read a message about peace in the ceremony. He told the imperial couple about his activities as a peace messenger.  Earlier in the day, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako observed rehearsals ...

Sushila Karki has taken charge of the interim government as the new Prime Minister after a political upheaval in Nepal, which has been rocked by protests. Sushila Karki took office as the head of the interim government on Saturday after being sworn in on Friday night. Many heads of state from around the world have congratulated her.  Various international organizations have advised Nepal's interim government to focus on issues related to the rule of law and international human rights. Curfews and restrictions imposed in most parts of Nepal have been lifted. However, restrictions on gatherings and protests remain in place in some parts of Kathmandu. Public transport has resumed in Kathmandu after being closed for the past five days due to protests.  On Saturday morning, the Prime Minister met those injured during the protests at the "National Trauma Centre and Civil Service Hospital". She spoke to doctors at the hospital, and inquired about the condition of the injured.  O...

On Sep 12, Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, offered prayers Friday for the victims of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki in the closing days of World War II.  Led by Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, the royal family visited Nagasaki Peace Park. They offered white flowers and bowed deeply at a monument marking the epicenter of the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing. The royal family arrived at Nagasaki Airport on a special flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport earlier Friday. It is Princess Aiko's first visit to the prefecture and the first for the imperial couple since the emperor's ascension to the throne in May 2019. The royal family was set to visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum late Friday and then meet with four atomic bomb survivors, including a co-chair of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year. They were also set to meet two young peop...

Shaikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, and MSJ Swapnil, Deputy Director of Disaster Management, Peace and Development International (DMPI), recently met at an event in Mr. Hossain’s personal office in Dhaka, where Deputy Director Swapnil was invited as the Special Guest. The two environmentalists exchanged views on the challenges the world is facing, sharing the belief that stronger awareness and collective action are needed to safeguard the planet for future generations.  Also present at the event were former Chairman of the Bangladesh Rice Export Association, Farid Hasan Chowdhury; Musab Amin; Sady Sarowar; Maruf Hossain; and Syed Reazul Haque. The guests at the event remarked that, although they come from different professional worlds, their passion for protecting the environment brought them together. They noted that this meeting between an international officer and a leading lawyer serves as a reminder that the work for the environme...

  The Israeli government is routinely committing war crimes, according to analysts in Israel and doctors who have worked in Palestine.  While killings, beatings and the arbitrary arrest of Palestinians are not new to the Israelis, a long process of dehumanisation, the infiltration of far-right ideologies in the Israeli forces and a lack of accountability have led to a scenario where Israeli troops can do as they please without even needing an operational reason, according to various analysts.   “As far as I can see, this is a new phenomenon,” Dr. Erella Grassiani, Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam, who has written on what she referred to as the moral “numbing” of Israeli soldiers during the second Intifada of 2000. “It’s not as if Israeli soldiers haven’t beaten and arrested children for throwing stones before, but this is new,” she said. “Previously, there were some kind of rules of engagement, even if they were loosely followed, but they were there...

  “Today, I want to recognise the many human rights defenders who risk their lives around the world, and the courage and dedication of all my UN Human Rights staff,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - Volker Türk in his video message for World Humanitarian Day. “The sacrifice of our colleagues strengthens our resolve to continue their essential work.”  In Geneva, Switzerland, colleagues, families, and friends gathered at the UN Human Rights headquarters to pay tribute to all humanitarian workers and emergency responders who have lost their lives in service across the globe. Each year, 19 August is observed as World Humanitarian Day, a moment to recognize those who dedicate themselves to alleviating human suffering, and to remember the victims of humanitarian crises worldwide.  Nada Al-Nashif, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and a survivor of the Canal Hotel bombing, reflected on her experience when she was UNDP Country Director in Iraq durin...

Iraq is among the nations most severely impacted by climate change, with its effects being particularly devastating for the country's farmers. Rising temperatures and reduced water availability have led to a significant decline in crop yields in recent years. Farmers in various sectors, such as Sarhan Jaber Taher, who comes from a long line of water buffalo rearers, are also feeling the strain. Taher’s family currently cares for 200 out of 300 buffalo, relying on their milk for income. However, the changing climate is gradually eroding their profits. For centuries, the Euphrates River, the longest in Western Asia, has nourished the Fertile Crescent—a historically fertile region spanning several countries, including Iraq. However, the river’s water supply in central Iraq has been dwindling due to a combination of upstream dams, outdated irrigation methods, and the effects of climate change. Officials report that water flows in the Euphrates and the parallel-running Tigris River were...