Monday, 27 Jan, 2025

International

David Cameron had stake in father's offshore trust

DHAKA: British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he and his wife Samantha owned shares in an offshore trust set up by his late father, before selling them for £30,000 in 2010.   The PM has faced questions over Blairmore Holdings, an offshore company set up by his late father,

Suu Kyi to free all political prisoners

DHAKA: Aung San Suu Kyi says her new government in Myanmar will work towards freeing all remaining political prisoners within the next two weeks. It is her first announcement in her new role as ‘state counselor’, a position similar to prime minister, reports the BBC. She is

Panama vows change after offshore leaks

DHAKA: Panama is creating an international panel to help improve transparency in its offshore financial industry.   The move follows the leak of millions of documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca, showing it helped some clients evade tax and avoid sanctions.   Several

Omar al-Bashir ‘to step down in 2020’

DHAKA: Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has told the BBC he will step down in 2020 when his current mandate ends. Bashir also denied allegations of abuses perpetrated by the Sudanese forces in renewed violence against black African villages who took up arms in the country's

Putin creates new National Guard

DHAKA: Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the creation of a new National Guard, which he said would fight terrorism and organized crime. The force will be formed of interior ministry troops and led by Putin’s former bodyguard, Viktor Zolotov, who will report directly to

Mossack Fonseca says leak came from hack

DHAKA: One of the founders of Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers revelations on offshore holdings, said his company was hacked. Ramon Fonseca said the leak was not caused by an insider but that the company was hacked by servers abroad, reports Al Jazeera.

India’s Bihar state imposes complete ban on alcohol

DHAKA: India’s Bihar state has declared total ban on the sale of all forms of alcohol with immediate effect in a move seen as fulfillment of an election promise made by state chief minister Nitish Kumar. ‘Liquor will not be sold in any bar, pub or hotel from now onwards,’ Nitish

‘Tax avoidance is a big global problem’

DHAKA: President Obama has warned ‘tax avoidance is a big global problem’, and urged Congress to take action to eliminate tax loopholes. ‘A lot of it is legal, but that's exactly the problem,’ he said, reports the BBC. His comments come a day after the US Treasury

EU to unveil new asylum options

DHAKA: The European Commission is due to unveil options for reforms to the way EU countries handle asylum claims in response to the migrant crisis. The move is in part a reaction to the difficulties faced by Greece and Italy to cope with thousands arriving from the Middle East and

‘Disturbing rise’ in global executions

DHAKA: A surge in the number of executions recorded worldwide saw more people put to death last year than at any point since 1989.   Amnesty International (AI) says, reports the BBC. At least 1,634 people were executed in 2015, a rise of more than 50% on the previous year, the

Cruz wins Wisconsin in blow to Trump

DHAKA: Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has decisively won the Wisconsin primary, complicating front-runner Donald Trump’s path to the nomination.   In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders scored a strong victory over Hillary Clinton in the Midwestern state, reports the

UN peacekeepers go on trial for CAR sex abuse

DHAKA: Three Congolese peacekeepers accused of sex abuse in the Central African Republic have appeared before a tribunal in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The three men - from the UN’s MINUSCA peacekeeping mission - are the first troops to be prosecuted in the scandal, which has

Syria army jet downed, pilot captured in Aleppo

DHAKA: A Syrian army plane has been shot down in the north of the country and the the pilot captured alive, according to government media and the opposition. SANA, the state news agency, said on Tuesday that the fighter jet was downed by a surface-to-missile and that the pilot ejected

Parliament approves Suu Kyi ‘PM-like’ role

DHAKA: Myanmar’s parliament has passed a bill that gives Aung San Suu Kyi a role similar to that of prime minister. The Lower House passed the bill to create the post of ‘state counselor’, which now requires only presidential approval to become law. Unelected military

Zuma faces impeachment vote

DHAKA: South Africa’s parliament is due to vote on an opposition-sponsored motion to impeach President Jacob Zuma.   The Democratic Alliance (DA) said he was no longer fit to govern after the country’s highest court ruled last week that he had breached the constitution by failing

Ex-NZ premier Clark to run for UN top job

DHAKA: Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has ended months of speculation by announcing her candidacy to become the next UN secretary-general.   In an interview with the BBC she said she would like to reform the security council by making Germany, Japan, India and Brazil

Syria forces recapture town from IS

DHAKA: Syrian forces and their allies have retaken the central town of al-Qaryatain from so-called Islamic State (IS), dealing a further strategic blow to the militant group.   Syria state media say, reports the BBC.   It comes days after IS was pushed out of the nearby

25 killed Iraq bomb attacks

DHAKA: At least 25 people have been killed and dozens wounded in bomb attacks across Iraq, media reports say.   As many as 10 suicide bombers carried out the attacks, which reportedly targeted members of the security forces and allied Shia Muslim militias.   The Islamic

Greece starts migrant deportations to Turkey

DHAKA: The first boat carrying migrants being deported from Greece has arrived in Turkey as part of an EU plan aimed at easing mass migration to Europe.   Scores of migrants boarded ferries on the Greek island of Lesbos and arrived in Dikili, western Turkey, reports the BBC.  

Pakistan floods kill 53

DHAKA: At least 53 people have been killed by flash floods caused by torrential rain in northwest Pakistan. Pakistan officials say, reports the BBC. The rain began on Saturday bringing flooding to parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces. Pre-monsoon