Tuesday, 21 Jan, 2025

International

Spain air traffic controllers begin 4-day strike

DHAKA: Air traffic controllers in Spain on Monday launched a staggered four-day strike that could affect around 5,300 flights in the world’s third most visited country.The staggered strike this week was called by the controllers’ Usca union for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Mexico votes in mid-term elections amid violence

DHAKA: Mexicans have voted in mid-term elections which are being seen as a test for President Enrique Pena Nieto.Eighty million people are eligible to select the lower house of congress, hundreds of mayors and nine governors, reports the BBC.The run-up to the poll has been marked by

Egypt’s Sisi apologizes for police brutality

DHAKA: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has apologized to the nation for human right abuses committed by the police.“I apologize to every Egyptian citizen who has been subjected to any abuse. I am accountable for anything that happens to an Egyptian citizen,” Sisi said on

Turkey ruling AKP loses majority

DHAKA: Turkey’s governing AK party has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 13 years, near-complete election results show.The surprise outcome also sees the pro-Kurdish HDP crossing the 10 percent threshold, securing seats for the first time.With 99 percent of the vote

Saudi court upholds blogger’s punishment

DHAKA: Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has upheld the sentence of 1,000 lashes and 10 years of imprisonment on blogger Raif Badawi, despite a foreign outcry.Speaking from Canada, his wife Ensaf Haidar said, “This is a final decision that is irrevocable.”In March, the kingdom expressed

G7 to discuss ‘Russian aggression’

DHAKA: President Barack Obama has said G7 leaders will discuss “standing up to Russian aggression” in Ukraine, as he arrived at the summit in Germany.Trade, violent extremism and climate change would also feature, he said.The annual summit of leading Western economic powers is taking

44 Yemeni soldiers killed in air strike

DHAKA: At least 44 Yemeni soldiers have been killed and more than a hundred injured in an air strike at Yemeni army headquarters in the capital Sanaa,They were killed while waiting to collect salaries, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.Earlier on Sunday, army officials said

China cruise ship death toll exceeds 400

DHAKA: The death toll from the disaster reached 431 on Sunday, with 11 still missing.Chinese officials and rescuers bowed in mourning towards a battered cruise ship which capsized during a storm in the Yangtze river, reports the Times of India.Only 14 survivors, one of them the captain,

Turkey votes in crucial general election

DHAKA: Turks on Sunday have begun voting in a general election which will determine whether the ruling party can change the constitution.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who first came to power as prime minister in 2003, is seeking a big enough majority to turn Turkey into a presidential

South Korea confirms fifth Mers death

DHAKA: Fourteen more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) have been confirmed in South Korea and a fifth person has died.Health officials say, reports the BBC.The total number of patients has risen to 64, making it the biggest outbreak of Mers outside the Middle East.The

3,500 migrants rescued in Mediterranean Sea

DHAKA: Nearly 3,500 migrants have been rescued from five wooden boats in the Mediterranean, and as many as seven other vessels have been reported at sea, Italy's coastguard says.Australian Broadcasting Corporation on its website (www.abc.net.au) reported on Sunday morning that the

10 cops killed by Taliban in Afghanistan

DHAKA: 10 police officers were killed by Taliban fighters attack at Yamgan district headquarters of Badakhshan province’s in Afghanistan from four directions on Saturday. The Taliban have wrested control of Badakhshan province's Yamgan district in northeastern Afghanistan after

Pope celebrates stadium Mass in Bosnia

DHAKA: Pope Francis is celebrating Mass in front of tens of thousands of Catholics at a stadium in Bosnia-Herzegovina.The pontiff’s visit to the capital, Sarajevo, is aimed at promoting peace and reconciliation across the country, reports the BBC.The Pope will also meet members of the

11 hikers killed in Malaysia quake

DHAKA: The bodies of 11 climbers have been recovered from Malaysia’s highest peak Mount Kinabalu after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a series of landslides.A total of 137 climbers, including several foreigners, who had been stranded when the quake first struck on Friday have

South Korea MERS virus cases reach 50 people

DHAKA: South Korea on Saturday confirmed nine more cases of the MERS virus, which has killed four people, but said it did not represent a spread of the outbreak as the infected were already in quarantine.The additional cases brought the total number of people infected with the virus to

Saudis shoot down missile fired from Yemen

DHAKA: Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Scud missile fired on its territory by rebel forces in neighboring Yemen early Saturday as momentum gathers for peace talks in Switzerland next weekend.‘The Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted it with a Patriot missile,’ said a

China ship disaster toll reaches 331

DHAKA: A total of 331 people are now known to have died after a ship overturned in a storm in China’s Yangtze River last Monday.China state media said, reports the BBC.Salvagers righted the Eastern Star on Friday after officials said chances of finding anyone alive were slim.Just 14 of

8 out of 10 Malala suspects ‘secretly acquitted’

DHAKA: Eight of the 10 men reportedly jailed for the attempted assassination of Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai were acquitted, it has emerged.In April, officials in Pakistan said that 10 Taliban fighters had been found guilty and received 25-year jail terms.But sources have now

Saddam aide Tariq Aziz dies in Iraqi prison

DHAKA: Tariq Aziz, known as the face of Saddam Hussein’s regime on the world stage for many years, has died in an Iraqi prison.Aziz, 79, served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister and was a close adviser to the former leader, reports the BBC.He was sentenced to death by the

6.0 quake hits Malaysia, 160 climbers trapped

DHAKA: Rescue operations are underway to reach tourists trapped on one of South East Asia’s highest mountains after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck.Around 160 are stranded, some injured, on Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island, said the state’s tourism