Wednesday, 15 Jan, 2025

International

IS militants 'biggest threat' to US

DHAKA: Islamic State militants are the most dangerous threat the US has faced in recent years, Washington has warned. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said US air strikes had helped to break the Islamist advance in Iraq, but the militants could be expected to regroup. America's top general

African nations tighten Ebola travel bans

DHAKA: African countries have tightened travel curbs in an effort to contain the Ebola outbreak, ignoring World Health Organisation (WHO) warnings that such measures could heighten shortages of food and basic supplies in affected areas.In the West Point slum in Liberia's capital

Egypt tour bus crash kills 33

DHAKA: At least 33 people have been killed and more than 40 injured when two buses collided early on Friday morning in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, according to the Egyptian news agency MENA. The incident happened around 50 km from Sharm el-Sheikh. The accident is believed to have happened

Malaysia receives bodies from Flight 17 crash

DHAKA: The bodies and ashes of 20 Malaysians killed when Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine in July have arrived in Kuala Lumpur.It was the first repatriation of victims from the flight to the country.The government has urged people to wear black and observe a

James Foley killers ‘wanted $132m ransom’

DHAKA: Jihadists holding US journalist James Foley wanted a $132m (£80m) ransom for his release, his employer has said.GlobalPost CEO Philip Balboni said the Islamic State (IS) militants had first demanded money last year.Mr Foley was abducted in November 2012, and a video of his

Indonesia court upholds Widodo win

DHAKA: Indonesia’s top court has upheld Joko Widodo’s victory in July’s presidential elections, rejecting an appeal against the result by defeated candidate Prabowo Subianto.The constitutional court unanimously agreed to reject the appeal, reports the BBC.Widodo won the poll by a

US opens criminal probe into Foley’s death

DHAKA: The United States Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the death of American journalist James Foley.US Attorney-General Eric Holder said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.Foley was beheaded by the Islamist militant group the Islamic State of Iraq

IS pressed for ransom before beheading Foley

DHAKA: Kneeling in the dirt in a desert somewhere in the Middle East, James Foley lost his life this week at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, IS in short.Before pulling out the knife used to decapitate him, his masked executioner explained that he was killing the

Body of Deif's daughter found in rubble

DHAKA: Hamas sources said Thursday that the body of Sara Deif, Muhammad Deif’s daughter, was pulled from the rubble of the house destroyed by an IDF strike. Deif’s wife and son were previously found killed in the same strike and there were reports that a third unidentified person had

Mashaal says Israel replicating Hitler

DHAKA: Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Thursday accused Israel of perpetrating a Holocaust in Gaza and vowed to keep up fighting against Israel until the siege of Gaza is lifted. Speaking in an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Mashaal said, ‘What Israel has done in the Gaza

Imran calls off talks with govt

DHAKA: Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan on Thursday called off talks with the government aimed at ending protests seeking the fall of the prime minister, which have destabilised the nuclear-armed nation. Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have led followers protesting

Thieves break into Belgium PM’s car, steal laptop, document

DHAKA: Thieves broke into the official car of Belgian prime minister Elio di Rupo, stealing his laptop and personal documents. Prosecutors confirmed on Thursday, reports The Straits Times. The robber or robbers shattered the window of Di Rupo’s car in central Brussels on Monday

Pakistan govt holds talks with opposition protesters

DHAKA: Pakistani officials have held first, ‘initial’ talks with two opposition groups whose supporters have been besieging the parliament for a second day demanding the prime minister resign over alleged election fraud. Cabinet minister Ahsan Iqbal says the two sides are trying to

Israeli airstrike 3 Hamas military leaders

DHAKA: An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza overnight killed three high-ranking members of Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, the militant group said Thursday.The three members of the Brigades' 15-member military council were killed in a bombing in Rafah in southern Gaza,

Indonesian president says IS embarrassing Muslims

DHAKA: The president of the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, Indonesia, on Thursday called the actions of Islamic State (IS) militants ‘embarrassing’ to the religion and urged Islamic leaders to unite in tackling extremism. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the scale of the

Japan landslides toll rises to 39, missing 10

DHAKA: At least 39 persons were killed and 10 have gone missing in floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall on Wednesday in the western Japanese city of Hiroshima.  A neighbor said he heard the boys' mother scream for help and rushed to help her, digging with his bare

4 burnt alive in Tamil Nadu fire

DHAKA: Four workers were burnt alive in a fire at a scrap plastic godown in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu in India early Thursday.  Though fire fighters were able to rescue a few people including the watchman, the four victims, all workers, officials say were trapped in a small

Liberian police open fire on Ebola protesters

DHAKA: Police in the Liberian capital have fired live rounds and tear gas to disperse a stone-throwing crowd trying to break an Ebola quarantine imposed on their neighbourhood, as the death toll from the epidemic in West Africa hit 1,350. In the sprawling oceanfront West Point

Thailand coup general named as PM

DHAKA: Thailand's junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha has been named the new prime minister of the southeast Asian nation. Gen Prayuth, 60, was nominated on Thursday in a legislature hand-picked by the junta and made up of mostly military and police figures, reports BBC. The general was the

Thousands of armed rebels flood Yemen capital

DHAKA: Thousands of armed Shia rebels in Yemen strengthened their positions in the capital Sanaa on Wednesday as they pressed their campaign to force the government to resign. Media correspondents witnessed, reports The Straits Times. Activists, known as Huthis or Ansarullah, used