Monday, 13 Jan, 2025

International

Back channels used to secure bodies, black boxes

DHAKA: As Western leaders increasingly pointed the finger of blame at pro-Russian separatists, and Moscow itself, over the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines plane in eastern Ukraine, the government in Kuala Lumpur said little. The reasons for that reticence, which had drawn criticism

5 million sign petition to change Myanmar constitution

DHAKA: Myanmar’s main opposition party says it has collected about five million signatures seeking reduced powers for unelected military members of parliament as the country, which emerged from dictatorship in 2011, moves towards an election next year. The National League for Democracy

3-man expert team to enter crash site

DHAKA: Malaysia has sent a three-man expert team to investigate the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site after getting assurances about their safety there. Malaysia transport minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the government received assurances from the Organisation for Security and

5 things about the Israel-Gaza conflict

DHAKA: The toll of the two-week fighting between Israel and the Islamist Hamas group in Gaza topped 500 on Monday. The UN Security Council has deplored the mounting violence and appealed for an immediate ceasefire. Here are five things about the Israel-Gaza conflict. 1. History of the

‘Not black, not a box!’

DHAKA: At last, bowing to international pressure, pro-Moscow separatists handed over on Tuesday the black boxes from the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, four days after it plunged into rebel-held eastern Ukraine though it is yet to know what happened to the earlier MH370 for the failure

Parents to be prosecuted under new measures

DHAKA: Parents will face prosecution if they fail to stop their daughters undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) under new measures being announced. UK prime minister David Cameron is unveiling a £1.4m prevention programme aimed at ending the practice at a global summit in London.

Israeli soldier ‘missing’ in Gaza

DHAKA: An Israeli soldier is missing in the Gaza Strip and is presumed dead, local media quote the military as saying. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said efforts were under way to identify one of seven Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza on Sunday. Nearly 600 Palestinians and 29 Israelis

S Korea police confirm fugitive ferry owner’s body

DHAKA: South Korean police said Tuesday they had found the body of fugitive business tycoon Yoo Byung-Eun, the target of a months-long manhunt connected to April’s Sewol ferry disaster that claimed around 300 lives.   The heavily decomposed corpse of the 73-year-old Yoo was discovered

Gaza: Let’s show some spines in the face of spinelessness

DHAKA: The call for an immediate ceasefire has started coming from the West. But not before few casualties on the Israeli side. This call did not come when over four hundred Palestinians including unarmed women and children were massacred.  The West was calling for a ‘responsible

Bomb blast in Kabul Airport kills 3

DHAKA: Three people were killed in Taliban suicide bomb attack outside Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Police said the deceased are two foreign advisers and an Afghan interpreter. The identities of the foreign advisers were not clear immediately, reports the

Mudslides kill 11 in China

DHAKA: At least eleven people were killed and 14 others are still missing after mudslides swept through two villages in southwest China on Monday following days of heavy rain. Rescuers are working to retrieve people still buried after mudslides struck the villages in Yunnan province,

Libya Army, Islamists clashes Kill 16

DHAKA: At least 16 people, including soldiers, were killed and 81 injured in clashes between the Libyan army and Islamist fighters in the eastern city of Benghazi. “Most of the dead and injured are soldiers. Three civilians, including an Egyptian, were killed when a rocket hit their

60 die due to Encephalitis in India

DHAKA: At least 60 people have died due to encephalitis in the seven districts of north Bengal, India’s Health Services Director Biswaranjan Satpathy said. The region has been affected badly by the disease and the situation is 'alarming'. The 60 people have died during the period

Israel hit Gaza amid new truce bid

DHAKA: Israel has pummelled Gaza for a 14th day, raising the Palestinian death toll to more than 570, as ceasefire efforts continue in Doha and Cairo. Washington urged Israel to take ‘greater steps’ to prevent innocent casualties, and UN chief Ban Ki-moon appealed for the violence to

Ukraine rebels hand over black boxes

DHAKA: Rebels in eastern Ukraine have handed over two flight-data recorders from the downed MH17 plane to Malaysian experts. A senior rebel leader signed them over to the Malaysian officials at a meeting in the city of Donetsk. The handover came hours after the UN Security Council voted

Indonesia to name new president

DHAKA: Indonesia is to name its new president, following a hotly-contested election that saw both candidates claim victory. Most “quick counts” after the 9 July election placed Joko Widodo, the popular Jakarta governor, in the lead. But his rival Prabowo Subianto, a former military

5 died as Israel strikes Gaza hospital

DHAKA: At least five people have been killed and 70 injured by an Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza. Palestinians say, reports the BBC. Doctors say several Israeli tank shells hit the hospital’s reception, intensive care unit and operating theatres. Overnight, more than 30 members

Death toll from Germany bus crash reaches 11

DHAKA: The death toll from the crash of a coach carrying Polish holidaymakers outside the German city of Dresden climbed to 11 on Monday after another victim succumbed to his injuries. German police said, reports The Straits Times. The crash occurred in the early hours of Saturday

Dutch experts examine bodies

DHAKA: Pro-Russian rebels have allowed Dutch investigators to examine bodies from the crashed Malaysia Airlines plane at a railway station in eastern Ukraine. The three Dutch experts said the train might leave the town of Torez later. All 298 people on board flight MH17 died when it

‘Scottish pound plan is dead parrot’

DHAKA: A British parliamentary committee on Monday ruled out the possibility of ‘any kind’ of currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.The Committee for Scottish Affairs concluded in a report that Scotland would no longer be able to use the