Sunday, 12 Jan, 2025

International

Ukraine ground forces storming Luhansk

DHAKA: Government forces in eastern Ukraine have begun storming the rebel-held city of Luhansk with tanks. Russian news agency reports quoting rebels say, according to the BBC. Heavy fighting erupted as columns of government armour attacked from the south and west, rebel military leader

‘Iran with nuclear enrichment would be catastrophic’

DHAKA: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that any nuclear deal leaving Iran with the capability to enrich uranium would be ‘catastrophic’. ‘It would be a disaster for the United States and for everyone else,’ Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News

Hamas denies claim it fired rockets from Lebanon

DHAKA: The Palestinian group Hamas had no role in a rocket attack on Israel from Lebanon and had nothing to do with a statement in the name of its armed wing that claimed responsibility for the attack late on Saturday. Hamas officials in Lebanon said, reports The Straits Times. Three

France urges ceasefire in Israel, Gaza conflict

DHAKA: France’s foreign minister called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where a deadly six-day conflict is escalating in what he said was an ‘absolutely disastrous’ way. ‘In Gaza like in Israel, the absolute priority is a ceasefire,’ Laurent Fabius told

Heavy fighting breaks near Tripoli airport

DHAKA: Heavy fighting broke out near the airport of the Libyan capital Tripoli on Sunday, residents and witnesses said as flights were interrupted. Explosions could be heard on the airport road and other parts of Tripoli. ‘Rockets struck inside the airport perimeter around 6:00am

Israeli troops clash with Hamas in first ground assault

DHAKA: Israeli naval commandos clashed with Hamas militants in a raid on the coast of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, in what appeared to be the first ground assault of a six-day Israeli offensive on the territory aimed at stopping Palestinian rocket fire. With aerial support from fighter

Modi pins hope on new Brics bank

DHAKA: India prime minister Narendra Modi headed to Brazil on Sunday for a meeting of the Brics group of emerging powers, hoping to seal the long-discussed deal to open a new development bank. Modi will be the guest of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff who also hosts the leaders of

‘Iran could walk away from nuclear talks’

DHAKA: Iran’s chief negotiator in nuclear talks in Vienna warned Saturday that Tehran is ready to walk away if ‘excessive’ Western demands cause a failure, eight days before a deadline for a deal. Abbas Araqchi said however that he hoped that the attendance from Sunday of foreign

Merkel blasts US spying

DHAKA: German chancellor Angela Merkel said that new allegations of US spying showed Berlin and Washington were completely at odds over how they viewed the role of intelligence, and she hoped German action would persuade the United States not to spy on partners. Her comments to German

‘UK, US, France, Germany to discuss Gaza ceasefire’

DHAKA: British foreign secretary William Hague said he will discuss an international push for a ceasefire in Gaza with US Secretary of State John Kerry and his German and French counterparts during talks in Vienna on Sunday. Hague said in a statement on Saturday that the discussions on

Putin begins Americas visit in Cuba

DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin is visiting Latin America in an apparent bid to seek allies to counter US and Western influence. In Cuba, the first stop of his tour, he met leader Raul Castro, and his predecessor and brother Fidel Castro. Russia confirmed cancellation of 90% of

Britain bars Russian delegation from air show

DHAKA: Britain said Saturday it had barred a Russian delegation from attending the Farnborough air show because of the Ukraine crisis, sparking an angry reaction from Russia. The Russian embassy in London expressed ‘regret’ that Britain had not issued visas to a large part of its

‘Air force missions over Gaza to continue’

DHAKA: Israel’s air force will continue to pound targets in the Gaza Strip over the course of at least the next 24 hours. The IDF Spokesperson said on Saturday, reports The Jerusalem Post. Brig.-Gen. Moti Almoz told Israel Radio on Saturday that there were still ‘many’ targets in

Saudi Arabia faces increasing terror threats

DHAKA: Trapped between Al Qaida in Yemen and Isis (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in Iraq, Saudi Arabia is facing a looming terrorism threat across the border. Warn experts on terrorism, reports gulfnews.com. Hundreds of Saudi fighters joining other groups abroad make the external

Kerry pushes for a deal on Afghan vote crisis

DHAKA: US secretary of state John Kerry scrambled to produce a deal by the end of Saturday to end Afghanistan’s election crisis, meeting for the second day with the country’s two presidential candidates and incumbent president Hamid Karzai. The deadlock over the June 14 election

Putin begins Americas visit in Cuba

DHAKA: Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Latin America in an apparent bid to seek allies to counter US and Western influence. In Cuba, the first stop of his tour, he met leader Raul Castro, and his predecessor and brother Fidel Castro, reports BBC. Russia confirmed

Iraq forces 'killed 255 Sunni prisoners'

DHAKA: Iraqi security forces and government-affiliated militias appear to have executed at least 255 prisoners since 9 June, a human rights group says. The killings appeared to be retaliation for attacks by the jihadist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), Human Rights Watch said

Gaza toll soars as Israeli raids continue

DHAKA: Israel's aerial bombardment of Gaza has claimed its 120th Palestinian life as Hamas continued to launch rockets into central Israel and the United States offered to help broker a truce. Diplomatic efforts failed to make any headway, with US President Barack Obama phoning Israeli

6.8 earthquake hits in Japan

DHAKA: A magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit an ocean area east of Iwaki city on the Japanese island of Honshu, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. It hit 131km (81 miles) off Iwaki, at a depth of 10km, the USGS said. A tsunami warning has been issued. In 2011 the north-east of Japan was hit

US labs 'mishandled deadly germs'

DHAKA: US government infectious disease labs mishandled dangerous pathogens five times in the last decade, according to a health agency report. This year alone, workers mishandled samples of anthrax and the highly-infectious H5N1 avian flu. In response, the Centers for Disease Control