Sunday, 12 Jan, 2025

International

‘UK leaving EU would be bad news’

DHAKA: The vice-president of the European Commission has said ‘it would be very bad news’ if the UK left the EU.Joaquin Almunia also predicted that David Cameron would be able to work with the in-coming European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker.He told the BBC Juncker was

‘Communists are really closet Christians’

DHAKA: Pope Francis has claimed that Communists are closet Christians, who have appropriated the Gospel’s central message of poverty. The leader of the Catholic Church, whose uninhibited criticisms of capitalism have seen him labelled a Marxist, said in an interview published on Sunday

Russian news cameraman killed in Ukraine

DHAKA: A cameraman for Russia’s state-owned Channel One television channel was killed overnight in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.The channel said on Monday, the third Russian journalist to die in the conflict, reports The Jerusalem Post.The channel said on its website Anatoly

Police officer killed near Egypt presidential palace

DHAKA: An Egyptian police officer was killed and three others wounded in a small explosion near the presidential palace in Cairo’s Heliopolis district on Monday.Security sources said, reports The Straits Times.The blast came days after a militant group said it had planted a series of

Sri Lanka to tackle online hate speech

DHAKA: Sri Lanka will clamp down on Internet hate speech following deadly anti-Muslim riots said to have been fuelled by social media sites.The military said Monday, reports The Straits Times.Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse has asked the law and order ministry to deal with racial

India to sealing $20bn jet deal with France

DHAKA: Visiting French foreign minister Laurent Fabius on Monday said he was ‘very confident’ of the outcome of his talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on the $20 billion deal for the Rafale combat aircraft. Most of the negotiations with the French

Top China military official accused

DHAKA: One of China’s most senior military officials has been accused of accepting bribes and expelled from the Communist Party. State media report, the BBC says. Gen Xu Caihou was once a member of China’s elite decision-making body, the Politburo. He will now be handed over to

50 dead in Nigeria Islamist attack

DHAKA: More than 50 people were killed in the latest attack blamed on Boko Haram Islamists which targeted churches in Nigeria’s embattled northeast. A Borno state government official said Monday, reports TDS. ‘So far we have 54 dead,’ said the official, who requested anonymity, of

Thailand military begins overhaul of electoral system

DHAKA: Thailand’s military government said on Monday that it had begun an overhaul of the electoral system following an announcement by junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha that polls could take place by late 2015.The military took power on May 22 in a bloodless coup following six

Pakistan army begins ground offensive against Taliban

DHAKA: Pakistan’s military launched a ground assault in North Waziristan tribal area on Monday, beginning a new phase in its offensive against Taliban militants. Officials said, reports The Straits Times. Troops moved on Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, around 9.30am

30 bodies found in N Africa coast

DHAKA: About 30 bodies were rescued from a migrant boat which was stopped between Sicily and the North African coast, media reports. The rescuers made the gruesome discovery on Monday when they boarded a fishing boat carrying around 590 refugees and migrants. The immigrants apparently

India to develop Saarc satellite

DHAKA: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop a satellite which will serve all the Saarc nations. Addressing Indian space scientists at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota after the successful launch of

Isis rebels declare 'caliphate'

DHAKA: Islamist militant group Isis has said it is establishing a caliphate, or Islamic state, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.  It also proclaimed the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as caliph and leader for Muslims everywhere.  Setting up a caliphate ruled by

Bulgaria to dissolve parliament

DHAKA: Bulgaria's president has said he will dissolve parliament and appoint an interim government, amid concerns over the country's banking system.   Rosen Plevneliev's comments came after crisis talks with leaders of the main political parties, says BBC.  Earlier, five people were

N Korea to put US tourists on trial

DHAKA: North Korea says it will put two detained US tourists on trial, accusing them of "committing hostile acts".     Miller Todd and Jeffrey Fowle have been investigated and will be brought before a court, BBC reported.                                          

‘Independent Kurdish state not reason for war anymore’

DHAKA: An independent Kurdish state was a reason for war in the past, however the situation has changed, according to Hüseyin Çelik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). ‘In Turkey, even the word ‘Kurdistan’ makes people nervous, but their name is

Sisi visits Sudan after Africa ‘terrorism’ warning

DHAKA: Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi landed in Islamist neighbor Sudan for a lightning visit, which an analyst said would attempt to shore up a regional alliance against Islamic ‘terrorism’. An AFP photographer at Khartoum airport confirmed the Egyptian leader’s plane had

‘Solar-powered donkeys’ carry internet for sheepherders

DHAKA: A solar panel producer in western Turkey has said recent international media coverage of their ‘plug-and-play donkey’ project proved that they are on the right track. BBC News reported on June 24 that sheepherders in western Turkey have now equipped their donkeys to cart

Terror attack on churches in Nigeria

DHAKA: Suspected Boko Haram Islamists armed with explosives attacked a series of churches on Sunday near Chibok, the north-eastern town where more than 200 teenage girls were kidnapped in April. Witnesses said, reports The Straits Times. Residents said dozens of people may have been

Egypt restricts Ramadan sermons

DHAKA: Egypt will restrict Ramadan sermons to the topics of faith and morality, in the latest move aimed at limiting political speech in the deeply polarized country. Religious Endowments Minister Mohammad Mokhtar Jomaa said Sunday the decision should ensure that sermons during the month