Sunday, 12 Jan, 2025

International

200 held in Malaysia for WC betting

DHAKA: Malaysian police have arrested almost 200 people in raids on illegal World Cup betting that bust a group drawing daily wagers of $2.3 million, an official said Friday, after similar crackdowns in Macau, Singapore and Thailand. The arrests included four people held for allegedly

Putin aide calls Ukraine head 'Nazi'

DHAKA: A senior adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin has lashed out at Ukraine's president ahead of the signing of a controversial EU deal. Sergei Glazyev said Petro Poroshenko was a "Nazi" and his endorsement of the deal was "illegitimate". Mr Poroshenko is expected to sign the

4 Delhi metro stations shut amid protest

DHAKA: Indian Railway shut four metro stations in the heart of Delhi without notice over students’ protest on Friday. They closed those stations in the morning after local students declared to protest in front of the Prime Minister's residence on Race Course Road on the day same, NDTV

Nigerian singer offers virginity in exchange of abducted girls

DHAKA: Nigerian pop singer, also peace ambassador, Adokiye has sent shock waves across social media by offering her virginity to Islamic militants in exchange for the return of hundreds of kidknapped schoolgirls. Adokiye, 23, made the proposal to Boko Haram members to help free the 276

India gas pipeline blast kills 15

DHAKA: At least 15 people have been killed and 10 severely burnt in an explosion at a gas pipeline at the site of the Indian state-owned Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) in Andhra Pradesh early Friday. The blast took place at around 5:30 am in Nagaram, around 560 km from Hyderabad,

Obama seeks $500mn to equip Syrian rebels

DHAKA: US President Barack Obama has called on Congress to approve $500 million to train and equip vetted Syrian rebels, in what would be a significant escalation of US involvement in the conflict. Following several signals in recent weeks by the Obama administration - and months of

Myanmar, Thailand burn $500 million of seized drugs

DHAKA: Myanmar and Thailand incinerated some US$400 million worth of narcotics on Thursday to mark World Drugs Day, but the UN warned opium production was on the rise in the region. In Myanmar, which has long struggled to control illegal drug production, some 1.3 tons of opium, 225

Iraqi PM welcomes Syria air strike

DHAKA: Iraq prime minister Nouri Maliki has told the BBC he supports an air strike on Islamist militants at a border crossing between Iraq and Syria. Military and rebel sources say the strike took place inside Iraq, at the Qaim crossing, although Maliki said it was carried out on the

Many Indian Muslims sign up to defend Iraq’s shrines

DHAKA: Thousands of Muslims in India have signed up to defend Iraq’s holy shrines and, if need be, fight Sunni Islamist militants in the country where the civilian death toll from the Sunni insurgents’ advance is estimated at least 1,300. Denouncing the militants of the Islamic State

Nepal PM diagnosed with lung cancer

DHAKA: Nepalese prime minister Sushil Koirala is suffering from lung cancer, the country’s information minister said on Thursday, contradicting earlier claims by his party that doctors had ruled out the illness.Koirala, 75, travelled to New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer

Suicide bomber kills soldiers in Yemen

DHAKA: A suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into the entrance of an army base in the central Yemeni city of Seiyun, killing two soldiers on Thursday, security officials said. At the same time, soldiers clashed with suspected Al-Qaeda militants at the city’s nearby airport,

Sonia, Rahul summoned to Delhi court

DHAKA: Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, the top two leaders of the Congress, have been asked to appear in a Delhi court on August 7 in a case that accuses them of cheating and criminal breach of trust. The case has been filed by the BJP’s Subramanian Swamy who claims that the

Iraq parliament in first step to form new govt

DHAKA: Iraq’s presidency issued a decree on Thursday for a parliament session on July 1, state TV said, starting the process of forming a new government amid an insurgency that threatens the country’s unity. Iraq’s vice-president Khudair al-Khuzai, who is acting president and a

Murdoch in Britain amid police quiz rumours

DHAKA: News Corporation executive chairman Rupert Murdoch was in London on Thursday, amid reports that police want to question him in the wake of the phone-hacking trial. The 83-year-old US-based media mogul flew into London, after the high-profile trial concluded with the conviction of

Iraq militants advance toward large dam

DHAKA: Iraqi security officials said that fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant were advancing on the Haditha Dam, the second-largest in Iraq, raising the possibility of catastrophic damage and flooding. Worries about the dam came as prime minister Nouri al-Maliki

‘Highly likely’ jet on autopilot when it went down

DHAKA: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was almost certainly on autopilot when it ran out of fuel and crashed, Australian officials said Thursday as they announced their search will shift further south. Investigators have been grappling with the mystery of the Boeing 777’s disappearance

Kenya arrests governor after coastal attacks

DHAKA: Kenyan police have arrested the governor of the coastal Lamu district in connection with three recent massacres in which over 60 people were killed. Officers said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times. Governor Issa Timamy was arrested late on Wednesday in connection with

Thai general denies military coup was planned

DHAKA: A senior Thai general has told the BBC that last month’s military coup had not been planned in advance. It comes after an opposition leader claimed the army had been discussing overthrowing the government for years. Lt Gen Chatchalerm Chalermsukh also said those detained by the

Search to move farther south in Indian Ocean

DHAKA: The underwater search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is moving to an area farther south in the southern Indian Ocean, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said Thursday. Describing the next phase of the hunt for the missing plane as a "very challenging and complex

MH370 search area to be named Thursday

DHAKA: Australian authorities most likely will announce the next search area for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on Thursday, a senior Malaysian official told CNN on condition of anonymity. The search area will be "refined," rather than brand new, and still will be in the southern Indian