Thursday, 26 Dec, 2024

International

Avalanches kill 6 in western US

DHAKA: At least six people have been killed in avalanches recently in the West, as the risk of snow slides remains high.Two people were killed in each of three states: Oregon, Utah and Colorado.In Oregon, two cross-country skiers were killed Tuesday in an avalanche about 10 miles

Koreas begin rare high-level talks

DHAKA: Officials from North and South Korea have begun their first high-level talks since 2007.The meeting - requested by Pyongyang - is taking place at the border village of Panmunjom.No agenda has been set but the issue of family reunions planned for later this month is expected to be

Algeria mourns plane crash victims

DHAKA: Algeria has begun three days of national mourning for the dozens of people killed in a military passenger plane crash in the north-east of the country.Just one person survived when the Hercules C-130 crashed into a mountain in Oum al-Bouaghi province, en route to Constantine, in

100 killed as Algeria military plane crashes

DHAKA: An Algerian military transport plane has crashed in the north-east of the country, killing more than 100 people.Algerian media say, reports the BBC.The plane crashed in a mountainous area in Oum al-Bouaghi province, said private TV station Ennahar.Its source said that contact was

11 killed as explosions hit Pakistan cinema

DHAKA: Three back-to-back explosions occurred inside Shama Cinema in Pakistan’s Peshawar on Tuesday, killing 11 people and leaving at least 19 others injured.According to DawnNews, multiple explosions occurred when a show was ongoing in the cinema. Approximately 70 people were watching

Koirala sworn in as Nepal prime minister

DHAKA:Sushil Koirala was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister on Tuesday, after winning the backing of fellow legislators and tasked with steering the strife-torn Himalayan nation towards stability.Koirala, head of the country’s biggest political party the Nepali Congress, took his oath

Iran vows to press on with nuke program ‘forever’

DHAKA: Iranian president Hassan Rouhani hit out on Tuesday at Western assertions that a military solution to a nuclear dispute with Tehran remained an option and pledged that Tehran would press on ‘forever’ with what he called peaceful atomic research.In a speech marking the 35th

India to celebrate ‘victory over polio’

DHAKA: Indian leaders are set later on Tuesday to celebrate the eradication of polio, marking one of the country’s biggest public health success stories that was once thought impossible to achieve.President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as the health minister

Militants blow up gas pipeline in Sinai

DHAKA: Suspected militants blew up a pipeline that transports gas to an industrial area in Egypt’s Sinai on Tuesday, the fourth such attack this year.Egypt’s security officials said, reports The Straits Times.Attacks in the Sinai peninsula, namely against soldiers and policemen but

One-year-old Malaysian baby weighs 17.6kg

DHAKA: Kyairiel Mikhail is just 13 months old but is already heavier than his three-year-old sister and five-year-old brother.He was born 2.7kg, within the normal range.Now, the one-year-old weighs 17.6kg, after losing 0.5kg in the past few weeks.‘Doctors have carried out a series of

Hollande arrives for US state visit

DHAKA: French President Francois Hollande has arrived in the US for a state visit, as he and President Barack Obama tout their co-operation on issues from Iran to trade and climate change.In articles published jointly in US and French newspapers, they said "our deepening partnership

China set for historic Taiwan talks

DHAKA: China and Taiwan are about to begin the highest-level talks since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.Wang Yu-chi and Zhang Zhijun, the top cross-strait officials from each side, will meet at the four-day talks in Nanjing, reports BBC.Taiwanese officials said they would raise

Syrian sides trade blame over Homs attacks

DHAKA: The second round of Syria peace talks has got off to a stormy start against a backdrop of continued rescue of civilians from the beseiged city of Homs.Members of Syria`s government and opposition delegations blamed each other in Geneva on Monday for mortar attacks on convoys

29 killed as overloaded boat capsizes in India

DHAKA: An overloaded passenger boat has capsized in a river in eastern India, leaving 29 people confirmed dead as rescuers searched for others feared missing.An Indian official said on Monday, reports The Straits Times.Scuba divers aided by rescue helicopters pulled dozens of people from

Yemen to become 6-region federation

DHAKA: A presidential panel has agreed to transform Yemen into a six-region federation as part of its political transition.State news agency Saba reported, says Al Jazeera.The final approval on creating a ‘federal state of six regions’ came at a meeting of a committee, headed by

Thai protest leader arrested for defying state of emergency

DHAKA: Thai police on Monday arrested an anti-government protest leader, their first such move after months of defiant rallies in Bangkok aimed at ousting Yingluck Shinawatra’s beleaguered government.Protest leaders have flouted arrest warrants and an emergency decree to deliver caustic

Iranian poet executed for waging war on God’

DHAKA: An Arab-Iranian poet and human rights activist, Hashem Shaabani, has been executed for being an ‘enemy of God’ and threatening national security, according to local human rights groups.Shaabani and a man named Hadi Rashedi were hanged in unidentified prison on January 27,

Taliban set tough conditions for talks with Pak govt

DHAKA: Taliban insurgents have set tough terms for peace talks with the Pakistani government, demanding the release of all imprisoned fighters and the withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas.Pakistan officials said on Monday, reports The Straits Times.The militants outlined their

US, French call for ‘ambitious’ climate change deal

DHAKA: The presidents of France and the United States issued a joint call on Monday for other nations to join them in seeking an ‘ambitious’ agreement to curb climate change.Presidents Barack Obama and Francois Hollande, writing in an article in the ‘Washington Post’ and ‘Le

8 gunned down in Pakistan

DHAKA: Gunmen on motorcycles shot dead eight people, including an eight-year-old girl, at a faith healer`s house in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, police and doctors said.At least 12 others were also wounded in the shooting on Sunday in Baldia Town, as dozens of people waited for