Monday, 23 Dec, 2024

International

14 killed in Chinese village blast

DHAKA: An explosion in a village in southern China`s Guizhou province killed 14 people and injured seven others on Monday afternoon, China`s state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing local officials.The blast happened in the Laoshan village in the city of Kaili at about 2:30 p.m.

Egyptians vote on new constitution

DHAKA: Polls are set to open in Egypt in a constitutional referendum, the first ballot since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and an event likely to spawn a presidential bid by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.Few doubt that Egyptians, who staged mass

24 wounded in Philippine school blast

DHAKA: A suspected improvised bomb attack at a university campus in the Philippines has left 24 people wounded, many critically, including students and teachers.Police said on Monday, reports gulfnews.com.It appeared a fire was set off deliberately in a school building housing security

‘Snowden worked at US embassy in Delhi’

DHAKA: Fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden worked briefly at the US embassy in India almost three years before revealing the scale of his country’s surveillance programmes, according to a report on Monday.The former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor arrived in New

Mafia link to French president’s love nest

DHAKA: French president Francois Hollande’s Paris love nest is registered to a convicted criminal with mafia links.The Daily Mail has reported, says gulfnews.com.Michel Ferracci was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence last year for his role in a group that laundered money from a

India hails polio-free ‘milestone’

DHAKA: India is marking three years since its last reported polio case, a landmark in the global battle against the disease.It is seen as confirmation of one of India’s biggest public health successes, achieved through a massive and sustained immunisation programme.India’s health

7 rescued from Pakistan lawmaker’s ‘private jail’

DHAKA: Seven people, including two women, were rescued during a raid on a ‘private jail’ of a Pakistani provincial lawmaker.A media report said, according to gulfnews.com.The raid was conducted by police and the Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) on the private jail of former provincial

Gang-rape of class 10 student rocks West Bengal

DHAKA: Yet another gang-rape has sent shock waves across West Bengal, just days after a rape-murder of a 19-year-old woman in the state, ruled by a woman chief minister.This time, the victim was a class 10 student who was allegedly gang-raped on Friday night by three men who reportedly

Dubai ruler calls for easing of Iran sanctions

DHAKA: Dubai’s ruler has urged the international community to ease sanctions against Iran, in an interview broadcast by the BBC on Monday.Asked whether he thought it was now time to lift sanctions against Iran, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the prime minister of the

Ariel Sharon laid to rest

DHAKA: Israel’s former prime minister Ariel Sharon was laid to rest near his Sycamore Ranch in the Negev on Anemone Hill in a military burial Monday afternoon.The ceremony attracted thousands of mourners from across the political spectrum, reports The Jerusalem Post.Following the

US, Russia call for ceasefires in Syria

DHAKA: US state secretary John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday called for ‘localised ceasefires’ in Syria ahead of peace talks later this month in Switzerland.Lavrov and UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi also said Iran should take part in the talks,

Iran nuclear talks ‘very likely’ to resume in Feb

DHAKA: World powers and Iran will ‘very likely’ resume negotiations on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions in February, shortly after an interim, six-month deal restricting its atomic work goes into effect.A diplomatic source told media on Monday, reports The Straits Times.The

Israel stages state memorial for Sharon

DHAKA: Hundreds of Israeli VIPs and foreign dignitaries have attended the memorial service of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.Monday’s state ceremony remembered the controversial Sharon as a fearless warrior and bold leader who devoted his life to protecting his country`s

19 killed in Homs mortar attack

DHAKA: Syrian state media and anti-government activists say a mortar attack has killed at least 19 people in the central city of Homs.The official Sana news agency said late on Sunday that the mortar rounds slammed into the pro-government Ghouta and Karm Al Shami neighbourhoods of Homs,

‘Sisi should stay in army’

DHAKA: The prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, a major financial backer of Egypt after the downfall of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, said the Egyptian army chief was better off staying in the military instead of running for president.General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who deposed

S Arabia sentences Al-Qaeda militant to death

DHAKA: A Saudi court has sentenced to death an Al-Qaeda militant and jailed 10 others over a May 2004 attack that killed six Westerners and a policeman.Saudi state media reported, says TDS.The defendants, seven of whom are brothers, were convicted of aiding assailants who attacked a US

Thai PM calls meeting to discuss poll timing

DHAKA: Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has invited leaders of anti-government protesters and political parties to discuss an Election Commission proposal to push back the date of the snap election she called from February 2.A senior aide said on Monday, reports The Straits

Protesters begin Bangkok ‘shutdown’

DHAKA: Protesters began blocking roads in parts of the Thai capital, Bangkok, in a bid to oust the government before snap elections on 2 February.The protesters are building barricades and occupying key road junctions.The government has deployed 18,000 security personnel to maintain

Fatal blasts kill 13 in Baghdad

DHAKA: At least 13 people killed and 30 injured in two separate blasts in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, while battles continue in the western province of Anbar against al-Qaeda-linked gunmen who have captured two major cities.A car bomb near a bus terminal in central Baghdad detonated on

700 killed in 9 days in Syria

DHAKA: The civil war in Syria has grown especially brutal in the last nine days, resulting in the death of at least 700 and the disappearance of hundreds more.Media reported on Sunday, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says The Jerusalem Post.‘From January 3 to 11, the