Sunday, 22 Dec, 2024

International

Egypt widens crackdown on Brotherhood

DHAKA: Egyptian authorities have arrested 23 Muslim Brotherhood supporters on accusations of belonging to a terrorist organisation, a day after the country`s interim government blacklisted the group.The people arrested on Thursday were accused of passing out leaflets in support of the

29 die after Thai bus plunges into ravine

DHAKA: At least 29 people have died and four were badly injured after a bus plunged into a deep ravine in northeastern Thailand, police say.The accident occurred around midnight on Friday in the Lom Sak district of Phetchabun province, with the bus en route to the northern province of

Obama signs bipartisan budget bill

DHAKA: US President Barack Obama has signed a two-year bipartisan federal budget bill, averting the risk of a government shutdown in January.The hard-fought legislation was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives earlier this month, reports BBC.The bill had been drafted

Tribesmen seize oil ministry building in Yemen

DHAKA: Tribesmen seized an oil ministry building in Yemen’s eastern Hadramout province on Thursday and exchanged gunfire with a pro-government tribe seeking to regain control of the premises.Tribal sources and ministry employees said, reports The Straits Times.The tribesmen were

Plane crash in Siberia kills 6

DHAKA: A plane crashed in eastern Russia on Thursday, killing all six crew members, Interfax news agency reported, citing a local emergency services official.The Soviet-built Antonov An-12 plane was carrying no passengers and crashed during a flight from Novosibirsk to Irkutsk in Siberia,

Thai govt rejects election delay

DHAKA: Thailand’s government has rejected calls to delay February’s election, amid increasingly violent protests in which a policeman has been shot dead.The Electoral Commission urged the postponement over safety fears for candidates on the campaign trail.But government officials said

Swiss expert dismisses Russian ‘political declaration’ on Arafat

DHAKA: The Swiss expert who examined samples of Yasser Arafat’s remains dismissed as a ‘political declaration’ a statement Thursday by Russian researchers excluding radiation poisoning as the cause for the Palestinian leader’s death.‘The Russians, they make claims without

Egypt arrests Brotherhood supporters under terror law

DHAKA: Police arrested 16 Muslim Brotherhood supporters on Thursday, the state news agency said, the first arrests on charges of belonging to a terrorist organisation since the group was declared one by the government.The men were arrested in the Nile Delta province of Sharkiya on

African leaders in S Sudan for peace talks

DHAKA: African leaders arrived in South Sudan on Thursday to try to mediate between the country’s president and the political rivals he accuses of attempting a coup that the government insists sparked violence threatening to destroy the world’s newest country.Kenyan president Uhuru

Turkish PM’s son next target of graft probe

DHAKA: The son of Turkey’s prime minister will likely be the next target of a widening graft probe that led to a major cabinet reshuffle after three ministers resigned.Turkish media said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.Several newspapers said a bitter struggle between prime

India contract killer escapes by drugging police

DHAKA: An Indian gangster linked to dozens of murders escaped from police custody after apparently serving food laced with sedatives to officers guarding him.Police and local media reports said on Thursday.Vikram Paras, 27, carried out the daring escape as four armed officers were

Indian court rejects prosecution of Modi

DHAKA: An Indian court on Thursday rejected a petition seeking the prosecution of a Hindu nationalist party’s prime ministerial candidate in the killing of a former lawmaker and other Muslims during riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002. Magistrate BJ Ganatara’s ruling comes

Syria chemicals destruction to begin past mid-Jan

DHAKA: US cargo ship Cape Ray will set sail for the Mediterranean on January 3, local media say.The vessel is specially equipped to neutralize toxins, as the ones to be moved out of Syria over 2014, reports The Voice of Russia.According to insider sources, the ship will reach an Italian

China president notes Mao’s ‘mistakes’

DHAKA: Communist China’s president Xi Jinping acknowledged on Thursday its founding father Mao Zedong made ‘mistakes’, as admirers celebrated the 120th anniversary of the late leader’s birth with noodles and fireworks.Mao is the centrepiece of the ruling party’s pantheon and

Russian experts say Arafat died of natural causes

DHAKA: Russian forensic experts announced Thursday that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died of natural causes.Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star reported, says The Jerusalem Post.The Russian experts had been studying the remains of the leader, searching for clues about his death.‘We

Libyan gunmen block entrance to central bank, Tripoli port

DHAKA: Dozens of Libyan militiamen blocked the entrance to the central bank and port in the capital Tripoli on Thursday, demanding the resignation of prime minister Ali Zeidan.Libya is in turmoil with Zeidan’s government struggling to assert control of the North African country awash

American abducted in Pakistan calls on Obama to help

DHAKA: An elderly American development worker kidnapped in Pakistan has appeared in a new video, appealing to president Obama to negotiate his release after more than two years in captivity.In the 13-minute video received on Thursday by media, Warren Weinstein says he feels

‘$210 million needed to aid South Sudan’

DHAKA: Aid agencies need US$166 million over the next three months to help civilians in violence-wracked South Sudan.The United Nations said on Wednesday, The Straits Times publishes this report on Thursday.The money is needed for maintaining health and sanitation, distributing food, as

China marks Mao’s birthday with controlled tribute

DHAKA: China’s leaders bowed three times before a statue of Mao Zedong on the 120th anniversary of his birth on Thursday in carefully controlled celebrations that also sought to uphold the market-style reforms that came after his death.The approach underscores the delicate balancing act

Defiant Turkish PM in major reshuffle

DHAKA: Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a major cabinet reshuffle after three ministerial resignations over a corruption inquiry.Erdogan named 10 new ministers, almost half of his total roster, after talks with president Abdullah Gul.One of those who quit, environment