Sunday, 22 Dec, 2024

International

Thai prime minister proposes national reform council

DHAKA: The Thai prime minister has proposed the formation of a national reform council to find solutions to the political turmoil that is splitting the country and paralysing governance.Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra`s announcement on Wednesday means she can portray herself as being

N Korean army asked to ready for combat

DHAKA: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has warned war could break out "without any prior notice" and urged his military to bolster its combat readiness, state media reported.The call on Wednesday comes one day after a US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University report said that

Riots erupt in Egypt after deadly bombing

DHAKA: There have been riots in the Egyptian city of Mansoura, after the bombing of a police station that killed 14 people.Police said on Tuesday three bombs had been planted before the explosion at the police station, two of which went off at almost at the same time. The third one, found

`Obamacare` help offered amid rush N

DHAKA: The US government has offered help to anyone who misses the 24 December deadline to enrol for the new health insurance - known as "Obamacare".It said anyone who failed to finish their application through a dedicated website - HealthCare.gov - could still obtain a policy for the New

Iran mulls to move capital from Tehran

DHAKA: The Iranian parliament has voted to consider a proposal to pick another city as the nation`s capital, potentially moving the seat of government from the overcrowded Tehran.Iran`s official news agency IRNA said on Tuesday that politicians had accepted outlines of the proposal with

UN approves more S Sudan peacekeepers

DHAKA: The United Nations Security Council has approved plans to almost double the number of UN peacekeepers in South Sudan.The 15-member council unanimously authorised on Tuesday a request by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to boost the strength of the UN mission in South Sudan to

Ex-Egyptian Prime Minister arrested

DHAKA: Egyptian police arrested former Prime Minister Hisham Qandil in an apartment in Giza governorate, according to state-run news agency EGYNews.Qandil had been sentenced by a court to one year in prison for contempt. It said he failed to carry out a ruling to nationalize a private

Christmas crowds gather in Bethlehem

DHAKA: Large crowds have gathered in the biblical town of Bethlehem to begin Christmas Eve celebrations.Tourists packed Manger Square in a party atmosphere, a BBC correspondent says.The nearby Church of the Nativity sits on the spot where the Bible says Jesus was born.Meanwhile in St

Thousands dead in S Sudan, UN says

DHAKA: Thousands of people must have been killed in the past week of violence in South Sudan, the top UN humanitarian co-ordinator there has told the BBC.Toby Lanzer, who is in Bentiu in northern Unity state, said it had been "a devastating week for South Sudan".The UN Security Council on

‘Turkey corruption case is not judicial but political’

DHAKA: The ongoing corruption probe is not judicial but political, Turkish interior minister Muammer Güler said Tuesday after attending a ceremony in Ankara.The minister also said those who launched the operation acted as they wanted to and had already decided on the guilt of the

India, Pakistan decide to maintain calm on border

DHAKA: India and Pakistan on Tuesday decided to strengthen border de-escalatory mechanisms, which includes the holding of flag meetings between rival brigade commanders, to ensure the maintenance of ‘sanctity and ceasefire’ on the line of control (LoC).Indian director general of

‘New post-Soviet union ready for 2015 launch’

DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the final pieces were in place for the 2015 launch of an economic union with Belarus and Kazakhstan that Moscow hopes can also be joined by Ukraine.Putin said following talks with Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev and

S Sudan fighting spreads to half country’s states

DHAKA: At least 45,000 South Sudanese civilians have sought protection at badly overstretched UN bases amid brutal fighting that has spread to half of the young nation’s 10 states.The UN said Tuesday, reports TDS.At least 20,000 people are sheltering at two UN bases in the capital Juba,

Chinese woman gives birth to twin girls at 60

DHAKA: A Chinese woman had twin girls at the age of 60 following IVF treatment after her only child died, making her possibly the oldest person in the country to give birth.China state media reported on Tuesday, says The Straits Times.The case is extremely unusual in China, which has long

Iraqi defence minister unhurt as convoy hits roadside bomb

DHAKA: A convoy carrying Iraqi defence minister Saadoun Al-Dulaimi was hit by an roadside bomb Tuesday, but he was unhurt.Iraq officials said, reports CNN.The attack took place on the main road between Fallujah and Ramadi, injuring two of the minister`s security guards, ministry spokesman

EU warns Turkish PM over corruption probe

DHAKA: The European Union has warned Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to cease his interference in a major corruption probe into high-ranking officials.The Telegraph has reported, says daily Hurriyet.A spokesman for Stefan Füle, the European commissioner for enlargement,

Hundreds of thousands without power in Canada, US

DHAKA: Utility crews rushed to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands of people who faced a Christmas without lights after a messy storm downed power lines throughout eastern Canada and from the Midwest to Maine in the US.Just under 200,000 customers in Canada’s largest city were

Indonesia builds sanctuary to save world’s rarest rhino

DHAKA: On a leaf-covered dirt path overlooking lush paddy fields in western Indonesia, the world’s rarest rhino had left a trail of hoofprints in the soft mud and bite marks on foliage.For people seeking a glimpse of the Javan rhino, revered in local folklore as Abah Gede, or the Great

Sri Lanka bars Australian luxury hotelier in flag spat

DHAKA: Sri Lankan authorities barred the Australian owner of one of the world’s most exclusive hotels from returning to his adopted homeland on Tuesday for flying the national flag upside down, officials said.Geoffrey Dobbs, who is also the organiser of an international literary

70 killed in battle with Islamist rebels in Nigeria

DHAKA: Nigeria’s military said on Tuesday it had killed 50 Islamist rebels as they tried to cross the border into Cameroon, engaging them in a fierce gun battle on Monday in which 15 of their own troops and five civilians also died.Nigerian forces have stepped up a military offensive in