Monday, 23 Dec, 2024

International

Series bombings kill 30 in Iraq

DHAKA: A series of attacks in Iraq, including a double suicide car bombing targeting a military base, killed 30 people across the country, officials said.The deadliest attack took place when the two suicide bombers drove their explosive-laden cars into a military base in the town of

Pak Taliban chief rejects talks

DHAKA: The new head of the Pakistani Taliban, Mullah Fazlullah, has ruled out peace talks with the government, vowing revenge for his predecessor`s death.A Taliban spokesman told the BBC the militants would instead target the military and the governing party.Mullah Fazlullah was named the

Iran sees nuclear deal on Friday

DHAKA: The Iranian foreign minister has said he believes an agreement with world powers on Iran`s nuclear programme is possible by the end of talks on Friday.Mohammad Zarif told CNN that Iran would not suspend uranium enrichment completely but could "deal with the various issues on the

Monster storm roars into Philippines

DHAKA: Typhoon Haiyan is battering the Philippines with sustained winds of 235 km/h (146mph).Meteorologists say that if initial estimates based on satellite images are borne out, it could be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall.Schools and offices have been closed in the path of

Wife visited Mursi visits in prison

DHAKA: The wife of Egypt’s toppled president says she has visited him in prison, their first face-to-face contact since he was forced out of office in a popularly backed military coup four months ago.Naglaa Ali told media by phone that she and other family members met with Mohammed

Maldives moves up presidential run-off vote to Sunday

DHAKA: Maldives officials on Thursday moved up a possible presidential run-off to Sunday, one day after the election in a bid to avoid a potential constitutional crisis.Two presidential election attempts since September have failed, and the Indian Ocean archipelago must have an elected

Greek riot police storm ex-state TV building

DHAKA: Riot police stormed the former Greek state television headquarters in Athens on Thursday and evicted dozens of fired journalists, ending a five-month sit-in against the broadcaster’s closure.The government took ERT off air in June to meet a target for public-sector job cuts set

‘Nehru was reluctant to send troops to Kashmir’

DHAKA: After claiming that Jawaharlal Nehru had called Sardar Patel a ‘total communalist’, BJP leader LK Advani on Thursday stoked a fresh controversy saying the then prime minister was reluctant to send army to Kashmir in 1947 even as Pakistani troops approached, but the home

Pakistan Taliban name Fazlullah as new leader

DHAKA: Pakistan’s Taliban have named Mullah Fazlullah as their new leader, after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack, a spokesman has said.Mullah Fazlullah, a hardline commander from the Swat area, was chosen after a conference in north-west Pakistan.Mehsud was killed when

M23 rebel chief Sultani ‘surrenders’

DHAKA: The commander of the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has surrendered in Uganda, sources have told the BBC.Sultani Makenga is said to have handed himself over along with hundreds of M23 fighters in the Mgahinga National Park.Neither government has so far

Prince Charles in India

DHAKA: Prince Charles and his wife Camilla visited a military academy Thursday on the first full day of their Indian tour which began with garlands and a blessing beside the River Ganges.The royal pair wore strings of jasmine and marigold flowers at a welcoming ceremony on Wednesday

Kuwait denies taking Saudi UNSC seat

DHAKA: A senior Kuwait foreign ministry official has denied reports that his country would take the UN Security Council seat that Saudi Arabia has rejected.‘The report that Kuwait would take the seat is not true,’ Khalid Al Jarallah, the ministry undersecretary, said on Thursday,

Syria army retakes key rebel enclave

DHAKA: Syrian troops have retaken a key rebel-held town south of Damascus, state media and activists say.State TV said the army had full control of Sbeineh and that ‘terrorists’ had been driven out, reports the BBC.UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said

Cautious optimism at Geneva talks

DHAKA: Talks between Iran and world powers on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme have begun in Geneva, with both sides expressing cautious optimism.It is the second round of talks since a new Iranian president took office in August with a more conciliatory stance.A spokesman for the

Saudi could obtain Pakistani atom bombs upon request

DHAKA: Saudi Arabia has reportedly financed Pakistani-developed nuclear weapons, and the kingdom devises Islamabad will provide it atomic bombs upon request.The BBC reported Wednesday night, The Jerusalem Post publishes this report on Thursday.The Gulf states have been concerned about

2 dead, seven wounded in Detroit shooting

DHAKA: At least two people were shot dead and seven others wounded when a gunman opened fire on Wednesday evening at a busy intersection outside a barbershop in Detroit, police said.The barbershop where the shooting happened has a reputation for gambling, but it was too early to tell

Thousands flee in Philippines as typhoon nears

DHAKA: Philippine officials said on Thursday that thousands of villagers, including those from a central province devastated recently by an earthquake, are being evacuated as one of Asia’s most powerful typhoons this year approaches.Typhoon ‘Haiyan’ was already packing sustained

Mandela’s grandson in trouble over unpaid legal fees

DHAKA: Lawyers for apartheid icon Nelson Mandela’s eldest grandson said they have gone to court over unpaid legal fees after a well-publicised court feud with relatives while the peace icon lay in hospital.Mandla Mandela owes Randall Titus & Associates ‘approximately half a million

‘Iran nuclear issue not insoluble’

DHAKA: Iran’s foreign minister has expressed cautious optimism about upcoming talks on Iran`s nuclear programme, saying the issue is ‘not insoluble’.World powers and Iran are due to meet in Geneva later on Thursday for a further round of discussions.Iran foreign minister Javad Zarif

Musharraf free from house arrest

DHAKA: Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been released from house arrest and is free to move around the country, prison officials say.It comes days after he was bailed over the 2007 army operation to oust militants from Islamabad’s Red Mosque, the last legal case