Sunday, 22 Dec, 2024

International

Church stampede in Nigeria `kills 17`

DHAKA: At least 17 people have been killed and many more injured in a stampede at the end of a religious vigil in eastern Nigeria, officials say.More than 100,000 people were said to have gathered at the venue of the incident, the Holy Ghost Adoration Ground in Anambra State.Local media

Imran Khan vows to block Nato supplies

DHAKA: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan vowed Saturday to block Nato supplies from crossing through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in response to the US drone strike that killed Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud and ‘sabotaged’ peace talks.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of two

Iraq oil pipeline bombed, pumping shut down

DHAKA: Militants bombed a major oil pipeline in northern Iraq early on Saturday, disabling it and forcing pumping to be suspended.Iraq security officials said, reports france24.com.Three blasts went off along the pipeline, in Nineveh province, which runs to the Turkish port of Ceyhan,

‘Iran willing to cooperate on nuclear programme’

DHAKA: Iran has shown willingness to cooperate with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency regardless of progress made in nuclear talks with the West.IAEA’s chief Yukiya Amano said on Friday, according to media, The Jerusalem Post publishes this report on Saturday.Amano said

Israel allowed Hamas to recover bodies of fighters

DHAKA: Israel has reportedly allowed the Palestinians to recover two of the four bodies of Hamas fighters killed on Friday in clashes with the Israel Defense Forces at Hamas’ terrorism tunnel.Channel 2 cited Arab sources as saying, reports The Jerusalem Post.Israel’s approval was

Europe’s spies work together on mass surveillance

DHAKA: Spy agencies across Western Europe are working together on mass surveillance of internet and phone traffic comparable to programmes run by their US counterpart denounced by European governments.Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday, says The Straits Times.Citing

Pussy Riot prisoner ‘gone missing’

DHAKA: One of the jailed members of the Pussy Riot protest band has vanished from sight since she was moved to a new prison 10 days ago.Reports from Russia say, according to the BBC.The husband of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova told a US news website he had not received any news about her and her

‘Pakistan will not let death of Taliban leader derail talks’

DHAKA: Pakistan will not allow the death of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone strike to derail proposed peace talks.Pakistan information minister said on Saturday, reports The Straits Times.Pervez Rasheed told reporters the government wanted to press ahead with its plan to

Thousands rally in Bangkok against amnesty bill

DHAKA: Several thousand Thai anti-government protesters gathered in Bangkok on Saturday after lawmakers approved a controversial amnesty that could allow fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return.Opponents say the legislation, which was passed by the lower house on

India’s Kaziranga National Park opens for tourists

DHAKA: The Kaziranga National Park (KNP), famed for its one-horned rhinos, opened to tourists on Friday after it was routinely closed in May last before the onset of monsoons.The Park was opened for four months by forest minister Rockybul Hussain on Friday, with over 120 foreign visitors

Details on suspects behind crash near Tiananmen disclosed

DHAKA: All eight suspects involved in this week’s suicide car crash near Beijing’s Tiananmen Square came from Hotan in Xinjiang and had surveyed the site three times before launching the attack.Chinese state television reported online on Friday night, citing police, The Straits Times

Japan, Russia agree to expand defence ties

DHAKA: Japan and Russia held their first high-level defence and diplomatic talks on Saturday and agreed to step up cooperation between their militaries amid regional security concerns such as North Korea and China.Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida and defence minister Itsunori

Illegal residents rush to leave Saudi Arabia

DHAKA: Thousands of illegal foreigners, mostly unskilled workers from Asia, are rushing to leave Saudi Arabia before an amnesty expires on Sunday as they risk being fined or even jailed.Nearly a million Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Indians, Nepalis, Pakistanis and Yemenis, among others, have

Pakistan Taliban promote No 2 to replace slain leader

DHAKA: The Pakistani Taliban voted on Saturday to promote their No 2 commander, Khan Said, also known as Sajna, to replace leader Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a strike by a US drone.Militant commanders and security sources said, reports The Straits Times.Said is believed to have

Key northern Syria town taken by regime forces

DHAKA: Syrian government forces Friday took control of a key town in the north after several weeks of heavy fighting and a rebel withdrawal.Syrian state television said government forces had taken full control of the town of Safira, southeast of Aleppo, ‘after a series of strategic

‘End manufactured crises’

DHAKA: US president Barack Obama on Saturday called for an end to ‘manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds’ as he urged Republicans and Democrats in Congress to approve a new federal budget.Obama, speaking in his weekly radio address, said that what most people hear out of

Man says he told US where bin Laden was hiding

DHAKA: A United States businessman says he told federal investigators the location of Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan years before his killing and is seeking a US$25 million reward.A letter obtained Friday by media from a Chicago-based law firm representing Tom Lee says the

Meet the `zonkey`

DHAKA: An act of love between Martin the zebra and Giada the donkey in the romantic Italian city of Florence has produced a rare ‘zonkey’ baby that is drawing crowds to an exotic animal shelter.Three-month-old Ippo is already a star, and the owners of the farm say they have received

2 BD men beaten dead in S Africa

DHAKA: Two Bangladeshi shopkeepers were beaten to death in South Africa on Thursday, the latest in a series of violent attacks against immigrants.A police spokesman said the men, aged 26 and 27, were found dead in the back room of their shop near the casino resort of Sun City, north-west

Shooting kills 2 near Greece’s Golden Dawn office

DHAKA: At least two men have been shot dead in a drive-by shooting outside Greece`s Golden Dawn party office in Athens, police said.Two attackers on a motorbike seriously injured one more man in Friday`s incident in the Iraklio neighbourhood, according to information published on the