Saturday, 21 Dec, 2024

International

Iran guards ‘killed in clash’ on Pakistan border

DHAKA: Fourteen Iranian border guards have been killed in a clash with gunmen on the border with Pakistan.The official Iranian news agency Irna says, reports the BBC.The clashes took place on Friday night in a mountainous region outside Saravan, a border town in the south-east province of

Magnitude 7.3 quake hits off Japan coast

DHAKA: An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck early on Saturday morning off Japan`s east coast, triggering a small tsunami, the US Geological Survey said.The quake struck at a depth of 10km at 2:10am local time (1710 GMT) about 327km off southeast of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture.As it

74 Militants Killed in Nigeria Assault

DHAKA: Seventy-four members of an Islamist militant group in Nigeria were killed in an air and ground offensive Thursday, the Nigerian military said Friday.The assault on militants from Boko Haram led to the destruction of the militant group’s camps in the remote Galangi and Lawanti

Car bomb kills 40 in Syrian mosque

DHAKA: At least 40 people, including children, have been reported killed in a car bomb blast in Syria, outside a mosque in a town in Damascus province.The blast, in the town of Suq Wadi Barada, came just before the end of Friday prayers and brought down the mosque`s entrances.Both the

German spy chiefs set to visit US

DHAKA: Germany is to send its top intelligence chiefs to Washington to "push forward" an investigation into allegations the US spied on its leader Angela Merkel.The heads of foreign and domestic intelligence would hold talks with the White House and the National Security Agency, a

UN nuclear inspectors hope to end stalemate with Iran

DHAKA: Iran’s apparent new readiness to address international concerns about its atomic ambitions will be tested in talks with UN inspectors on Monday, with diplomats hoping for progress such as on access to a sensitive military site.However, the diplomats say Iran will probably agree

17 killed in Andhra rains, hundreds of villages under water

DHAKA: Seventeen people were killed and hundreds of villages and several towns were inundated as torrential rains lashed large parts of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth day on Friday.Heavy rains under the impact of low pressure area and a vigorous northeast monsoon hit coastal Andhra,

Manmohan has no cell-phone, email account

DHAKA: Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh does not own a mobile phone or use personal email, giving New Delhi ‘no cause for concern’ about new US hacking revelations.The Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday, reports The Times of India.The Guardian newspaper reported on Friday

Prince Charles ‘prison’ claim denied

DHAKA: Clarence House has denied reports that the Prince of Wales believes becoming king will be a form of prison.A report in Time magazine quoted an unnamed official saying how Prince Charles is worried he will not achieve ambitions linked to his interests before ‘the prison shades’

Chinese court upholds Bo Xilai life sentence

DHAKA: A Chinese court has rejected the appeal of former politician Bo Xilai and upheld his life sentence for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.The former Chongqing Communist Party leader was convicted of the charges in September.He was removed from office in 2012 amid a scandal

Prince Charles `fears prison throne`

DHAKA: The Prince of Wales is in no rush to become king because he fears being monarch will be a form of prison, according to one of his officials.The unnamed individual is quoted in a profile of Prince Charles published in Time magazine which features the prince on its front cover.Time

UN slams Myanmar`s anti-Muslim violence

DHAKA: Violence against a Muslim minority in Myanmar is feeding a wider anti-Muslim feeling that poses a serious threat to the country`s economic and political reforms as it emerges from half a century of military rule, according to a UN envoy."The situation in Rakhine State has fed a

Women gain as gender gap `narrows`

DHAKA: The gap between men and women has narrowed slightly in the past year in most countries, according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) report.Iceland, Finland and Norway top the list of 136 nations, based on political participation, economic equality and rights like education and

EU leaders seek US spying talks

DHAKA: France and Germany want to hold talks with the US by the end of the year to settle a row over spying, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.It follows claims that her mobile phone and millions of French calls have been monitored by the US National Security Agency (NSA).Mrs

Ancient mummies found in Lima suburb

DHAKA: Archaeologists in Peru have found two mummies more than 1,000 years old in a suburb of the capital, Lima.The mummies - of an adult and a child - were found at an ancient religious complex which has been under excavation since 1981.The child is believed to have been an offering to

20 missing from Mexico sweet factory blast

DHAKA: Dozens of people have been injured in an explosion and fire at a sweet factory in northern Mexico.Officials said a boiler exploded in the Blueberry factory at an industrial park in Ciudad Juarez, causing the ceiling to collapse.About 300 people were said to be working in the

Twitter plans to raise up to $1.4bn in IPO

DHAKA: Twitter is to sell 70 million shares priced between $17 and $20 (£10 - £12) when the company makes its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.This offering - which represents 13% of the company - values Twitter at as much as $10.9 billion (£6.7bn), making it the biggest internet

UN says DR Congo groups must free child soldiers

DHAKA: The head of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Martin Kobler, on Thursday urged armed groups to free their child soldiers, calling their recruitment ‘an atrocity’.‘Almost 1,000 children have been... recruited by armed groups between January 1, 2012 and August

Saudi warns women against defying driving ban

DHAKA: Saudi Arabia on Thursday warned it will take measures against activists who go ahead with a planned weekend campaign to defy a ban on women drivers in the conservative Muslim kingdom.‘It is known that women in Saudi are banned from driving and laws will be applied against

Egypt Islamists call for protests against Mursi trial

DHAKA: An Islamist alliance backing Mohamed Mursi on Thursday urged its supporters to protest on November 4 when the ousted president will be put on trial, raising fears of new clashes.Mursi, held at an unknown location since the military ousted him on July 3, and 14 others have been