Tuesday, 26 Nov, 2024

International

US plane in 1961 `nuclear bomb near-miss`

DHAKA: A four-megaton nuclear bomb was one switch away from exploding over the US in 1961, a newly declassified US document confirms.Two bombs were on board a B-52 plane that went into an uncontrolled spin over North Carolina - both bombs fell and one began the detonation process.The

Bangladesh, a role model on MDG

NEWYORK: Bangladesh will be placed as a role model at the General Assembly of United Nation for achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will deliver her speech to unveil success stories of Bangladesh to the rest of the world.Hasina will fly to New York on

34 mln liters Zam Zam water for pilgrims

RIYADH: Zam Zam office targeted that they would supply 34 Millions (380 lakhs) liters of Zam Zam water to pilgrims on the current hajj season. Zam Zam office chairman Suleiman Abu Gelya said that more than 1,100 staffers, including some temporary workers, will distribute Zamzam water to

Watchdog begins examining Syria chemical file

DHAKA: The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says it has begun to examine the first details of Syria`s chemical arsenal supplied by the government of President Bashar al-Assad.China urged a quick implementation of a landmark US-Russian deal to destroy

Sri Lanka key vote begins in north

DHAKA: Voters in Sri Lanka`s north have begun electing their first ever semi-autonomous council, four years after the army defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.The Tamil-majority Northern Province, which was first promised such a body decades ago, is the only region which has never had its own

Pakistan to free Taliban chief Saturday

DHAKA: Former Afghan Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is to be released from prison in Pakistan on Saturday, the foreign ministry says.A spokesman said the release was to "further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process".Mullah Baradar is one of the four men who

Frost documentary - Bangabandhu

LONDON: The Qatar based Al Jazeera TV broadcast a documentary on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made by international eminent journalist late David Frost.The documentary titled “Bangabandhu, the hero of liberation” was aired at GMT 20:00 on September 20.This is the last documentary

Kerry pushes for urgent U.N. action

DHAKA: America`s top diplomat pressed hard Thursday for international action in Syria in the wake of last month`s chemical weapons attack, saying "the U.N. Security Council must be prepared to act next week" given a report he says shows Syria`s government is culpable.Speaking ahead of

Earth has 1.75 billion years to go

DHAKA: A team of British researchers has developed a model for determining how long a planet can expect to be within its sun’s habitable zone – the sweet spot just far enough to the sun so that the planet’s water doesn’t sizzle into vapor but just close enough to the sun so that

Philippines, Taiwan braced for super typhoon

DHAKA: The Philippines and Taiwan are braced for super typhoon Usagi, which meteorologists say could become the most powerful storm of 2013.The typhoon was 560km (350 miles) east-southeast of Taiwan and 360km (225 miles) from the northern Philippines on Friday morning, weather officials

Kennedy daughter set for US envoy to Japan

DHAKA: Former first daughter Caroline Kennedy has sailed through a confirmation hearing on her way to becoming the US ambassador to Japan.Ms Kennedy, 55, the only surviving child of former President John Kennedy, told a Senate panel she would focus on trade and military ties if

87 dead in Nigeria after Boko Haram `ambush`

DHAKA: At least 87 people have been killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria`s north-eastern Borno state, according to local officials.Disguised in military uniforms, the militants set up checkpoints outside the town of Benisheik and shot dead those trying to flee, witnesses

Mexico storm death toll rises to 97

DHAKA: Mexican authorities say 97 people have been killed by storms that hit the country earlier in the week.In the village of La Pintada, near the Pacific coast, a landslide partially engulfed the town.At least 15 bodies have been recovered and almost 70 residents are missing, the

5.3-magnitude earthquake hits Japan’s Fukushima

DHAKA: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake has hit the Japanese prefecture that is home to the nuclear power plant crippled in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.The US Geological Survey says the quake struck early Friday at a depth of about 13 miles (22 kilometers) under Fukushima Prefecture

Pope says Church ‘must heal wounds

DHAKA: Pope Francis has said the Catholic Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception and needs to become more merciful.He warned that the Church’s moral structure could “fall like a house of cards” unless it changed.The Pope used the first major

JP Morgan fined $920m over risky trades

DHAKA: US bank JP Morgan Chase agreed to pay four regulators $920m relating to a $6.2bn loss incurred as a result of the “London Whale” trades.The settlement is the third biggest banking fine by US regulators, and the second largest by UK regulators.As part of the deal JP Morgan

French to criminalise paying for sex

DHAKA: Paying for sex in France may soon become a criminal offence, according to a forthcoming bill whose details were made public this week.The proposed legislation would also overturn a 2003 law that penalises prostitutes overtly offering their services, rules that were intended to

South African police ‘lied over mine shootings’

DHAKA: South African police lied about the Marikana shootings last year, in which 34 striking miners were killed, a commission of inquiry has found.Police falsified or withheld documents, and gave false accounts of events, the commission said, reports the BBC.The killings at the

No politicians arrested for India riots

DHAKA: A group of BJP politicians, who have been linked to the deadly communal riots in Muzaffarnagar in India’s Western Uttar Pradesh, were not present in the state legislature Thursday.Arrest warrants have been issued against two of them.Police sources tell India’s NDTV that to

Drunk Pakistani pilot arrested at British airport

DHAKA: A pilot believed to be working for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been arrested at a British airport on suspicion of being drunk while in charge of a plane.The police said on Thursday, reports The Jerusalem Post.Officers were called on Wednesday evening to the airport