Tuesday, 22 Jul, 2025

International

U.S. to send more troops to Iraq

DHAKA: U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday authorized additional troops be deployed to Iraq to protect American diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad.The 350 troops are being sent at the request of the U.S. Department of State to beef up security, an appeal that comes as

Corruption 'costs millions of lives'

DHAKA: An estimated $1tn (£600bn) a year is being taken out of poor countries and millions of lives are lost because of corruption, according to campaigners.A report by the US-based anti-poverty organisation One says much of the progress made over the past two decades in tackling

IS 'beheads second US journalist'

DHAKA: The Islamic State has released a video of the purported murder of the US journalist Steven Sotloff, days after his mother pleaded with the group's leader to spare his life.The armed group released the video what it said was the 31-year-old's death on Tuesday. Internet monitors

22 Protesters detained in Hong Kong

DHAKA: Police arrested at least 22 people during a series of protests targeting a senior Chinese official visiting the city.The police authorities said on Tuesday.The city has been plunged into political crisis after pro-democracy activists vowed to take over the streets of the city’s

Russia to alter military strategy towards Nato

DHAKA: Russia is to alter its military strategy as a result of the Ukraine crisis and Nato’s presence in eastern Europe.A top Russian official said this which reports the BBC.Mikhail Popov, a Kremlin adviser, said that deteriorating relations with the US and Nato would be reflected in

IS accused of Iraq ethnic cleansing

DHAKA: Amnesty International says it has new evidence Islamic State militants are carrying out "a wave of ethnic cleansing" against minorities in northern Iraq, BBC reports on Tuesday. The human rights group said IS had turned the region into "blood-soaked killing fields".Earlier,

Sharif chairs joint parliament session

DHAKA: Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a joint session of parliament on Tuesday as a deepening crisis over mass protests demanding his resignation prompted fears of an army intervention.Sharif had called the session and he had been expected to address it on Tuesday but

Japan space agency unveils ‘Hayabusa-2’

DHAKA: Japanese space scientists have unveiled the asteroid hunting space probe they hope to launch later this year on a mission to mine a celestial body.The probe, named ‘Hayabusa-2’, is expected to be flung into space on a rocket for a mammoth four-year voyage to the

Pak SC issues notices to all parliamentary parties

DHAKA: Hearing a set of petitions against sit-ins by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) on the Constitution Avenue, the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to all parliamentary parties as well as the PAT. The notices were issued after petitioner

Iranian FM hopeful to reach nuclear agreement

DHAKA: Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced optimism after talks with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that a dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program can be resolved by a November 24 deadline. ‘I am quite optimistic after discussions with Lady Ashton

Nurses go on strike in Ebola-hit Liberia

DHAKA: Nurses at Liberia’s largest hospital went on strike, demanding better pay and equipment to protect them against a deadly Ebola epidemic which has killed hundreds in the west African nation. John Tugbeh, spokesman for the strikers at Monrovia’s John F Kennedy hospital, said the

US launches Somali operation

DHAKA: US military forces conducted an operation Monday against the Al-Shabaab network in Somalia, CNN reports.  No other information was immediately available. The Pentagon did not say who was targeted, where in Somalia the operation took place nor why the operation was happening now.

Pak army gives govt ultimatum to end impasse

DHAKA: Hundreds of anti-government protestors stormed the headquarters of state-owned Pakistan Television on Monday, forcing the channel briefly off air, as fresh clashes erupted and the army gave the government an ultimatum to end the impasse soon.Prime minister Nawaz Sharif met

Hackers take down Pak govt sites, leak bank records

DHAKA: In the wake of ongoing anti-government protests in Islamabad, a group of hackers calling themselves ‘Anonymous Op Pakistan’ temporarily brought down numerous government portals in a bid to remove, ‘every vestige of the Pakistan government from the Internet’.The group

Ukraine defence chief warns of ‘great war’ with Russia

DHAKA: Ukraine’s defence minister warned on Monday that a ‘great war’ has broken out with Russia over his country’s future that could claim tens of thousands of lives.‘A great war has arrived at our doorstep - the likes of which Europe has not seen since World War II’,

‘Am Gujarati, money is in my blood’

DHAKA: Japan will give 3.5 trillion yen (over USD 33.56 billion) to India over five years to help finance infrastructure projects and two of the PM’s pet projects - the cleaning of the Ganga and the building of smart cities.Japan will also supply financial and technical support for

Iraq violence killed at least 1,420 in Aug

DHAKA: At least 1,420 people were killed in Iraq in August, the United Nations said on September 1, as sectarian violence raged in the centre and north of the country.Another 1,370 Iraqis were wounded and 600,000 people forced to flee, the UN added, as Islamic State militants, who

‘Pak govt considers decisive action’

DHAKA: Pakistan is preparing to launch a selective crackdown against anti-government protesters trying to bring down the government of prime minister Nawaz Sharif.Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif said, warning demonstrators against storming government buildings.Dashing chances

Myanmar targets 5 million tourists with e-visa

DHAKA: Myanmar launched an online visa application on Monday promising an end to painful waits for permits to visit the once secretive nation as it tries to lure five million tourists a year by 2015.The e-visa is open to tourists from 41 countries, from Singapore, China, Japan and

Saudi crown prince in Paris for talks on arms, IS

DHAKA: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince arrived in Paris Monday for talks with president Francois Hollande likely to touch on a Saudi-financed French package of arms for Lebanon and the wider jihadist threat in the region.Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, who is also deputy prime minister