Thursday, 28 Nov, 2024

International

Looting, gunfire break out in typhoon-hit Philippines

DHAKA: Mobs overran a rice warehouse on the island worst hit by the Philippine typhoon, setting off a wall collapse that killed eight people and carting off thousands of sacks of the grain, while security forces Wednesday exchanged gunfire with an armed gang.The incidents in or close to

Al-Qaida in Yemen vows revenge for Shia rebel attack

DHAKA: Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has pledged revenge against Shia Houthi rebels in northern Yemen for their assault on a Salafi school in Dammaj.Yemen Site Monitoring Service reported late on Tuesday, citing a statement from the group, reports The Jerusalem Post.Fighting

Mursi says he was kidnapped before ouster, intends to sue

DHAKA: Deposed Islamist Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi said on Wednesday he was kidnapped and held by the Republican Guard and then at a naval base a day before he was formally ousted by the military.He also intends to sue the army-installed authorities over his ouster in July, his

Former Australian PM Rudd quits politics

DHAKA: Former Australian leader Kevin Rudd has announced his retirement from politics.In an emotional speech, the former Labor Party leader said he had not arrived at the decision lightly, reports the BBC.But Rudd, who served as prime minister twice, attributed the decision to his family

Too heavy to fly, to go home by ship

DHAKA: A young Frenchman who weighs 230 kilograms and was deemed too heavy to fly on a jetliner arrived in New York Tuesday to head home by ship.Kevin Chenais and his parents arrived at Penn Station in New York by train from Chicago.They will stay at a hotel in Brooklyn until they catch

Putin in Seoul pushes new ‘Silk Road’

DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin was in South Korea Wednesday, pushing a pet project for a new trading route linking Asia and Europe by rail that requires prying open North Korea.The ambitious scheme envisages an ‘Iron Silk Road’ uniting the rail networks of South and North

India`s top policeman draws fire with ‘enjoy rape’ remarks

DHAKA: India’s top police official was under fire on Wednesday for saying, ‘If you can’t prevent rape, you might as well enjoy it’.Central Bureau of Investigation chief Ranjit Sinha made the comment on Tuesday during a conference about illegal sports betting and the need to

Concerns over new UNHRC members

DHAKA: China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Vietnam have been elected to the UN`s human rights watchdog, despite concerns about their rights records.Campaign groups have condemned the election of the countries to the 47-seat Human Rights Council.Human Rights Watch said some new

Afghan opium harvest at record high

DHAKA: Afghan opium cultivation has reached a record level, with more than 200,000 hectares planted with the poppy for the first time, the United Nations says.The UNODC report said the harvest was 36% up on last year, and if fully realised would outstrip global demand.Most of the rise was

Deaths ‘fewer than feared’

DHAKA: Philippines President Benigno Aquino says the death toll from Friday`s typhoon may be lower than first thought.In an interview with CNN, he said the number of 10,000 killed was "too high" and the figure was more likely up to 2,500.The UN says more than 11 million people are

Egypt lifting state of emergency, curfew

DHAKA: Egypt`s government says it is lifting the country`s three-month state of emergency and night-time curfew.The move comes two days earlier than expected, after a court ruling.An aide to the prime minister said the measures had ended at 14:00 GMT, but the government later said it was

Israel backtracks on settlements

DHAKA: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his housing minister to reconsider construction plans for more than 20,000 homes in the West Bank.He said the plans, announced by Housing Minister Uri Ariel earlier on Tuesday, would create unnecessary friction with the international

Typhoon survivors expect long wait for help

DHAKA: For hour after hour, driving into the heart of typhoon-stricken northern Cebu, it was the same picture.Hundreds of families, picking through the remains of their destroyed homes, hoping to find some treasured keepsakes; and children lining the roadside, for mile after mile,

Arrested Greenpeace activists arrive in St Petersburg

DHAKA: The 30 people arrested following a Greenpeace protest at an Arctic oil rig were transferred to St Petersburg on Tuesday.Greenpeace International and Russian transport officials said, reports The Straits Times.A sealed wagon attached to a passenger train transported the group from

Musharraf seeks end to travel ban to see sick mother

DHAKA: Former Pakistan ruler Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday asked a court to let him leave the country to visit his sick mother in Dubai, legal sources said.Musharraf is facing four major criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule of the nuclear-armed nation, including one related to

More than 1 million rice farmers affected

DHAKA: The deadly typhoon that ravaged much of the Philippines struck at the start of the main rice-planting season, dealing further sorrow to the Asian nation.In Rome, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates than more than 1 million rice farmers have been affected

China leaders promise bigger role for free market

DHAKA: China’s leaders Tuesday promised a bigger role for the free market in the country’s state-dominated economy as they try to overhaul a worn-out growth model.In a brief statement issued following a four-day meeting aimed at producing a reform blueprint for the coming decade,

IMF still ready to aid Egypt when needed

DHAKA: The International Monetary Fund remains ready to provide aid to Egypt when Cairo requests it, a senior IMF official said on Tuesday without elaborating on when that might happen.‘We have some technical work already underway and we will be very ready and keen to support them when

Mauritius PM to boycott C’wealth meet in Sri Lanka

DHAKA: Mauritius prime minister announced Tuesday he will stay away from this week’s Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka because of the host’s poor human rights record.Mauritius joins India by refusing to send a premier to Sri Lanka, which is accused of widespread human rights abuses and

Putin visits Vietnam to boost ties

DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that his country will expand its military supplies to Vietnam, as he held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart to boost ties between the former ideological allies.Military and energy cooperation topped the agenda during the talks