Thursday, 28 Nov, 2024

International

Buddhists in Myanmar protest upcoming visit by OIC

DHAKA: Hundreds of Buddhists marched through the streets of Myanmar’s biggest city on Tuesday to protest an upcoming visit by a high-level delegation from the world’s biggest Islamic political bloc.Some of those who marched in Yangon carried banners saying ‘Get out!’ and ‘Stop

More than 5,000 flee erupting Indonesian volcano

DHAKA: More than 5,000 people have fled their homes in western Indonesia in recent days following a series of violent volcanic eruptions.An Indonesian official said on Tuesday, reports The Straits Times.Mount Sinabung on the north of Sumatra island has been hurling out red-hot ash, rocks

29 dead in South Africa truck, bus smash

DHAKA: Twenty-nine people died and several others were injured after a bus collided with a truck in South Africa.The government said on Tuesday, reports The Jerusalem Post.The accident happened in the country’s eastern Mpumalanga province on Monday night.‘Twenty-nine people were

China, India ‘becoming key drivers of energy demand’

DHAKA: The International Energy Agency (IEA) says China and India are becoming the world`s main drivers of energy demand, as the United States continues to boost its domestic production of oil and gas.The IEA’s executive director Maria van der Hoeven says Asia’s ‘demand and thirst

Thai PM pleads for rallies to end after amnesty defeated

DHAKA: Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra appealed on Tuesday for anti-government groups to end ongoing street protests after the parliamentary defeat of an amnesty bill failed to defuse political tensions.The bill, which critics say was aimed at allowing divisive former premier Thaksin

Iran denies it scuttled nuclear talks

DHAKA: Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday denied US claims that the Islamic republic had scuttled nuclear talks in Geneva, pointing instead to France as the culprit.US state secretary John Kerry said in Abu Dhabi on Monday Iran had balked at the Geneva talks just as

Kenya mall attackers were suicide squad

DHAKA: Gunmen who massacred at least 67 people in Kenya’s Westgate mall in September were special suicide commandos.Somalia’s Shebab insurgents said on Tuesday, rubbishing reports the men had tried to escape, reports The Straits Times.Members of a ‘martyrdom brigade’, the gunmen

Japan govt report finds serious abuse of disabled

DHAKA: The abuse of disabled people has emerged as a major problem in Japan with the violence most often inflicted by family members or domestic carers, according to a government survey.The nationwide report, the first of its kind, found 1,699 confirmed cases of physically or mentally

Committee to decide the tallest building in US

DHAKA: An expert committee of architects is set to announce whether New York’s new World Trade Center tower or Chicago’s Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States.The Height Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is expected to announce its

India Mars mission back on track after engine glitch

DHAKA: India’s Mars spacecraft was ‘successfully’ raised into a higher orbit around Earth early on Tuesday, after a brief engine failure during an earlier attempt.The space agency said, reports The Straits Times.The Mars Orbiter Mission, which blasted off on November 5 for a

Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in China

DHAKA: A Tibetan monk has set himself on fire in an act of protest in China, reports and campaign groups said on Tuesday, as top Communist Party leaders hold a key gathering.Tsering Gyal, 20, set himself alight on Monday in Guolou, a Tibetan area of Qinghai province in southwestern China,

Egypt ‘worst for women’ in Arab world

DHAKA: Egypt is now the worst country for women`s rights in the Arab world, according to a poll of gender experts.The study found sexual harassment, high rates of female genital mutilation and a growth in conservative Islamist groups contributed to the low ranking, reports the BBC.The

No Indo-bangla passport from Nov15

DHAKA: The ministry of external affairs will discontinue the India-Bangladesh Passport (IBP) service from November 15, 2013.However, the passports already issued will remain valid till their expiry.No new applications for IBP will be accepted by any of the state governments, who were

Philippines declares state of calamity

DHAKA: A national state of calamity has been declared in the Phillipines as the country reels from the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan, with an expected death toll expected to reach tens of thousands.The president, Benigno Aquino, on Monday declared emergency measures to get aid to the many

Cyclone kills up to 100 in Somalia

DHAKA: A tropical cyclone that hit the north-eastern Somali region of Puntland over the weekend killed up to 100 people.Puntland`s President Abdirahman Farole said thousands of livestock had also died and hundreds of homes had been destroyed.The semi-autonomous region was hit by strong

Senior Haqqani leader shot dead in Pakistan

DHAKA: One of the most senior leaders of the Haqqani militant network has been shot dead near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, security sources say.Nasiruddin Haqqani, who was in his early 30s, was the group`s financier and a son of its founder Jalaluddin.Reports say his body has been

4 linked to Kenya mall attack appear in court

DHAKA: Four men charged in connection with Kenya’s Westgate mall massacre in September appeared in court on Monday, with defence lawyers and prosecutors arguing over if they should be granted bail.All four have pleaded not guilty to the charges of ‘supporting a terrorist group’, as

‘No Mideast peace deal better than bad deal’

DHAKA: Failure to reach a peace deal with Israel would be better than inking an agreement which allows it to continue its settlement building.A top Palestinian negotiator said on Monday, reports The Straits Times.‘In the absence of political will from the Israeli side to take the

Iran, UN watchdog agree on probe of nuclear sites

DHAKA: The United Nations atomic energy watchdog and Iran on Monday signed a joint statement on future cooperation to resolve remaining nuclear issues.The agreement is a step towards resolving concerns of the International Atomic Energy Agency about Iran’s nuclear activities and opens

‘Shia-Sunni divide is world’s biggest threat’

DHAKA: Sectarian tension between Shia and Sunni Muslims is probably the most serious threat to world security, according to Iran’s foreign minister.Speaking to the BBC, Mohamed Javad Zarif blamed some Sunni countries for what he called ‘fear-mongering’.‘Some people have fanned the