Wednesday, 27 Nov, 2024

International

Philippine quake death toll hits above 150

DHAKA: Survivors of a huge earthquake that killed more than 150 people in the Philippines rummaged hopelessly on Wednesday through ruins for friends and relatives, as rescue workers struggled to reach isolated communities.The 7.1-magnitude earthquake smashed the central island of Bohol on

21 dead as bus hits bomb in Syria

DHAKA: At least 21 people have been killed by an explosion that struck a bus in the southern Syrian province of Deraa, say activist groups.‘Four children and six women [were killed] in a blast that detonated as their vehicle went past Tal al-Jumua’ in the Nawa area, said the UK-based

‘Iran talks must not be another Munich’

DHAKA: Israel kept up its alarmist rhetoric on talks between world powers and Iran Wednesday, with a cabinet minister comparing the situation to pre-war Europe and the appeasement of Nazi Germany.‘We view the nuclear talks in Geneva with hope and with concern. We see the worrying signs

Iran will accept snap visits of its nuclear sites

DHAKA: Iran’s top negotiator said on Wednesday a nuclear proposal presented to major powers in Geneva does allow for snap inspections of the Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities, clarifying earlier remarks.‘None of these issues exist in the first step, but they are part of our last

Japan typhoon tolls hits 17, set to rise

DHAKA: At least 17 people died as a powerful typhoon lashed Japan’s Pacific coast on Wednesday, media reports said, with the death toll likely to rise.Typhoon Wipha, dubbed the strongest in a decade, caused landslides that buried houses as it churned past an island just south of

Eleanor Catton wins Man Booker 2013

DHAKA: Eleanor Catton has become the youngest writer to win the Man Booker Prize, with the longest novel to triumph in the award.Catton, 28, beat competition from Colm Tóibín, NoViolet Bulawayo, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ruth Ozeki and the favourite, Jim Crace, to be awarded the £50,000 prize by

Fiscal row imperils US credit rating

DHAKA: Frantic US political attempts to avert a federal debt default have pivoted back to the Senate after plans in the House of Representatives collapsed.Upper chamber leaders were said to be working through the night on a deal to raise the US borrowing limit and end a partial government

Thousands march against French pension reforms

DHAKA: Thousands of people marched in Paris on Tuesday to protest against a revamp of the debt-ridden pension system just ahead of a vote on the controversial measure in the National Assembly.Similar rallies were held in other cities including Marseille, Toulouse and Lyon, reports The

Iran wins ‘good reaction’ to nuclear proposal

DHAKA: Iran said its hotly awaited proposal to break the deadlock with world powers over its nuclear programme earned a good reception on Tuesday, in talks seen as a test of a thaw under new president Hassan Rouhani.The hour-long PowerPoint presentation by foreign minister Mohammad Javad

Death toll in Philippines quake jumps to 99

DHAKA: The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the central Philippine island of Bohol on Wednesday rose to 99, as rescuers struggled to reach patients in a collapsed hospital.Centuries-old stone churches crumbled and wide areas were without power.Bohol police chief

‘Secret’ Japan-China talks held on island row

DHAKA: A senior Chinese government official has secretly visited Japan for talks with Japanese officials aimed at improving bilateral relations damaged by an ongoing territorial row, a report said on Tuesday.The talks involving a high-ranking official from the Chinese foreign ministry’s

Operator of wrecked Japan nuclear plant pledges improvements

DHAKA: The operator of Japan`s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, under fire to put right repeated contamination mishaps, promised on Tuesday to draft in extra workers and improve equipment as part of plans to make the site safe and keep the company solvent.Tokyo Electric Power Company, or

Russia denies issuing conclusions over Arafat’s death

DHAKA: The Russian agency involved in studying the remains of Yasser Arafat on Tuesday denied issuing any conclusions about the death of the Palestinian leader, after a report cited its chief as saying he could not have died from polonium poisoning.Russia’s Federal Medical-Biological

Charles Taylor transferred to UK

DHAKA: Ex-Liberian president Charles Taylor has arrived in the UK to serve the remainder of his 50-year prison sentence for war crimes.He had asked the UN-backed special court in The Hague to serve his jail term in Rwanda instead.Taylor was handed over to UK prison service representatives

Iran sets out nuclear offer in talks with world powers

DHAKA: Iran on Tuesday laid out a hotly-awaited proposal to break the deadlock in talks with world powers over its nuclear programme, diplomats said, in a test of a thaw under new president Hassan Rouhani.The hour-long PowerPoint presentation by foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and

Prince Charles to tour India

DHAKA: Britain’s Prince Charles will tour India for nine days next month ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka.Prince’s office said on Tuesday, reports The Straits Times.It will be the heir to the throne’s eighth official visit to the Commonwealth’s most populous country

‘I deserved to win Nobel Peace Prize’

DHAKA: Syria’s president Bashar Al Assad has jokingly said that he should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.A pro-Damascus Lebanese newspaper has reported, says gulfnews.com.The prize, which was given to the global chemical weapons watchdog on Friday, ‘should have been mine’,

Hazare hospitalised, may undergo surgery

DHAKA: Social crusader Anna Hazare was admitted to a private hospital in the city on Monday after he complained of weakness, loss of appetite and problem in passing urine.His lawyer Milind Pawar told media that Anna was rushed to Pune from Ralegan Siddhi, his hometown, after he complained

Mosque bombing kills 8 worshipers in Iraq

DHAKA: A bomb exploded near a mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, killing eight worshippers after the first prayer of the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, or Eid al-Adha.Iraq police and medical sources said, reports The Jerusalem Post.Insurgents usually intensify their

Russia foils plot to attack chemical arms facility

DHAKA: Russian authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested two men from the North Caucasus on suspicion of plotting an attack on a chemical weapons storage and destruction facility.Investigators believe the suspects planned to build a bomb and attack the Maradykovo facility in the Kirov