Tuesday, 13 May, 2025

International

China becomes world’s no 3 arms exporter

DHAKA: China has eased ahead of Germany and France to become the world’s number three arms exporter after the United States and Russia.A Stockholm-based think-tank ‘Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’ said this in its annual report on Monday.The volume of

Venezuela leader to govern by decree

DHAKA: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been granted the power to govern by decree until 31 December.The measure was approved by the National Assembly, where Maduro has a majority, reports the BBC.He requested the approval of the Enabling Law after the United States issued new

Pakistan church bombings kill 15, injured 78

DHAKA: At least 15 people were killed and 78 injured as twin Taliban suicide bombers blew themselves up at two Christian churches during Sunday mass in the country’s eastern city of Lahore.It is the latest attack on religious minorities in Pakistan, reports the Times of India. The

Saddam’s tomb destroyed in Tikrit

DHAKA: The tomb of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been almost completely leveled in fighting near Tikrit.Footage shows all that remains of the once-lavish mausoleum in the village of al-Awja are pillars that held up the roof, reports the BBC.Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia

Syria enters 5th year of civil conflict; death toll over 215,000

DHAKA: Syria’s conflict entered its fifth year on Sunday with the regime emboldened by shifting international attention, and a growing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria group. More than 215,000 people have been killed and half of

Kremlin declines to comment on report Putin absent

DHAKA: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on a report from the independent news outlet Dozhd on Sunday that said Russian president Vladimir Putin had not been in Moscow for the last several days. Putin, who has not been seen in public or on live television broadcasts for

‘US will have to negotiate with Assad to end civil war’

DHAKA: The United States will have to negotiate with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for a political transition in Syria and is exploring ways to pressure him into agreeing to talks. US Secretary of State John Kerry told CBS News in an interview, reports The Straits Times. Washington

5 dead, 40 injured in Lahore suicide attack

DHAKA: At least five people were killed and 40 others injured when Taliban suicide attackers targeted two packed churches during mass on Sunday in Pakistan’s biggest Christian neighborhood in Lahore, the capital of Punjab. The attackers targeted Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church

US shuts embassy in Saudi Arabia over treat

DHAKA: The United States embassy in Saudi Arabia said it had suspended consular services in the kingdom for two days due to ‘heightened security concerns’, after warning of threats against Western oil workers.All services in Riyadh and at the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran have

China ‘falling short’ on fighting pollution

DHAKA: China is falling short of its people’s expectations in battling smog, Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday, one week after the authorities blocked a scathing documentary on the country’s air pollution problem.Li, who is second only to president Xi Jinping in the Communist

Egypt sacks 41 judges for ‘supporting’ Brotherhood

DHAKA: Egypt’s state media reports that a disciplinary court has ordered 41 judges into compulsory retirement for supporting the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.The Disciplinary Council headed by Nabil Zaki, a judge, did not immediately release the reason for its decision on Saturday,

Iraqi Kurds allege chlorine gas attack by ISIL

DHAKA: Kurdish authorities in Iraq said they have evidence that fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) used chlorine gas as a chemical weapon against their peshmerga forces.The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) said in a statement on Saturday that

‘Most’ Vanuatu people become homeless for cyclone

DHAKA: The president of Vanuatu said most of his people are homeless after the devastating cyclone that hit the Pacific island nation on Friday.Speaking from Japan, Baldwin Londsdale told that most of the buildings in the capital Port Vila had been destroyed by Cyclone Pam, reports the

Brazil bus plunge kills 32

DHAKA: A tour bus has plunged off a cliff in southern Brazil, killing at least 32 people.Police say the bus, carrying about 50 people, fell down the 400m (1,300ft) cliff near the city of Joinville in Santa Catarina state.Rescue teams are on site and police say there are still people

Myanmar envoy summoned as bomb kills 4 Chinese

DHAKA: China has summoned the Myanmar ambassador for a meeting in Beijing after a bomb from a Myanmar aircraft fell in Chinese territory and killed four Chinese people. China’s foreign ministry said on Saturday, reports The Straits Times. Myanmar government forces have been battling

‘Obama committed to 2-state solution’

DHAKA: US president Barack Obama is ‘committed’ to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians.US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday on the stalled Middle East peace process, reports The Straits Times.‘The position of the United States with respect to our long

75-year-old nun gang-raped in India

DHAKA: Police in eastern India said Saturday they were investigating the gang-rape of a 75-year-old nun by burglars who broke into the convent school where she lived.Two people have been arrested in connection with the alleged attack on Friday night, when 12 men broke into the convent

Modi visits Sri Lanka’s Tamil heartland

DHAKA: India prime minister Narendra Modi landed in Jaffna on Saturday, making a highly symbolic first visit by an Indian prime minister to Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged northern Tamil heartland after urging greater autonomy for the island’s largest minority.The Jaffna peninsula in Sri

Pope hints at ‘brief’ papacy

DHAKA: Pope Francis has suggested he may resign his papacy like his predecessor, rather than remain at the Vatican for life. The pontiff made the comments during a interview with Mexican television, marking the second anniversary of his election. ‘I have the feeling that my

Pope hints at ‘brief’ papacy

DHAKA: Pope Francis has suggested he may resign his papacy like his predecessor, rather than remain at the Vatican for life. The pontiff made the comments during a interview with Mexican television, marking the second anniversary of his election. ‘I have the feeling that my