Thursday, 16 Jan, 2025

International

Tunisia chooses new PM to replace Islamist govt

DHAKA: A forum of political parties on Saturday chose the industry minister as Tunisia’s next prime minister, set to replace the Islamist-led government with technocrats in what’s been a faltering transition to democracy.Mehdi Jomaa, a 50-year-old independent who had abandoned a

Tutu `not invited` at Mandela’s burial

DHAKA: South African peace icon Desmond Tutu is to miss the burial of his friend Nelson Mandela, the archbishop’s office said on Saturday, amid allegations he was not invited for political reasons.‘The archbishop is not an accredited clergyperson for the event and will thus not be

‘Several peacekeepers killed in Mali by bomb blast’

DHAKA: A bomb explosion killed several members of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali in the troubled northern city of Kidal.A spokesman for the mission said on Saturday, reports The Straits Times.‘There was an explosion this morning and the info I have is that there were

Pakistan families march in search of missing relatives

DHAKA: Relatives of people who have gone missing from Pakistan’s troubled south-west Baluchistan province set off on a gruelling 1,200km march from the port city of Karachi to Islamabad on Saturday, hoping to recover their loved ones.The more than two dozen men, women and children had

Karzai ‘does not trust’ the US

DHAKA: Visiting Afghan president Hamid Karzai said in New Delhi on Saturday he no longer ‘trusts’ the United States, accusing the Americans of saying one thing and doing another in his troubled homeland.Karzai’s statement to journalists came a day after he insisted he would not be

Kerry in Vietnam on first visit as top US diplomat

DHAKA: US state secretary John Kerry on Saturday attended mass at a cathedral in Vietnam, where he served during the war, in a trip aimed at shoring up South-east Asian ties amid myriad regional tensions.Kerry, a practicing Catholic whose experiences during the Vietnam War inspired his

IRA bomb in backpack targets Belfast city centre

DHAKA: Irish Republican Army (IRA) die-hards claimed responsibility on Saturday for detonating a small bomb hidden in a backpack in the heart of Belfast’s revived city centre.The Friday night attack injured nobody but highlighted the determination of truce-defying IRA members to disrupt

Iran sends 2nd monkey into space

DHAKA: Iran’s president says the Islamic Republic has successfully sent a monkey into space for the second time, part of a program aimed at manned space flight.Hassan Rouhani’s website said on Saturday that the rocket used liquid fuel for the first time, reports The Times of India.It

5.5-magnitude quake shakes buildings in Tokyo

DHAKA: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 hit eastern Japan on Saturday but no tsunami warning was issued.Japan’s national broadcaster said, reports The Straits Times.There were no reports of immediate damage.On March 11, 2011 Japan’s north-east coast was struck by a

Prince Harry is first British royal to reach South Pole

DHAKA: Prince Harry on Friday became the first member of Britain’s royal family to reach the South Pole after a three-week charity trek with injured military veterans from Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia.Prince Harry and the 12 servicemen and women reached the globe’s

Thailand protesters to outline reform plans to military

DHAKA: Leaders of the Thai protest movement trying to overthrow the government meet the heads of the politically influential armed forces on Saturday to try to persuade them to back their call for reforms and the suspension of the electoral system.Thailand prime minister Yingluck

7 killed in Mumbai high-rise fire

DHAKA: Seven persons were killed in a massive blaze that broke out in a high rise residential building in South Mumbai on Friday night, firebrigade officials said on Saturday.Six fire personnel, including two officers, were also injured while carrying out rescue and firefighting

18 workers killed in Iraq-Iran pipeline attack

DHAKA: Fifteen Iranian and three Iraqi gas pipeline workers have been shot dead by gunmen north-east of Baghdad.The attackers sped up in three cars before opening fire on the workers as they dug a trench to extend the pipeline near the city of Baquba.Another five Iranians and two Iraqis

1 killed in Colorado school shooting

DHAKA: A student at a Colorado school shot and wounded two students, one seriously, before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say.The gunman brought a shotgun to the school and was looking for a specific teacher when confronted by a classmate, the Arapahoe County

Japan offers Asean $20bn in aid

DHAKA: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has offered SE Asian countries almost $20bn in aid and loans, in what is being seen as an effort to combat Chinese expansion.The announcement came at a summit in Tokyo, weeks after China`s declaration of a new air defence zone overlapping areas claimed by

Rebel attack kills Syria civilians

DHAKA: An attack by Islamist rebels has left at least 10 people dead over the past two days in the Syrian town of Adra, activists and eyewitnesses say.Most of the victims were from minority sects, reports said.State media said on Friday that the army had launched a "broad offensive" in

Mandela ANC goodbye ahead of burial

DHAKA: Nelson Mandela`s coffin is due to set off for his ancestral home in Qunu, where his state funeral will be held on Sunday ending a week of commemorations.After leaving the mortuary, the coffin will be taken to an air base for a farewell ceremony for ANC members.At least 100,000

India summons US ambassador

DHAKA: India has summoned US Ambassador Nancy Powell to lodge a strong protest against what it has called the "unacceptable treatment" of its high-ranking diplomat Devyani Khobragade, who was arrested and handcuffed in public in New York on Thursday for an alleged visa fraud.The Indian

EU failing Syria refugees, says Amnesty

DHAKA: European leaders should be ashamed by the paltry numbers of refugees from Syria they are prepared to resettle, human rights group Amnesty says.Only 10 member states have offered to take in refugees and even then only 12,000, it complains. The UK and Italy have offered no places at

Bomb hits police camp in Egypt

DHAKA: A bomb has exploded near the entrance of a security forces camp in the northern Egyptian city of Ismailiyah, killing at least one policeman and injuring at least 18 other people, including six civilians, security sources have told Al Jazeera.The bomb was planted on the gates of the