Wednesday, 14 May, 2025

International

Tendulkar invited to join Samajwadi Party

DHAKA: Mulayam Singh Yadav led Samajwadi Party has invited cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar to join the party.Sports minister Narad Rai is reported to have told mediapersons in Ballia that Sachin may join Samajwadi Party.‘The final decision would be taken up by the party high command,’

7 children killed in Afghan blast

DHAKA: Seven schoolchildren were killed and three wounded by a roadside bomb in south-eastern Afghanistan on Monday, an official said.The bomb was planted on the side of a main road in the Khairkot district of Paktika province, and exploded when the children stepped on it while

Death toll from Baghdad bombings rises to 26

DHAKA: Violence across Iraq, including a spate of evening bombings against markets and cafes in Baghdad, killed at least 26 people and a dozen militants.Iraq officials said Monday, reports daily Hurriyet.The attacks on Sunday were the latest in a protracted surge in violence that has

Putin sees ‘real chance’ at new Iran talks

DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin told his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Monday that there was ‘a real chance’ to find a solution to the decade-old standoff over Teheran’s nuclear drive.The Kremlin said Putin had called Rouhani to discuss the Syrian crisis as well as a

Death toll in Egypt train accident rises to 26

DHAKA: Egyptian officials say the death toll from a train crash south of Cairo has risen to 26, after two of the injured died in hospital.The train slammed into at least three vehicles, including a truck, crossing the tracks early on Monday near the village of Dahshur.Most of the dead and

Over 12,000 Syrians seek shelter at Arsal

DHAKA: Over 12,000 Syrians arrived over the weekend to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley town of Arsal seeking shelter from expected battles in their country.A spokesperson from the caretaker Lebanon’s social affairs ministry told TDS Monday.‘The latest figures of the Syrian refugees who

Palestinians say peace talks with Israel could resume this week

DHAKA: Direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority could resume later this week.A senior Ramallah official told Israel Radio on Monday, reports The Jerusalem Post.The official said that despite the resignation of Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and his

German parties agree boardroom quota for women

DHAKA: Germany’s top parties, in talks on forming a government, agreed on Monday to a binding boardroom quota for women intended to fix a big gender imbalance in business.Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and their likely coalition partners, the Social

Zuma visits Mandela

DHAKA: South Africa president Jacob Zuma visited former president Nelson Mandela at his Houghton home in Johannesburg on Monday, the presidency said.‘The health of the former president remains much the same as it was when President Zuma last visited him, which is stable but critical,

Iran unveils attack drone ‘with 2,000 km range’

DHAKA: Iran on Monday unveiled a missile-equipped drone with a range of 2,000 kilometres.Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported, says The Straits Times.‘The Fotros drone has an operational range of 2,000 kilometres and can fly at an altitude of 25,000 feet, with a flight time of 16

Jordan seeks UNSC seat after Saudi rejection

DHAKA: Jordan has formally submitted a bid for a two-year seat on the UN Security Council, officials said on Monday, after its ally Saudi Arabia rejected the position partly in protest over international failure to end Syria’s civil war.Jordan, which closely follows regional heavyweight

Iraq death toll rises to 30

DHAKA: A suicide bomber blew himself up during a Shia Muslim religious ritual in the eastern Iraqi city of al-Sadiya November 14, killing at least 30 people and wounding 67, a senior local official and police said.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came on

Mugabe to visit Kuwait for Afro-Arab talks

DHAKA: Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe has left for an Arab-African summit in Kuwait, state media said on Thursday, adding that he will also stop over in Singapore, where he normally goes for medical treatment.He flew out of the country on Wednesday, heading to Singapore ahead of the

‘US concerned about Kurdish interim administration in Syria’

DHAKA: Washington has expressed concerns over the declaration of a constituent assembly by Syrian Kurds as a self-declared ‘first step’ toward an interim administration in the northern parts of the war-torn country.‘We are concerned over the reports on efforts to declare an

‘Hezbollah will stay in Syria as long as needed’

DHAKA: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday his militant Shia group would stay in Syria for as long as necessary.Hezbollah has been fighting alongside president Bashar Assad’s forces in Syria’s civil war.‘As long as the reasons (to fight in Syria) remain, our

Turkey lifts ban on trousers for female MPs in parliament

DHAKA: Turkey’s parliament has lifted a ban on women lawmakers wearing trousers in the assembly, in a further liberalisation of dress rules following a landmark decision to allow female deputies to wear the Islamic headscarf.A deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party

Oxygen tank blast kills three in Thailand

DHAKA: At least three people were killed and five injured when a blast thought to be from an oxygen tank tore through a dozen buildings in a province near Bangkok on Thursday.Thai police said, reports gulfnews.com.Police said the incident was believed to have happened when customers

German jihadists heading en masse to Syria

DHAKA: German jihadists are heading for Syria in increasing numbers, unencumbered by travel formalities and able to integrate quickly into foreign militant groups where Arabic is not needed.The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence said, reports gulfnews.com.Hans-Georg Maassen, head

Indian temple to glitter with 300kg of Thai gold

DHAKA: India’s Mahabodhi temple, one of the world’s holiest Buddhist shrines, is to have its dome inlaid with 300kg of gold donated by Thailand’s king and other devotees.Officials said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.The precious metal arrived on Monday on a special flight

‘Russia too important to be substitute for the US’

DHAKA: Egypt’s foreign minister sought to downplay speculation of a major shift in his country’s foreign policy, saying during a top-level Russian visit on Thursday that Moscow was too important to be a substitute for the United States as Cairo’s key ally and backer.The remarks by