Tuesday, 19 Mar, 2024

International

Pakistan minister offers Taliban a cricket match for peace

DHAKA: A top Pakistani minister on Monday offered to hold a cricket match with the Taliban as a way of reviving stalled talks on ending the militants’ bloody seven-year insurgency.Pakistan’s government entered into a formal dialogue with the Taliban earlier this month, but the process

Moscow court jails 7 anti-Putin activists

DHAKA: A court in Russia has sentenced eight protesters for rioting and attacking police at a demonstration against Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a third presidential term in 2012.Seven of the ‘Bolotnaya’ activists received prison terms of up to four years. An eighth, the only

17 killed in Iraq

DHAKA: Violence in Iraq, including shelling in the city of Ramadi and shootings in the north, has killed at least 17 people since Sunday.The single deadliest attack was a bomb that exploded on a highway between Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul on Sunday, killing three police and

Egypt interim govt resigns unexpectedly

DHAKA: Egypt’s military-backed interim government has resigned, prime minister Hazem Beblawi has announced.Beblawi gave no reason for the decision in his televised statement, reports the BBC.The state-run al-Ahram newspaper, citing unnamed sources, reported that outgoing housing

Pakistani Taliban commander shot dead

DHAKA: A top commander of the Pakistani Taliban was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Monday in the militant stronghold of North Waziristan.Security sources and family members in the tribal region told media, reports Al Arabiya.Asmatullah Shaheen was on the Pakistan army’s list of

Arrest warrant for Yanukovych over ‘mass murder’

DHAKA: Fugitive Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, ousted after bloody street protests in which demonstrators were shot by police snipers, is wanted for mass murder.Authorities announced on Monday, reports The Straits Times.As rival neighbours east and west of the former Soviet

‘Only one out of every 10 Malaysians pays tax’

DHAKA: The current mix of low taxpayer base, increasing public spending, and resistance towards subsidy rationalisation is a recipe for trouble, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.Revealing that only one out of every 10 Malaysians pays tax, Najib said there is an urgent need to

Thai PM leaves Bangkok as bombs, gunfire punctuate unrest

DHAKA: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the target of anti-government protesters who have blocked parts of Bangkok for weeks, has left the city and is staying 150km away.Her office said on Monday, without specifying the location, reports The Straits Times.The protests, punctuated

Israel police shoot dead US killer

DHAKA: Israeli special forces have shot dead an American-Israeli prisoner - jailed for a brutal murder in the US - after he opened fire on prison guards.A police spokesman said Samuel Sheinbein had shot three security officers, critically injuring one, and barricaded himself the

Ukraine to seek European integration

DHAKA: Ukraine`s new interim President Oleksandr Turchynov has said the country will focus on closer integration with the EU.Turchynov was appointed following the dismissal of President Viktor Yanukovych by MPs on Saturday.Yanukovych`s rejection of an EU-Ukraine trade pact triggered the

Death toll from Pakistan air strikes rises to 38

DHAKA: The death toll from early morning air strikes on militant hideouts in the northwest rose to 38 on Sunday evening.Officials said, reports The Straits Times.‘There are confirmed reports that 38 terrorists including some important commanders were killed,’ a statement by the

Mursi accused of leaking state secrets

DHAKA: Egyptian state prosecutors have accused ousted president Mohamed Mursi of leaking state secrets in a plot to destabilise Egypt.At the second hearing of his trial for espionage on Sunday, Mursi, along with 35 others including leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, was accused of

Ukraine speaker given presidential powers

DHAKA: Ukraine’s parliament has voted to temporarily hand over the duties of president to the speaker of the assembly, Oleksander Turchinov, who told deputies to agree on the formation of a national unity government by Tuesday.‘This is a priority task,’ Turchinov said in parliament,

Taiwan independence group topples Sun Yat-sen statue

DHAKA: A radical Taiwanese independence group said on Sunday they had pulled down a statue of the founding father of the nationalist republic who fled from the Chinese mainland to the island more than six decades ago.The event, which was condemned by politicians and supporters of the

Major fire at tyre manufacturing unit in Mumbai

DHAKA: A major fire broke out at Ceat factory in the eastern suburb of Nahur on Sunday evening.Ten fire engines and eight water tankers were rushed to the spot. The fire broke out at 5.40pm and firefighting operations are still on. The entire area was covered with smoke.Train services on

Pakistan air strikes kill 18

DHAKA: Pakistani fighter jets on Sunday launched air strikes on militant hideouts in the northwest, killing at least 18 people, according to officials, in the latest retaliation for attacks by the militants that have derailed peace talks.The strikes made on militant hideouts in the Tirah

Major fire reported in central Mumbai

DHAKA: A major fire has been reported near Nahur railway station in central Mumbai.Eyewitnesses say they saw flames up to 20m high and the fire is still raging, reports The Times of India.According to unconfirmed reports, the fire seems to have started from Ceat tyres godown.More to

China’s foreign minister on rare visit to Iraq

DHAKA: Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi arrived in Iraq on Sunday in the first such visit since before the 2003 US-led invasion.The foreign ministry said, reports The Straits Times.It is ‘the first visit to Baghdad by a high-ranking Chinese official since 2003’, the ministry said in a

Karzai postpones Sri Lanka visit

DHAKA: Afghan president Hamid Karzai postponed on Sunday a planned visit to Sri Lanka over the killing of 19 Afghan soldiers in an assault by Taliban militants.‘The Afghan president is saddened by this tragic incident, and therefore he postponed today’s official trip to Sri Lanka,’

Thai govt supporters vow to ‘deal with’ protesters

DHAKA: Supporters of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra promised on Sunday to get tough with anti-government protesters paralysing parts of Bangkok, raising tension in a protracted crisis hours after a deadly attack on a protest rally.Leaders of the pro-government United Front for