Thursday, 28 Mar, 2024

International

Seven dead, 1,000 injured as snow storm hits Japan

  DHAKA: The heaviest snow in decades in Tokyo and other areas of Japan has left at least seven dead and more than 1,000 injured across the country. Reports said on Sunday, according to The Straits Times. As much as 27 centimetres of snow was recorded in Tokyo by late Saturday, the

Vatican ‘must immediately remove’ child abusers

DHAKA: The UN has demanded that the Vatican ‘immediately remove’ all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers, in a report released on Wednesday.The UN watchdog for children’s rights denounced the Holy See for adopting policies allowing priests to sexually abuse thousands of

US bugged phone of German leader Schroeder

DHAKA: The US National Security Agency (NSA) bugged the phone of former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder from at least 2002.A German newspaper reported on Wednesday, compounding the most serious row between the allies in a decade, reports The Straits Times.The reason for the snooping

Philippine compares China rulers to Hitler

DHAKA: Philippine president Benigno Aquino has compared China’s efforts to claim disputed territories with those of Nazi Germany’s, while urging world leaders not to make the same mistake of appeasement, according to the New York Times.The Philippines has accused China of becoming

US urge Egypt to release detained journalists

DHAKA: The White House on Tuesday called on Egypt to release journalists and academics detained in the country, saying the matter is ‘of deep concern’ to the US administration.‘These figures, regardless of affiliation, should be protected and permitted to do their jobs freely in

17 SA gold miners trapped underground

DHAKA: South African gold producer Harmony Gold launched a rescue operation on Wednesday to free 17 miners trapped a mile underground after a fire at its Doornkop mine near Johannesburg.The company said it had made contact with eight miners, who had managed to flee to a refuge bay at a

Thai army to deploy more troops in Bangkok

DHAKA: Thailand’s army will increase the number of troops in the capital ahead of Sunday’s election, which anti-government protesters say they will disrupt as part of their campaign to overthrow prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.The government’s decision to press ahead with the

17 killed in Nigeria car bombings

DHAKA: A car bomb has exploded in front of the state television offices in the north eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri killing at least 17 people, according to a senior police official.The bomb, planted in a three-wheel rickshaw taxi, exploded outside the state television offices at

Turkish plane makes emergency landing after bomb warning

DHAKA: A Turkish Airlines plane enroute to Sao Paolo has made an emergency landing in Algeria following a bomb warning.Doğan News Agency reported on Sunday, reports daily Hurriyet.Bomb-dismantling experts are inspecting the plane for explosives, the report said, without further

Heavy rains leave at least 6 dead in Philippines

DHAKA: Heavy rains battering the southern Philippines left at least six people dead and eight others missing, authorities said on Sunday, sparking fears for typhoon survivors still living in makeshift shelters.Four people were crushed to death in their homes on the southern island of

Pope to create 19 cardinals in Feb

DHAKA: Pope Francis said on Sunday he will next month elevate 19 prelates to the rank of cardinal, his first appointments to the elite group of men who advise him, including 16 who can one day elect his successor.Sixteen of the new cardinals are under 80 and are ‘cardinal electors’,

Sri Lanka president to test popularity with local polls

DHAKA: Sri Lanka on Sunday called snap local elections seen as a gauge of president Mahinda Rajapakse’s popularity ahead of national polls expected to be held later this year.Sri Lanka officials said, reports The Straits Times.The southern and western provincial councils, the highest

‘Wonder if I will ever reunite with my family’

DHAKA: Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat at the centre of a bitter row with the United States, is anguished and at ‘immense stress’ over leaving behind her young family in New York, and has vowed to clear her name.Khobragade was allowed to leave the United States on Friday after

5 killed in bomb attack targeting Pakistan politician

DHAKA: A bomb attack on the convoy of a ruling party politician in northwest Pakistan killed five policemen and wounded four others on Sunday.Pakistan officials said, reports The Straits Times.The incident took place in the Martoong area of Swat valley, which the Taleban controlled from

‘Handgun for women’ sparks fury from activists

DHAKA: An Indian handgun designed for women and named after the victim of a fatal gang-rape in Delhi was condemned by rights activists on Sunday as a disgrace to her memory.The lightweight .32 calibre revolver was developed by the state-run Indian Ordnance Factory and can fit inside a

Palestinians protest in Ramallah over UNRWA strike

DHAKA: Dozens of Palestinian youths blocked several main roads and torched tires in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday demonstrating against a month-long strike by the UN agency that operates in Palestinian refugee camps.Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported, says The Jerusalem

9 killed as bomb blasts outside Baghdad bus terminal

DHAKA: A car bomb exploded outside a bus terminal in central Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least nine people and wounding 16.Iraq police and medics said, reports The Jerusalem Post.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at the Allawi al-Hillah bus terminal but Sunni

US urges Sri Lanka to probe war crimes

DHAKA: The United States called on Sunday for Sri Lanka to investigate rights abuses by security forces after a top envoy completed a fact-finding mission to the island.The US embassy in Colombo said, reports The Straits Times.US State Department war crimes investigator Stephen Rapp

Thai protest leader rejects compromise, says ‘no civil war’

DHAKA: The leader of a movement trying to topple Thailand’s government said he would call off his protest if civil war threatened to break out but rejected any compromise with the government ahead of a planned ‘shutdown’ of the capital.Supporters of prime minister Yingluck

Thai PM will stay in Bangkok, but at a secret location

DHAKA: Thailand’s embattled prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra will stay in Bangkok through the planned ‘shutdown’ of the capital on Monday.Thailand officials said, reports The Straits Times.Anti-government protesters were mobilising on Sunday ahead of the ‘shutdown’ aimed at