Friday, 29 Mar, 2024

International

China sends warplanes to air zone

DHAKA: China has sent warplanes to its newly declared air defence zone in the East China Sea, state media reports.The vast zone, announced last week, covers territory claimed by China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.China has said all planes transiting the zone must file flight plans and

15 killed as Iraq struggles to stem unrest

DHAKA: Attacks in Iraq on Thursday killed 15 people as a senior police officer escaped assassination, the latest in a surge of violence nationwide that authorities have failed to stem.The bloodshed, in which more than 6,000 people have been killed this year, is the worst violence in Iraq

Sri Lanka set to begin survey of civil war dead

DHAKA: Sri Lanka is set to start a survey to determine the number of people killed during the country’s 26-year civil war, the government says.The census will collect information on deaths, missing people and damage to property from 1983 to 2009, it said.It comes amid international

More than 50 police injured in Tunisia clashes

DHAKA: More than 50 Tunisian police officers were injured, two seriously, during clashes with demonstrators in the north-central farming town of Siliana.Tunisia interior ministry said Thursday, reports The Voice of Russia.The clashes broke out Wednesday evening as the town held a general

3 hurt in first clash between Thai demonstrators

DHAKA: Thailand has registered the first clash between pro- and anti-government demonstrators as crowds blocked off state agencies across the country, calling on the prime minister to step down.The clash took place Thursday in the central province of Pathum Thani where a hundred of

‘No cease-fire in Syria’

DHAKA: UN Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has admitted that there will be no cease-fire in Syria as sides wait to attend the long-awaited Geneva peace conference.Brahimi said both sides of Syria’s civil war now agreed that there was no military solution to the conflict.‘Some time

Russia opens criminal probe against ex-defence minister

DHAKA: Russian investigators on Thursday brought criminal charges against former defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who was fired a year ago in a major corruption scandal.The once influential minister was charged with negligence for ordering the refurbishment of a private holiday

Bomb blasts kill 6 in Afghanistan

DHAKA: Six civilians were killed and some injured on Thursday when two bombs exploded in eastern Afghanistan, a local official said.‘A bomb was placed in a car and second one was a roadside bomb, but it is not yet clear if they were remotely detonated,’ said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a

Tehelka chief quits over handling of sex case

DHAKA: The managing editor of Indian investigative magazine Tehelka quit Thursday after coming under fire over her handling of allegations that the publication’s founder sexually assaulted a reporter.In an email to staff, Shoma Chaudhury denied being part of a ‘cover-up’ to protect

Iran unveils new radar system

DHAKA: Iran unveiled its newest domestically manufactured phased array radar system, named the Asr (Era), in a ceremony held in Tehran on Wednesday.The commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, and the deputy commander of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General

Stadium collapse kills 2 in Brazil ahead of World Cup

DHAKA: With one thunderous crash, Brazil’s troubled preparations for the World Cup are thrown in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, just as soccer gears up for the high-profile setting of the schedule for next year’s big event.Part of the stadium that will host the

Malala tops list of most influential Asians in UK

DHAKA: Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education, has been named as Britain’s most influential Asian by a weekly publication in the UK.At the ‘GG2 (Garavi Gujarat2) Leadership Awards 2013’ last night, Malala,

Turkey’s envoy to Cairo returns home amid spat

DHAKA: Turkey’s ambassador to Cairo has returned home after being expelled in a diplomatic spat over Ankara’s support for Egypt’s ousted Islamist president.Turkey’s foreign ministry said Thursday, reports daily Hurriyet.The row erupted at the weekend after Turkish prime minister

Iran plans to produce more low-enriched uranium

DHAKA: Iran plans to increase its production of uranium enriched at a low level, its official news agency reported Thursday.IRNA quoted Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear department, as saying machines which were earlier producing 20 percent enriched uranium will be engaged in

Japan coastguard says flew unopposed in China air zone

DHAKA: Japan’s coastguard said on Thursday it had flown through China’s newly declared air zone, with pilots meeting no resistance from Beijing’s jets.‘We’ve not changed our normal operation of patrolling the area where China declared its defence zone without reporting flight

Australia won’t back down on criticism of China air defence zone

DHAKA: Australia on Thursday refused to back down from its criticism of China’s newly declared air defence identification zone, denying it had overstepped the mark.Canberra on Tuesday summoned Beijing’s ambassador to voice opposition to the zone over the East China Sea, which includes

14 Muslim Brotherhood girls get jail terms

DHAKA: An Egyptian court sentenced on Wednesday 14 Muslim Brotherhood girls to 11 years in prison each after convicting them of blocking roads, possessing bladed weapons and vandalism, according to judicial sources.The Misdemeanor Court in the coastal city of Alexandria also ordered seven

Thailand protest leader says he’s prepared to die

DHAKA: A few years ago, Suthep Thaugsuban was a suit-and-tie wearing deputy prime minister of Thailand and a senior executive of the country’s oldest political party.Now, the 64-year-old career politician has ditched his office attire, distanced himself from the opposition Democrat

Thai PM survives no-confidence vote amid street protests

DHAKA: Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has survived a no-confidence vote in parliament, amid major street protests in the capital, Bangkok.The motion was brought by the opposition Democrat Party, but Yingluck’s Pheu Thai party dominate the chamber and voted it down.Yingluck’s

Turkey, Iran call for Syria ceasefire before peace talks

DHAKA: The foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran called Wednesday for a ceasefire in Syria before proposed peace talks in Geneva scheduled for January 22.‘All our efforts are to end the conflict and for a ceasefire if possible, even before the Geneva 2 conference takes place,’ said