Thursday, 18 Apr, 2024

International

Vietnamese activist on trial for FB posts

DHAKA: A young Vietnamese activist went on trial on Tuesday for "abusing democratic freedoms" with a series of angry Facebook posts, in an escalation of the communist regime`s crackdown on online dissent.Dinh Nhat Uy, 30, appeared in court in the southern province of Long An on charges

Libyan van robbers snatch $54m

DHAKA: Libya`s state news agency says gunmen have stolen $54m in an attack on a van carrying foreign and local currency for the Libyan central bank.Ten men stopped the van as it entered the city of Sirte from the airport. The cash delivery had been flown 300 miles (500km) from the

‘Drone strike’ kills Al-Shabab commanders

DHAKA: An air strike in southern Somalia has killed two senior commanders of the militant Islamist group, al-Shabab, residents have told the BBC.The strike destroyed the vehicle the militants were travelling in between the towns of Jilib and Barawe, seen as a major base of al-Shabab, they

China Tiananmen square car blaze kills 5

DHAKA: Chinese state media have said at least five people died and 38 others were injured after a vehicle crashed in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.Three of those killed were inside the car and the other two were bystanders.The square was evacuated and quickly reopened after the vehicle went

Athlete ‘banned for Morsi support’

DHAKA: An Egyptian kung fu champion has been stripped of a gold medal after showing support for ousted President Mohammed Morsi, according to his family.Mohammed Youssef has also been banned from representing his country.Youssef was photographed at a tournament in Russia wearing a T-shirt

13 die as storm crosses Europe

DHAKA: A storm battering north-western Europe has killed at least 13 people - six of them in Germany.Two people died when their car was crushed by a falling tree in Gelsenkirchen, in western Germany. Two children in the car were injured.In Brittany, western France, a woman was swept out

‘Lost world’ discovered in remote Australia

DHAKA: An expedition to a remote part of northern Australia has uncovered three new vertebrate species isolated for millions of years, with scientists on Monday calling the area a ‘lost world’.Conrad Hoskin from James Cook University and a National Geographic film crew were dropped by

Indian soldier killed in fresh firing across Kashmir border

DHAKA: India said one of its soldiers was killed when Pakistan troops fired early on Monday across the border in Kashmir, the latest in a series of deadly flare-ups in the disputed Himalayan region.The soldier was killed just after midnight at an army post along the northern part of the

Iran bans reformist newspaper

DHAKA: Iran’s press watchdog has imposed a ban on reformist newspaper ‘Bahar’ for publishing an article seen by critics as questioning the beliefs of Shia Islam.Media reported Monday, says france24.com.‘Based on the verdict issued by the press supervisory board, Bahar newspaper

Israel strikes Gaza after rocket fire

DHAKA: The Israeli Air Force launched a strike on the northern Gaza Strip on Monday.Eyewitnesses told media, reports The Straits TimesThe strike was launched just hours after militants there fired rockets at the Jewish state.The witnesses said the attack targeted a Hamas training camp

Maldives officials refuse to hold presidential election revote

DHAKA: Maldives officials have rejected a proposal by the country’s presidential candidates to hold a revote of a much troubled election before the incumbent’s term ends in order to avoid a constitutional crisis.The three candidates, in a rare instance of unanimity, proposed on Monday

Storm batters southern Britain, disrupting flights and trains

DHAKA: Strong storm winds and rain battered southern parts of England and Wales early on Monday, forcing flight cancellations, disrupting trains and closing roads and major bridges before the start of rush-hour.Local media dubbed the storm ‘St Jude’, after the patron saint of lost

Georgian PM’s presidential candidate elected

DHAKA: Preliminary results in Georgia’s presidential election show the billionaire Prime Minister’s candidate winning with 62 percent of the vote.Former university rector Giorgi Margvelashi’s victory in Sunday’s election consolidates the power of prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili

Japan nuke agency urges drastic steps at Fukushima

DHAKA: In their first meeting since Japan created a new, more independent nuclear agency 13 months ago, the top regulator on Monday urged the head of the utility that runs the crippled Fukushima plant to take ‘drastic steps’ to mitigate a spate of mishaps at the complex.Nuclear

US denies Obama knew of Merkel spying

DHAKA: The imbroglio over the tapping of Angela Merkel’s phone deepened on Sunday, after a US denial that president Barack Obama was personally informed for years of electronic surveillance against the German chancellor.As a sense of betrayal spread in European capitals about spying

Israel to free 26 Palestinian prisoners

DHAKA: The Israeli government has approved the release of another 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered deal for the resumption of peace talks.They will be the second round of prisoners to be freed since August.A statement from the Israeli prime minister`s office said the

Storm to hit UK rush hour transport

DHAKA: Rail services across much of southern Britain have been cancelled for the morning rush hour as a storm continues to batter parts of England and Wales.Motorists planning to travel between South Wales and England have been warned the Severn crossings, the M4 and M48 will be closed in

17` wedding guests killed in Afghanistan attack

DHAKA: A roadside bomb attack in Ghazni province, south of the Afghan capital Kabul, has killed ‘up to 17’ people on their way to a wedding, officials say.They said nearly all of the dead were women and children travelling in a minibus which was completely destroyed, reports the

Mother, 4 children fatally stabbed at NYC home

DHAKA: A mother and her four young children, including a toddler, were killed in a late-night stabbing rampage at their home in New York City, and a man has been taken into custody, police said Sunday.Officers who arrived at the scene late Saturday found all five victims unconscious and

Sudan’s Dinka hold unilateral vote on Abyei

DHAKA: Sudan’s Dinka Ngok tribe has held a unilateral referendum to decide whether oil-rich Abyei, a district they inhabit and is under dispute between the Khartoum government and South Sudan, joins either of the two nations.Reports said on Sunday that the referendum results were