Saturday, 27 Jul, 2024

International

Syria rebels retake strategic base in north

DHAKA: Syrian rebels have regained control of a strategic base near Aleppo international airport in fierce fighting that left more than 50 people dead.A monitoring group said on Saturday, reports The Straits Times.Troops backed by fighters from Lebanese Shia militant group Hizbollah had

Lavrov arrives in Geneva

DHAKA: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Geneva on Saturday to take part in the negotiations between the Sextet and Iran.The plane carrying the Russian minister has landed at the Geneva airport, an Interfax correspondent has reported, says The Voice of Russia.Thus, the

13 dead in Indonesian army helicopter crash

DHAKA: Thirteen people were killed Saturday when an Indonesian army helicopter carrying construction workers crashed in the jungles of Borneo as it came in to land.An Indonesian official said, reports The Straits Times.‘Thirteen people died in the crash while the rest suffered burn

‘More than 120 dead’ in Philippines

DHAKA: More than 120 people have been reported killed by typhoon ‘Haiyan’ in the Philippines, after the massive storm swept through on Friday.Aviation officials said 100 bodies were lying in the streets of the city of Tacloban. Local journalists reported 20 bodies in a church in a

Jordan set to take Saudi UN seat

DHAKA: Jordan appears set to take the traditional Arab seat on the UN Security Council after Saudi Arabia rejected the position in protest at the body’s failure to end the Syria war and act on other Middle East issues.Western diplomats said on Friday, gulfnews.com publishes this report

Abe rides around Tokyo in self-driving vehicles

DHAKA: Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe took a ride in several self-driving vehicles on the public roads in the capital on Saturday, showcasing the technology ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show.Abe tried auto-piloting vehicles from Toyota, Honda and Nissan on the roads around Japan’s

‘Iran nuclear negotiations have reached an abrupt halt’

DHAKA: France said on Saturday there was no certainty nuclear talks under way with Iran in Geneva would succeed because of major stumbling blocks over an initial proposed text on a deal.‘As I speak to you, I can not say there is any certainty that we can conclude’ the talks, French

Obama says US needs to update policies on Cuba

DHAKA: US president Barack Obama said on Friday that it may be time for the United States to revise its policies toward Cuba, against which it has had an embargo for more than half a century.‘We have to be creative and we have to be thoughtful and we have to continue to update our

Suicide attack kills 6 in Somalia

DHAKA: At least six people have been killed after a suspected suicide attack at a hotel in Somalia`s capital, Mogadishu.Interior Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled told the BBC that 15 people had been injured after a car exploded outside the Hotel Maka.The hotel lies on one of the capital`s

US, Israel lose Unesco voting rights

DHAKA: UN cultural agency Unesco has suspended US and Israel voting rights after they skipped a deadline for paying their dues.The US stopped its contributions, which make up about a fifth of the agency`s funding, when Unesco gave the Palestinians membership in 2011.Israel, which halted

Maldives holds fresh poll for president

DHAKA: Voters in the Maldives are going to the polls to elect a president after two previous rounds failed.Candidates came to a last-minute agreement earlier this week to agree and sign the voter lists required for the election to take place.It is the first vote in the Indian Ocean

Iran talks to continue for third day

DHAKA: Talks in Geneva on Iran`s nuclear programme between Iran and world powers are to enter a third day on Saturday.A US State Department official said at the end of Friday`s talks that "we continued to make progress as we worked to narrow the gaps".Russian Foreign Minister Sergei

Philippines storm toll `tops 100`

DHAKA: At least 100 people have reportedly been killed by Typhoon Haiyan in one city, according to a Philippine official.Capt John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority, said the bodies were lying in the streets of the city of Tacloban.It may be days before the

Palestinian officials say Israel only suspect in Arafat death

DHAKA: Palestinian officials say Israel is the ‘only suspect’ in the death of leader Yasser Arafat following a Swiss report that said his remains contained high levels of radioactive polonium.The head of a Palestinian committee set up to investigate Arafat’s 2004 death called it an

Islamists lead protests against US drone strikes in Pakistan

DHAKA: Activists from right-wing religious parties led protests in Pakistan on Friday to denounce a US drone strike that killed the leader of the country’s Taliban, after the movement named a notorious hardliner as his successor.Pakistan last week reacted angrily to the drone attack

France wants any Iran nuclear deal to be solid first step

DHAKA: Any deal negotiated between Iran and world powers at a Geneva conference should solidly address concerns about the Islamic state’s nuclear programme.French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday, reports The Jerusalem Post.‘We want a deal that bring a solid first

German, British FMs to join talks with Iran

DHAKA: Britain’s foreign secretary William Hague and German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle will join six-power talks with Iran over its contested nuclear programme on Friday.The six powers, the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, began talks with Tehran on

Syria, neighbours to vaccinate 20 mln children against polio

DHAKA: More than 20 million children are to be vaccinated in Syria and neighbouring countries against polio to try to stop the spread of the crippling infectious disease following its re-emergence there after 14 years.United Nations agencies said on Friday, reports The Jerusalem Post.The

Sri Lankan students protest closing of universities

DHAKA: About 2,000 Sri Lankan university students blocked traffic as they shouted slogans outside the capital’s main railroad station on Friday to protest a government decision to close state universities during a summit of leaders from Commonwealth countries next week.The university

EU says nuclear talks with Iran ‘very intense’

DHAKA: World powers and Iran are working intensively to advance talks in Geneva over Iran’s disputed nuclear programme.A spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Friday, reports The Jerusalem Post.‘Very intense work is continuing,’ spokesman Michael