Sunday, 23 Mar, 2025

International

Thousands of US troops to stay in Afghan

DHAKA: US President Barack Obama has announced a pullout plan for Afghanistan that will leave 9,800 troops in the country after 2014, overriding previous plans of a complete withdrawal by the end of the year. Obama announced the two-year plan on Tuesday saying the US would complete its

Google to build self-driving cars

DHAKA: Google is to start building its own self-driving cars, rather than modifying vehicles built by other manufacturers. The car will have a stop-go button but no controls, steering wheel or pedals. Pictures of the Google vehicle show it looks like a city car with a "friendly" face,

Boko Haram attack kills 31 in Nigeria

DHAKA: At least 31 security personnel have been killed following an attack on a military base in Nigeria by Boko Haram fighters, security sources and witnesses said.  The attack on the base in the northeast Nigerian town of Buni Yadi in Yobe State on Tuesday happened not far from where

Fire at South Korean hospital kills 21

DHAKA: At least 21 people have died in a fire at hospital for the elderly in southwestern South Korea, the National Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday morning. Police said they were questioning a man in his 80s in connection with possible arson at the facility. The death toll

Pakistan woman stoned to death for wedding man she loved

DHAKA: A 25-year-old woman was stoned to death by her family outside one of Pakistan’s top courts on Tuesday in a so-called ‘honour’ killing for marrying the man she loved. Pakistan police said, reports The Straits Times. Farzana Iqbal was waiting for the High Court in the eastern

Iran confirms first two cases of Mers

DHAKA: Iranian officials say they have confirmed the country’s first two cases of Mers, a deadly virus first reported two years ago in Saudi Arabia, its neighbour on the western side of the Gulf. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona-Virus (Mers) causes coughing, fever and sometimes

Thai Junta confirms Yingluck released, at home

DHAKA: Thailand’s junta said on Tuesday that former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra had been released from military detention and allowed to return home, in the first official confirmation of her whereabouts since she was detained last week.Yingluck, who led the former Puea Thai

Chemical weapons investigators kidnapped in Syria

DHAKA: An eleven-strong team from the international chemical weapons watchdog has been kidnapped on a fact-finding mission in the central Syrian province of Hama. The foreign ministry said on Tuesday, reports The Straits Times. ‘Eleven people, five Syrian drivers and six other members

30 killed as army recaptures Ukraine airport

Dhaka: Ukraine’s interior ministry said ‘the military is now in full control of the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk’ after a day of bloody clashes.   At least 30 pro-Russia separatists were killed, the insurgents say, after an attempt to take over the airport early on

10 children, 6 others dead in Pakistan bus accident

DHAKA: A bus accident on Tuesday in Pakistan’s northwestern valley of Swat left 16 people dead, including 10 children. Pakistan officials said, reports Hindustan Times. The bus, carrying passengers home from the central Punjab province to the Kalam hill station in Swat district,

Modi yet to move to official residence

DHAKA: Even after taking oath as India’s prime minister on Monday, Narendra Modi did not shift to the official residence of Race Course Road and is unlikely to do so in the next few days. The official residence was vacated by outgoing prime minister Manmohan Singh after Modi’s

Pilot dies in MiG-21 crash in Kashmir

DHAKA: A MiG-21 fighter aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Jammu and Kashmir today, killing the pilot. The fighter jet reportedly crashed in an open field in Bijbehara area of South Kashmir, over an hour away from Srinagar, reports NDTV. Before officials

Egypt election enters 2nd day

DHAKA: Egypt has entered for a second day of polling in the presidential election. A huge security operation has been mounted by police and the military, amid fear of attacks by militants seeking to disrupt the polls. Former army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who deposed Islamist

Malaysia, UK satellite firm release data on jet

DHAKA: Malaysia’s aviation authority released on Tuesday satellite data used to determine that flight MH370 went down in the southern Indian Ocean following demands from skeptical relatives of those on board. The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) said in a statement it had worked with

Ex-world heaviest man dies 48

DHAKA: A Mexican man once listed as the world's heaviest human being died Monday at the age of 48. Manuel Uribe had slimmed down to about 867 pounds, well below his then-record peak weight of 1,230 pounds, which was certified in 2006 as a Guinness World Record. Uribe's death was

Pope to meet with sex abuse victims at Vatican

DHAKA: Pope Francis has announced that he will meet a group of sex abuse victims next month after comparing the "ugly crime" to performing "a satanic Mass". Speaking after his Middle East tour, Pope Francis said he will show zero tolerance for anyone in the Roman Catholic Church who

Nigeria army knows where kidnapped girls

DHAKA: The Nigerian military say they know where the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram are but they will not attempt a rescue. Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff said it was "good news for the parents," although he admitted the military would not risk "going there with force." More than 200

French president calls EU for reform

DHAKA: French President Francois Hollande opined that the EU must reform and scale back its power, amid a surge in support for Eurosceptic and far-right parties. Hollande, whose party was beaten by the far right in last week's European Parliament election, said the EU had become too

‘Let us script a glorious future for India’

DHAKA: Around the time Narendra Modi was being sworn in at India’s Rashtrapati Bhavan, the website of the Prime Minister’s Office put up Modi’s first official message as Prime Minister of the country. Greeting the people of the nation, prime minister Narendra Modi said, ‘On 16th

Kejriwal moves high court against custody

DHAKA: Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday moved the Delhi high court challenging a trial court order of sending him to judicial custody. Kejriwal’s lawyers mentioned the matter before a division bench of Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Sidharth Mridul for urgent