It was the manner of Nelson Mandela’s stubborn and steely resolve to stick to his goal of a peaceful political settlement in South Africa that sets him apart from other leaders.
Day: December 25, 2013
The execution of Jang Sung-taek of North Korea
THE SUMMARY execution of North Korea’s second most powerful leader Jang Sung-taek, after a hurried trial by a military court for anti-state activities, has turned the spotlight on a likely power struggle among the leadership of the Pyongyang regime.
Guinness World Record for heart transplant patient
A British man has entered the record books as the worlds longest-surviving heart transplant patient.
Pope Francis urges aid access to Syria in Christmas speech
Pope Francis has used his first Christmas Day address to urge access for humanitarian aid in Syria.
3 Turkey ministers resign amid scandal
Three Turkish ministers have resigned after their sons were arrested amid a corruption scandal that has hit the government of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Floyd Mayweather Jr: Obvious choice for Fighter of the Year
Floyd Mayweather is so good, so far ahead of the competition, that we have difficulty believing it. We say that he’s fought no one, that he’s passed up the great competition, that if he had fought this guy or that…
Murray plays down new Lendl, Becker rivalry
Abu Dhabi – Andy Murray believes the intense rivalry between his coach Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker, the newly-appointed coach of Novak Djokovic, which was a feature of the 1980s, won’t be rekindled in 2014.
Kallis announces retirement from Test cricket
Johannesburg – South African cricketing great Jacques Kallis will retire from Test and First-Class cricket after the upcoming Test against India, which gets underway in Durban on Thursday, he announced on Wednesday.
Why J Nicholson sent Jennifer Lawrence a bottle of cristal
It turns out that when Jack Nicholson interview-bombed best actress Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence at last year’s Academy Awards and told her, “I’ll be waiting,” he wasn’t kidding.
How China’s richest man plans to take on Hollywood
Investors in China are looking to earn their fame on the big screen.
New Tapir species discovered in the Amazon
Brazil – A new species of tapir, a mammal considered to be endangered or vulnerable, has been identified by scientists in the Amazon rainforest in parts of Brazil and Colombia.
Tsunami threat to Sumatra continues
A great offshore earthquake, like the one that killed hundreds of thousands when it struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra coast in December 2004, would seem to offer a small measure of solace to survivors: The offshore tectonic fault that caused the…
Sunflower new addition to Jhalakati oilseeds
Farmers here are cultivating sunflower as new oilseed crop on vast tracts of land raising total oilseed cultivation acreage in the southern district.
22 Jamaat-Shibir men held in Joypurhat
Law enforces in overnight separate drives until Wednesday morning arrested 22 activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and pro-Jamaat student organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir from different places of five upazilas of the district.
AL leader chopped to death in Meherpur
A local leader of ruling Awami League was chopped to death by miscreants at Banshbaria village in Gangni upazila early Wednesday.
5 shops, cotton warehouse gutted in Jhalakati
Five shops and a cotton warehouse were gutted by a fire in Kathalia upazila headquarters on Tuesday morning.
Ringleader among 3 forest robbers held in Satkhira
Police arrested three alleged members of an infamous forest robber gang, including its ringleader, from Gabura area near Sundarbans in Shyamnagar upazila early Wednesday.
Violence victim women, adolescents start new life journey
Twenty adolescents and young women, victims of violence, child marriage, dowry, torture, sexual abuse, trafficking and repression, began a new journey for construction their life again after ceremonial rehabilitation.
Joint action plan needed for urban poverty reduction
Speakers at a workshop said emphasis should be given on formulation of joint action plan for substantial and sustainable reduction of urban poverty.
Election officials’ training begins in Gaibandha
A three-day training for election officers for the 10th parliamentary polls began at Gobindaganj BL High School under Gobindaganj upazila on Tuesday here.
Farmers expect bumper mustard production in Khulna division
Farmers in 10 districts of Khulna division are expecting a bumper production of mustard in the current season.
Boards as risk management bodies to oversee green baking
The Bangladesh Bank in a fresh circular issued on Tuesday asked all scheduled Bangladeshi banks to oversee their green banking activities through the board of directors performing as the risk management committee.
X’mas Wednesday
The Christian community of the country, as elsewhere across the world, will celebrate Christmas tomorrow (Wednesday), commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. According to Christian belief, God appeared on earth through his son, Jesus Christ, on this day.
Largely peaceful’ 83-hr blockade ends: 1 dead
The nationwide 83-hour road-rail-waterway blockade, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, ended on Tuesday afternoon amid stray incidents of violence, leaving a person dead in Satkhira.
First-ever 5-star resort to open in Srimangal Wednesday
The ‘Grand Sultan Tea Resort and Golf’, the first-ever five-star resort established with total local investment in Srimangal upazila, is going to start its journey on Wednesday. Khwaja Tipu Sultan, Chairman of Excursion and Resorts Bangladesh Ltd, the mother concern…
NBR to probe politicians’ unusual wealth surge: Muhith
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) would look into the abnormal or excessive increase in the wealth of individuals or politicians who have submitted their wealth statements to the Election Commission ahead of…
Congress finally helps Obama to release Guantánamo prisoners
I wrote the following article for the “Close Guantánamo” website, which I established in January 2012 with US attorney Tom Wilner.
10 Weirdest Animal Stories of 2013
By Stephanie Pappas Cute animals are an Internet genre of their own. But sometimes, Mother Nature’s creations are downright weird.
43 including 27 foreigners remanded for illegal VOIP business
A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed 43 persons, including 37 foreigners on remand in a case filed for their involvement with illegal VoIP trade. Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court Magistrate Rezaul Karim of passed the order on Tuesday afternoon,…
The strip search of Devyani Khobragade
The servant or home helper is the fodder of gossip, a point of permanent distraction for their hirers.