It was the moment the world thought would never come — Sepp Blatter has announced he is resigning as FIFA president. The most powerful man in soccer said on Tuesday afternoon he would step down from the post he has…
Category: Int’l relations
Chinese ship capsizes on Yangtze with hundreds missing
Five people are dead and hundreds are missing after a ship carrying more than 450 people capsized on the Yangtze River in China’s Hubei province. The ship is submerged upside down in a wide stretch of the river – state…
Reshuffle in police administration
Four senior police officers, rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), have been given new postings on Monday. The Home Ministry has already issued a circular in this regard. According to the notification, DIG of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Md…
US Senate lets NSA spy programme lapse, at least for now
The legal authority for US spy agencies’ collection of Americans’ phone records and other data expired at midnight on Sunday after the US Senate failed to pass legislation extending the powers.After debate pitting Americans’ distrust of intrusive government against fears…
Two protocols with India on trade, transportation nodded in Cabinet
The Cabinet on Monday approved the drafts of three agreements and two protocols to be signed with India during the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh on June 6-7 aimed at boosting trade, commerce and connectivity…
US surveillance powers to expire as Senate deal fails
US anti-terror provisions that allow security services to bulk collect phone data are set to expire after the Senate failed to reach a deal. Key provisions of the law, known as the Patriot Act, will expire at midnight local time…
No Teesta accord – Mamata coming for LBA deal
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said the Teesta water sharing agreement will not happen during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh. There was no consensus so far on Teesta, as this agreement was not just a…
US police have shot dead 385 people in five months: Washington Post
US police have shot and killed 385 people during the first five months of this year, a rate of more than two a day, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.The death rate is more than twice that tallied by the…
European Union anger at Russian travel blacklist
The European Union has responded angrily to Russia’s entry ban against 89 European politicians, officials and military leaders. Those banned are believed to include general secretary of the EU council Uwe Corsepius, and former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.…
Coastal cargo shipping with India on anvil
The Union Cabinet in Delhi, chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the ‘Agreement on Coastal Shipping between Bangladesh and India’ to carry out coastal movement of goods between the two countries. Trade between India…
Land boundary ratification like fall of Berlin Wall: Modi
Just a week ahead of his visit to Dhaka, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has compared the settling of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between Bangladesh and India as the fall of the Berlin Wall. Modi, who is scheduled to…
US and Iran address obstacles to nuclear deal as deadline nears
US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday in a bid to overcome the remaining obstacles to a final nuclear agreement, a month ahead of a deadline for a deal between Tehran and…
US calls for land reclamation ‘halt’ in South China Sea
The US has called for an “immediate and lasting halt” to land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China’s actions in the area were “out…
Myanmar tells migrant confeence – Finger pointing will not help
A regional conference called to address the swelling tide of boat people in Southeast Asia ended Friday with no major breakthroughs, as Myanmar criticised those blaming it for fueling the crisis and warned that “finger pointing” would not help. But…
UN wants all countries involved to solve Asian migrants trafficking
The United Nations (UN) has said all the countries that are ‘implicated’ need to sit around the table and come up with a solution regarding human trafficking. “I think all the countries that are implicated, whether they’re origin countries, transit…
New FIFA President should end abuses
New York – The next president of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – world football’s governing body – should ensure that future host countries of the World Cup are required to comply with fundamental human rights norms. The FIFA…
Russia masses heavy firepower on border with Ukraine: witness
Russia’s army is massing troops and hundreds of pieces of weaponry including mobile rocket launchers, tanks and artillery at a makeshift base near the border with Ukraine, a Reuters reporter saw this week.Many of the vehicles have number plates and…
100m Euros Fench loan for cleaner power network Dhaka
Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the French development finance institution, is going to provide loan worth 100 million Euros (equivalent to Tk850 crore) for establishing a stronger, more reliable and cleaner electricity network in Dhaka. AFD’s financial contribution – a…
Int’l confce urges Rural-urban planning integration
The 12th International Urban Health Conference ended in Dhaka on Wednesday calling for the development of national-level health policy that integrates planning for rural and urban areas, and recognising the importance of city and local level data and action to…
Over 2,500 migrants still adrift, UN says ahead of SE Asia meeting
More than 2,500 migrants could still be stranded on boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, according to estimates by the United Nations, as Thailand prepares to host a regional meeting it said was focused on “immediate action”…
Indian PM Modi to visit Bangladesh from June 6
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a two-day state visit to Bangladesh from June 6 to further bolster bilateral ties, the Bangladesh foreign ministry in Dhaka said on Tuesday. Modi would make his maiden visit to Bangladesh after being invited…
Governor says deadly flooding is worst ever seen in Texas area
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday likened the ferocity of flash flooding that killed at least three people to a tsunami, and authorities said a dam had given way in a state park.Abbott declared states of disaster in 24 counties…
Russia begins massive air force exercise
Russia’s military forces have begun a large exercise involving around 250 aircraft and 12,000 service personnel, according to its defence ministry. The ministry described the four-day drill as a “massive surprise inspection”, to check combat readiness. The tests began on…
Islamic State faces battle in Iraq, bombs in Syria
Islamic State poured more fighters into Ramadi on Monday as security forces and Shia paramilitaries renewed efforts to retake the western Iraqi city that fell to the Islamists a week ago in a major setback for the government.In Palmyra, the…
B’desh to verify identity of migrants rescued by Myanmar
A delegation from Bangladesh has departed for Myanmar to verify the nationality of 208 human trafficking victims, who were recently rescued from the sea. According to reports, the 208 migrants, rescued Friday in the first ever drive by Myanmar, were…
Mass graves of suspected trafficking victims found in Malaysia: media
Mass graves and suspected human trafficking detention camps have been discovered by Malaysian police in towns and villages bordering Thailand, the country’s home minister said on Sunday.Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said officials are determining whether the graves were of…
Shia militia deploy from base near Iraq’s Ramadi
A convoy of Shia militia fighters and Iraqi army forces set out from a base near the western provincial capital of Ramadi on Saturday, heading towards areas controlled by Islamic State militants, an eyewitness and a local official said.
Islamic State claims Saudi Shia mosque bombing responsibility
The Islamic State (IS) group says it was behind a suicide bombing on a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia that killed at least 21 people. The attack in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province is the first to be claimed by the…
Suicide bomber strikes Saudi Shia mosque, many dead or wounded: residents
A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia during Friday prayers, residents said, and up to 30 people were reported to have been killed or wounded.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, the…
Malaysia orders rescue of migrant boats, Thailand says no to shelters
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday he had ordered the navy to conduct search and rescue missions for thousands of migrants adrift at sea as Thailand’s prime minister said his country would not provide shelter.Southeast Asia is battling…