WASHINGTON – North Korea’s launch of an apparent long-range ballistic missile risks “significant escalation of tensions in the region,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. The UN chief strongly condemned the launch. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement “another breach of the DPRK’s announ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A Bangladeshi court on Thursday sentenced two elderly people to death for alleged crimes against humanity during the country’s “independence war” in 1971. They are Abdul Khaleq Mandol, who is a district head for the opposition Jamat-e-Islami party and a former lawmaker, and Khan Rokonuzzaman, wh...
ISTANBUL – Educational institutions reopened in Afghanistan after a gap of nearly seven months. Officials of the Taliban-led interim government held a ceremony to mark the new academic calendar. At a function in Amani High School in Kabul, Syed Ahmad Shahid Khel, a Taliban official, said Islam considers knowledge, and understanding “as b...
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A team of Bangladeshi scientists on Wednesday claimed discovering a new cause for diabetes, calling it a breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of the disease. The researchers said deficiency of the intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) enzyme is one of the leading causes of diabetes and people with IPA deficienc...
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s parliament will convene on Friday to take up a no-confidence motion filed by the opposition alliance against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party is struggling to maintain a narrow majority as his allies appear to be uneasy over continuing their support to ...
U.S. President Joe Biden Monday called India’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine “shaky.” Biden lauded the U.S.-led alliance, including NATO, the European Union and key Asian partners, for putting up a united front against Russian’s aggression. That includes unprecedented sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s currency, international ...
MOSCOW (AA) – Russia said Monday it decided to withdraw from peace talks with Japan over the Kuril Islands and all related projects amid Tokyo’s sanctions against Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Japan’s “clearly unfriendly position,” which seeks to harm Russia’s interest, makes it impossible to sign a fundam...
DHAKA, Bangladesh – Seven people have died and at least 20 more are missing after a cargo vessel rammed into a packed passenger ferry in central Bangladesh. The ferry carrying some 60 passengers sank in the Shitalakhsya River in the industrial district of Narayanganj, about 20 kilometers from the capital Dhaka. “We have recovered seven [...
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is scheduled to visit India on April 2 for talks on strengthening the ties between the two countries. A statement by Bennett’s office said the visit will mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Tel Aviv and New Delhi. “The purpose of the visit is to […]
Anti-nuclear campaigner and former mayor of Japan’s Hiroshima prefecture urged Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Tadatoshi Akiba spoke during a news conference Thursday in Tokyo as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on. Akiba started a petition against the use of nuclear weapons. He urged the world’s nuclear ...
