EC demands extra security as unrest grips Bangladesh afresh

Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) has demanded extra security for its chief, other commissioners and officials as fresh unrest visibly gripped Bangladesh after gunmen shot an upcoming parliamentary polls candidate and frontline leader of last year’s violent street movement dubbed ‘July Uprising’. “The EC has written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) urging comprehensive…

Read More

EU decision to indefinitely freeze Russian assets against Ukraine peace efforts: Russia

Moscow:  Russia on Saturday said the EU’s decision to indefinitely freeze Russian sovereign assets is a targeted attack on peace efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, adding that Moscow would shortly take retaliatory steps. On Friday, the European Union Council decided to “prohibit, temporarily, any transfers of Central Bank of Russia assets immobilised in the…

Read More

US announces new Pax Silica initiative with eight nations; India not part of group

New York/Washington: A new US-led strategic initiative, “rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies,” has been launched aimed at building a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain. According to the State Department, the initiative called ‘Pax Silica’ aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned…

Read More

Pak summons Norway ambassador for ‘unwarranted attendance’ of court proceeding in rights case

Islamabad: Pakistan has summoned the ambassador of Norway and issued a demarche over “unwarranted attendance” of court proceedings in a human rights case. Ambassador Per Albert Ilsaas on Thursday attended a Supreme Court proceeding pertaining to controversial social media posts by rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha. His attendance caught…

Read More

Bangladesh’s ex-PM Khaleda Zia placed on ventilator support: Doctors

Dhaka: Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia’s health condition deteriorated on Thursday night and she was placed on ventilator support, doctors said. “Her breathing difficulties increased, her oxygen level fell, and carbon dioxide levels rose,” according to a statement by the chief of the medical board cardiologist Shahabuddin Talukdar. It said the 80-year-old former premier…

Read More