Explosion kills at least 19, injures dozens in Bangladesh’s capital

At least 19 people have been killed and 140 injured in an explosion inside an office building in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, police and fire service officials have said. According to international media reports, the explosion shook the fourth and fifth floors of a five-storey building in Gulistan, a major hub for wholesale goods in مزید پڑھیں

US govt announces 500 new scholarships for flood-affected students in Pakistan

The United States government on Tuesday announced 500 new scholarships for Pakistani university students from flood-affected districts to “assist them in completing their degrees”. The calamitous Pakistan floods of 2022 were the tenth most expensive climate disaster to have buffeted a nation over the last decade. The floods inflicted an estimated loss of $3 billion مزید پڑھیں

China warns US against suppressing it or risk ‘conflict’

China’s foreign minister Qin Gang has blamed the United States for rising tensions between Washington and Beijing and said that if the United States does not change paths no number of preventive measures could avert a confrontation. The US had engaged in suppression and containment of China rather than fair competition, and such provocation could مزید پڑھیں

Seoul to compensate Japan wartime forced labour victims

South Korea announced plans on Monday to compensate victims of Japan’s forced wartime labour, aiming to end a “vicious cycle” in the Asian powers’ relations and boost ties to counter the nuclear-armed North. Japan and the United States immediately welcomed the announcement, but victims’ groups said it fell far short of their demand for a مزید پڑھیں

Fire at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh leaves refugees homeless

A massive fire raced through a crammed refugee camp for Rohingya in southern Bangladesh on Sunday, leaving thousands homeless, a fire official and the United Nations said. According to international media reports, no casualties were reported immediately at the Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazar district, said Emdadul Haque, a fire service official. The UNHCR in مزید پڑھیں

M23 rebels commit to stop hostilities in eastern DRC

The M23 rebels have agreed to cease hostilities next week after recent fighting displaced thousands of residents in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities have said. According to international media reports, a statement by the Presidency in Angola said the deal was reached after days of mediation by President Joao Lourenco. “The leadership of مزید پڑھیں

Earthquakes caused direct damage of $5.1B in Syria: World Bank

The massive earthquakes and aftershocks in February has caused an estimated $5.1 billion in direct physical damage in Syria, said the World Bank. “The current value of the damaged and destroyed capital stock is estimated at about 10 percent of GDP,” said the World Bank in its latest estimate. “The widespread damages impacted four governorates, مزید پڑھیں

China’s Xi holds talks with Belarusian president Lukashenko

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko have called for a ceasefire and negotiations to bring about a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict at talks in Beijing. According to international media reports, the two leaders issued a joint statement on Wednesday in which they expressed “deep concern about the development of مزید پڑھیں