Page 15 - International News

B'desh PM Tarique Rahman chairs first cabinet meeting, sets 180-day agenda

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday chaired the first meeting of his newly formed cabinet, which set a 180-day priority plan with a focus on controlling commodity prices, maintaining law and order and stabilising supply chains. Rahman, the 60-year-old chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sworn in as the 11th prime minister on Tuesday after leading his party to a forceful victory in the 13th Parliamentary polls held on February 12. The first meeting of the new cabinet was held at the Cabinet Division in the Secretariat. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said it is customary for a newly formed government to hold a session on its first day in office. The government has set a 180-day priority plan, with initial focus on controlling commodity prices, maintaining law and order, stabilising supply chains, and ensuring uninterrupted gas and electricity supply, Ahmed was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper. He ad

Warner Bros reopens takeover talks with Paramount after waiver from Netflix

Warner Bros Discovery is briefly reopening takeover talks with Skydance-owned Paramount to hear the company's "best and final" offer, while the Hollywood giant continues to back the studio and streaming deal it struck with Netflix. In a Tuesday regulatory filing, Warner said it had received a waiver from Netflix to reopen talks with Paramount for the next seven days, or until Monday. Warner said this will allow the companies to discuss unresolved "deficiencies" and "clarify certain terms" of Paramount's latest bid. But in the meantime, Warner's board is still recommending shareholders support of its proposed merger with Netflix. A special meeting is now scheduled for Friday, March 20 to hold a vote on that deal. In a statement, Netflix said it was confident that its proposed transaction "provides superior value and certainty" - but recognised "the ongoing distraction for WBD stockholders and the broader entertainment industry caused by PSKY's antics." The streaming giant noted it ha

YouTube down for more than 320,000 users in US, shows Downdetector

There were 321,958 incidents of people reporting issues with the social media platform

Freed after 43 years, Indian-origin man denied bail in deportation case

An Indian-origin man who spent 43 years in prison before his murder conviction was overturned - only to be taken straight into immigration custody - was denied bail Tuesday while he fights deportation. Subramanyam Vedam, 64, will remain in custody while he appeals a 1999 deportation order. The Board of Immigration Appeals agreed this month to hear his appeal based on what it called exceptional circumstances. The Trump administration had initially pursued a quick deportation and moved Vedam to a detention centre in Louisiana last fall, before two separate courts intervened. Vedam's lawyer argued Tuesday that he would have likely been spared deportation and become a citizen if not for the murder case, given immigration laws in place at the time. Vedam would have left prison on a drug charge by 1992, lawyer Ava Benach said. "It was delivery of LSD on a very small scale. This is not importing tons of cocaine," Benach said Tuesday. "He is not a danger to the community. We are talking ab

Eli Lilly eyes India as global manufacturing hub amid rising drug demand

Sales of the blockbuster weight-loss drug doubled within months of its launch in India, and became its top-selling medicine by value

Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader who sought US presidency, dies at 84

An impassioned orator, he was a moral and political force who formed a "rainbow coalition" of poor and working-class people. His mission, he said, was "to transform the mind of America"

Warner Bros rejects revised Paramount bid, but is open to a final offer

Paramount informally broached an even higher per-share price of $31, Warner Bros said, apparently enticing the board to the table

US open to tweaking steel, aluminum tariff enforcement: Jamieson Greer

Administration officials have been working to narrow the scope of the duties, which not only touch the metals themselves but dozens of products that contain them

Guatemala lifts emergency after crackdown sparked by 10 police killings

Guatemala lifted its state of emergency Monday, one month after President Bernardo Arevalo sought special powers following the killing of 10 police officers by suspected gang members. The measure had restricted some constitutional rights, allowing authorities to do things like make arrests without a warrant issued by a judge. That will not be allowed under less restrictive measures scheduled to take effect Tuesday, but Arevalo has not detailed exactly what those will be. The new measures would not require congressional approval or renewal. Arevalo said Sunday that 83 gang members had been arrested during the state of emergency and that homicides and reports of extortion had fallen during the period compared with the same stretch a year earlier. He did not provide figures. The brief state of emergency contrasts with extraordinary powers granted to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to deal with gang violence that have been renewed monthly by that country's Congress for nearly four .

'I have nothing to hide': Trump rubbishes links with Jeffrey Epstein

Trump's name has repeatedly come up amid the whole controversy, however, he has denied any wrongdoing and distanced himself from Epstein before the scandal fully erupted

3 killed, including suspect, in shooting during Rhode Island hockey game

Three people, including the suspect, were fatally shot during a Rhode Island youth hockey game Monday, authorities said. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves told reporters that three other victims are hospitalized in critical condition. "It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute," she said. Goncalves did not provide details about the suspect or the ages of those who were killed, though she said it appeared that both victims were adults. Authorities were continuing to try to piece together what happened and speak with witnesses, she said. The shooting happened at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, a few miles outside Providence. Outside the arena, tearful families and high school hockey players still in uniform could be seen hugging before they boarded a bus to leave the area. Roads surrounding the arena were shut down as a heavy police presence remained and helicopters flew overhead. Pawtucket is nestled just north of Providence and right under

Hyatt Executive Chairman Pritzker announces retirement over Epstein ties

Pritzker is the latest in a string of high-profile business leaders, politicians and other public figures forced to reckon with public attention on their ties with Epstein

Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, who starred in The Godfather, dies at 95

Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor of matchless versatility and dedication whose classic roles included the intrepid consigliere of the first two "Godfather" movies and the over-the-hill country music singer in "Tender Mercies," has died at age 95. Duvall died "peacefully" at his home Sunday in Middleburg, Virginia, according to an announcement from his publicist and from a statement posted on his Facebook page by his wife, Luciana Duvall. "To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything," Luciana Duvall wrote. "His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented." The bald, wiry Duvall didn't have leading man looks, but few "character actors" enjoyed such a long, rewarding and unpredictable career, in leading and supporting roles, from an ..

Bangladesh's Yunus thanks Army chief, staff in farewell meetings

Bangladesh's outgoing Chief Adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, on Monday bid farewell to officials and employees at his office, a day ahead of the oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet. Following the speech, Yunus participated in a photo session with all those serving at his office, state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha quoted his spokesperson as saying. Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff Gen Waker-Uz-Zamanalso paid a farewell visit to Yunus on Monday, bdnews24.com reported. Yunus thanked the Army chief for the cooperation of the armed forces during the general election. The tenure of Yunus is going to end tomorrow, following the swearing-in ceremony of the new government led by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). BNP, led by its chairman Tarique Rahman, bagged a whopping 209 out of 297 seats in the crucial 13th Parliamentary elections held on February 12. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin is likely to administer the oath of office to the newly ele

Goldman Sachs' lawyer Ruemmler resigns after ties with Epstein surfaces

Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, has resigned, after emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein showed a close relationship where she described him as an "older brother" and downplayed his sex crimes. Up until her resignation on Thursday, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldman's top legal post, which she had held since 2020. While Ruemmler has called Epstein a "monster" in recent statements, she had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail. Ruemmler called Epstein "Uncle Jeffrey" in emails and said she adored him. In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler "regrets ever knowing him". During her time in private practice after she left the Whi

PM Modi congratulates Barbados PM on winning third consecutive elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley on her third consecutive electoral victory and said India deeply values its long-standing friendship with the Caribbean country. Mottley's party secured all 30 seats of Parliament in this week's general election. "Warm congratulations to Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley on her historic third consecutive electoral victory. India deeply values its long-standing friendship with Barbados, which continues to expand across diverse areas of cooperation," Modi said on X. "I warmly recall our meeting on the sidelines of the India-CARICOM Summit in 2024 and look forward to working closely with her to further strengthen our partnership for the benefit of our peoples," he said.

Switzerland to hold referendum in June on capping population at 10 million

According to Swiss government statistics, roughly 40 percent of residents aged over 15 are from a migrant background, most of them from European countries

La Niña weakening, neutral Pacific conditions likely by April: US

The Pacific is expected to remain normal through summer in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the US Climate Prediction Center

Bangladesh holds polls, referendum after 2024 upheaval, results on Friday

Bangladesh citizens on Thursday voted in parliamentary elections and a referendum on reforms nearly 18 months after the July 2024 student-led movement that ousted the Sheikh Hasina government

UK GDP growth slows to 0.1% in Q4; services flat, investment down

Economists polled by Reuters, as well as the Bank of England, had forecast 0.2 per cent fourth-quarter growth compared with the previous three months