The head of the White Helmets, a civilian aid organisation working in rebel-held areas of northwest Syria, is accusing the United Nations of being too poor in its response to the earthquake. Raed al-Saleh says the UN is not acting impartially. The first UN aid convoy crossed the border from Turkey and entered the region on Thursday. But the White Helmets say the logistics were planned to be sent there…

Bangladesh is set to send relief and medical supplies to Syria, where an earthquake has killed thousands of people. A Bangladesh Air Force C-130J aircraft will transport the aid via Jordan, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate or ISPR said in a statement on Friday. The relief includes large and small tents, blankets, sweaters, dry food and medicine. Group Captain Jamil Uddin Ahmed will…

The United States and India are taking steps to strengthen their defense partnership, officials said Tuesday, the latest sign of cooperation between the two countries in the face of an increasingly assertive China. The plans emerged following two days of meetings in Washington between government and business officials from the two countries and include greater collaboration on military-related industries…

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the divisions in his country were no worse than the political split in the United States, in an exclusive CNN interview Friday ahead of his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. “Here there’s also a split, much more, or as serious as Brazil – Democrats and Republicans are very split up. Love it or leave it, that’s…

Her presence has added to speculation that she could be in line for a leadership position - maybe even in the nuclear-armed country's hereditary dictatorship Sharing drinks, watching missile parades and dining with senior army commanders, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter was centre stage with her father and mother at major military events this week.   Her presence has added to speculation…

 Pakistan's exiled former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who became a key US ally during the "war on terror", was due to be buried on Tuesday, according to officials. Musharraf, who fled Pakistan in 2016 for medical treatment after a travel ban was lifted, died on Sunday aged 79 in Dubai, after a long illness. The plane carrying his body landed late Monday in Karachi, aviation sources told…

  US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Kara C. McDonald has shelved her planned visit to Bangladesh.   She wasscheduled to arrive for a three-day visit from February 7 to discuss labour rights issues.   A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB that the visit has been called off.   However, there has been no official…

A boat carrying more than 180 Rohingya asylum seekers which has been drifting without power for weeks has been allowed to land some of the passengers in the Indonesian province of Aceh. This is the second boat carrying Rohingyas to have arrived in Aceh in the past two days. Another boat with 180 on board is thought to have sunk in early December, NGOs and family members say. The Rohingya are a persecuted…

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, toppling buildings and triggering a frantic search for survivors in the rubble in cities and towns across the area.   At least 207 were killed and hundreds injured, and the toll was expected to rise.   On both sides of the border, residents were jolted out of sleep by the tremors several hours before…

Starting Monday morning, a new highway interchange will be open in the Boca Raton area. It is expected to change the way you get on and off the interstate and hopefully ease some traffic congestion. The Interchange will allow both directions of traffic to cross to cross to the opposite side of the road, allowing for a smoother, safer, and more streamlined flow of traffic. Starting Monday morning,…

The first rituals of the annual Hajj began on Thursday (7 July). Worshippers walked around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Many held umbrellas to block the sun as the temperature climbed to 42C.  On Thursday, the pilgrims will move to a vast tented city at Mina, about 5 kilometers from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the main rite at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad…

China's financial centre Shanghai reported a new record number of symptomatic COVID-19 cases on Saturday as the country imposed new lockdowns, underscoring its "dynamic clearance" approach to COVID control. The Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone, an industrial area in the central province of Henan that houses manufacturing facilities of companies including Apple Inc supplier Foxconn, announced a 14-day…

Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday that she has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. “Well, I’ve tested positive for COVID. I’ve got some mild cold symptoms but am feeling fine,” the 74-year-old former first lady and onetime secretary of state said in a tweet. “I’m more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against…