Rescue efforts across western Colombia carried into a second day on Tuesday as emergency workers dug through collapsed buildings and flattened homes, amid expectations that the death toll from the country's most powerful earthquake in decades could rise. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake tore through Colombia's coffee-growing heartland early on Monday, killing at least 164 people. The quake reduced multi-story buildings to rubble in cities such as Pereira and Cali, and cracked apart one of the towers of a historic cathedral in the city of Manizales. Emergency teams aided by police, soldiers and volunteers worked through the night with excavators and, at times, their bare hands, hunting for survivors beneath debris. In Cali, home to about 2.2 million people, at least 85 people were killed. Dozens of buildings were left leaning precariously or destroyed outright, forcing residents into the streets. Seve...
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told India's envoy on Monday that there was a need to create a "conducive environment" to boost ties between the neighbours, as Dhaka continues to press New Delhi over the politically sensitive issue of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's exile in India. Rahman's remarks underline his six-month-old government's efforts to stabilise relations with its largest neighbour while seeking progress on issues that have remained major irritants since Hasina's ouster in August 2024. While Rahman has sought good relations with India since coming to power, Monday’s comments are his first that stress the need to improve conditions to boost ties. Rahman made the comments during his first meeting with the new Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi. Rahman "emphasised the need to create a conducive environment to further advance the bilateral relations between the two countries"...