DHAKA: Iran can play a role in confronting and destroying the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said.Addressing a session of the UN Security Council on Iraq on Friday, Kerry said there was a role for nearly every country in the

DHAKA: Ukraine's government and pro-Russia rebels have agreed a memorandum on a peace plan for the eastern conflict.The deal includes setting up a 30km (19-mile) buffer zone, a ban on overflights of part of eastern Ukraine by military aircraft and the withdrawal of "foreign

DHAKA: Alex Salmond is to step down as first minister of Scotland after voters decisively rejected independence.He will also resign as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) after the ‘No’ side won Thursday’s referendum by 2,001,926 to 1,617,989 for ‘Yes’.The national

DHAKA: A Pakistani court on Friday cleared Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif of all charges pertaining to a money laundering case filed 14 years ago. During a hearing presided over by Justice Anwar Ahmed at the National Accountability

DHAKA: The Japanese government has vowed to restart its controversial whaling programme in the Antarctic next year, BBC reports.  The move comes despite the International Whaling Commission's vote on Thursday that the programme is illegal because it is not for research purposes and

DHAKA: French jets have carried out their first strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq, BBC reports. A statement said planes had attacked an IS logistics depot in north-east Iraq. France was already carrying out reconnaissance flights over Iraq and providing weapons to

FROM NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi might come to visit Bangladesh in January of 2015 though the date is yet to be fixed, said diplomatic sources from New Delhi. One of the diplomatic sources, who will participate in the 3rd BD-India Joint Consultative Commission (JCC)

DHAKA: Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after voters decisively rejected independence. With 31 out of the country's 32 council areas having declared after Thursday's vote, the 'No' side has an unassailable lead of 1,914,187 votes to 1,539,920. Scotland's First Minister

DHAKA: A grandfather shot dead his daughter and her six children before taking his own life at a home in Bell, Florida, police have said. The children range in age from three months to 10 years old, said Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz. The authorities have identified the gunman

DHAKA: Security is being upgraded at the Australian parliament following "chatter" suggesting extremists could target it for attack. PM Tony Abbot said Australian Federal Police would assume responsibility for security at the site in Canberra. The move came a day after major

DHAKA: Three suicide car bombs were detonated in the Shia Baghdad neighbourhood of Kadhimiya followed by 12 mortar rounds fired from outside the district, killing at least 22 people and wounding 56 people, security sources said. Interior Ministry spokesman, Saad Maan, said on state

DHAKA: The UN Security Council has declared the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa a "threat to international peace and security". The council unanimously adopted a resolution calling on states to provide more resources to combat the outbreak. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

DHAKA: Those in favour of staying with the UK are ahead in the vote count in Scotland's independence referendum, opening up a steady lead over the Yes campaigners. Clackmannanshire was the first region to declare results with the No campaign securing 54 percent against 46 percent for the

DHAKA: As he engaged in talks with India prime minister Narendra Modi, Chinese president Xi Jinping came in for praise from an unlikely quarter, exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who described him as ‘open-minded’ and ‘realistic’. The Dalai Lama also said good

DHAKA: India and China have signed 12 agreements in Delhi, one of which will see China investing $20bn in India’s infrastructure over five years. At a news conference with Chinese president Xi Jinping, India’s PM Narendra Modi said ‘peace on the border’ was important for

DHAKA: An unknown person or organisation is offering US$30 million for information and evidence on those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine on July 17. The offer is being made through German fraud investigation company Wifka and has been

DHAKA: Thailand’s junta chief apologised Thursday for suggesting tourists in bikinis could be more vulnerable to attack, comments which caused an international outcry following the brutal murder of two British holidaymakers. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also prime minister, on Wednesday

FROM NEW DELHI: Foreign ministries of Bangladesh and India have been working to strengthen the relations between the two neighbouring countries.They are discussing on several bilateral issues including Teesta water sharing and land boundary agreements.Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Bangladesh

DHAKA: Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko is to begin a key visit to the US to seek further support to tackle what he describes as Russian aggression.Poroshenko will hold talks with US president Barack Obama before addressing a joint session of Congress.Poroshenko is flying to the

DHAKA: People in Scotland will vote later on whether the country should stay in the UK or become an independent nation.Voters will answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the referendum question, ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’With 4,285,323 people - 97% of the electorate -