DHAKA: A solar-powered plane that will be taken on a round-the-world journey in 2015 has made its inaugural flight. The Solar Impulse 2 vehicle lifted off from Payerne airfield in Switzerland at just after 03:35 GMT (04:35 BST; 05:35 CEST), returning two hours later. It is a larger,

DHAKA: K Chandrasekhar Rao took oath of office on Monday morning as the first chief minister of Telangana, India's 29th state, created at midnight yesterday by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh. As he was sworn in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "India gets a new state! We welcome

DHAKA: A bombing in a bar in Nigeria's northeast has killed at least 14 people and injured another 14 in the second attack targeting football fans in a fortnight. The blast on Sunday hit the town of Mubi in Adamawa state, one of three in the northeast which has been under a state of

DHAKA: At midnight, India got its 29th state in the form of Telangana, which has been carved out of Andhra Pradesh after decades of struggle. The supporters of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which has been at the forefront of the movement to create a separate Telangana state, have

DHAKA: Sri Lanka’s navy said on Sunday that it had seized 29 Indian fishermen, the first arrests since president Mahinda Rajapakse and India’s new premier held talks on resolving the thorny issue of poaching. The navy arrested the Indians along with six trawlers off the island’s

DHAKA: US defence secretary Chuck Hagel has praised US forces in Afghanistan over the release of a US soldier held for nearly five years by the Taliban. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US special forces in south-eastern Afghanistan as part of a prisoner swap. Hagel met some of

DHAKA: Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar Sunday hailed the release of five senior insurgents in exchange for United States soldier Bowe Bergdahl as a ‘big victory’. ‘I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation, all the mujahideen and to the

DHAKA: The father of one of two girls that were gang raped and lynched in northern India said on Sunday he had refused compensation from the state government he blamed for failing to stop the horrendous crime. The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he only wanted justice

DHAKA: The father of one of two girls that were gang raped and lynched in northern India said on Sunday he had refused compensation from the state government he blamed for failing to stop the horrendous crime. The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he only wanted justice

DHAKA: United States defence secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit on Sunday, following the release of soldier Bowe Bergdahl, held hostage by the Taliban for five years. A US defence official said, reports The Straits Times. Hagel arrived at Bagram Airfield, a

DHAKA: Thailand’s former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday expressed her gratitude to supporters in a message on social media. Xinhua reported, says The Straits Times. ‘In the past week, many changes took place in our country. Many of you have expressed concern and asked

DHAKA: Two Italian priests and a Canadian nun seized by gunmen in northern Cameroon in April have been freed. Officials say, reports the BBC. The ex-hostages are said to have boarded a plane to Yaounde on Sunday. The three were kidnapped by gunmen from the building where they were

DHAKA: Thailand is not retreating from democracy and seeks understanding from its economic and strategic partners while the country undergoes political reforms. A top Thai official said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand’s permanent secretary for

DHAKA: Turkish police have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Istanbul and Ankara on the first anniversary of deadly anti-government protests. Some 25,000 police surrounded and blocked Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the epicentre of the 2013 rallies. PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier

DHAKA: At least 16 people were missing after a helicopter believed to be carrying top regional officials and businessmen crashed into a lake in north-western Russia. Russia police and the emergencies ministry said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times. According to preliminary

DHAKA: German magazine Der Spiegel says British PM David Cameron warned that the UK could leave the EU if Luxembourg ex-PM Jean-Claude Juncker became president of the European Commission. It reported Cameron as saying that the appointment could destabilise his government, which may bring

DHAKA: Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed around the Thai capital, Bangkok, to try to prevent anti-coup protesters from gathering. Parts of the city centre have been blocked off to traffic, and train stations are closed. Activists have been using social media to call

DHAKA: China strongly denounced Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and United States Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel Sunday for "provocative" remarks accusing Beijing of destabilising actions in contested regional waters. Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the general staff

DHAKA: The mystery of how Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 flew into oblivion, and the challenge of finding new ways to track aircraft, will hang over the annual conference of airlines that opens Sunday in Doha. The loss of the Malaysia Airlines plane, with 239 people on board, was a shock

DHAKA: US President Barack Obama says he received security guarantees from Qatar over five Guantanamo Bay prisoners who were transferred to secure the release of a US soldier in Afghanistan. US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US forces after being held for nearly five