DHAKA: Negotiators representing Taliban insurgents said on Wednesday there was no chance of peace in Pakistan until the government embraces Islamic sharia law and US-led forces withdraw completely from neighbouring Afghanistan.The tough conditions appear to deal a blow to hopes that talks

DHAKA: Workers on London’s Underground train system kicked off a 48-hour strike at 9:00pm (2100 GMT) on Tuesday, threatening chaos for commuters on Wednesday and Thursday. Dozens of ‘Tube’ stations will remain shut and lines will either be entirely closed or carry a limited service

  DHAKA: The bodies of around 400 dolphins washed up on beaches in northern Peru last month, baffling authorities who are so far mystified as to the cause. Officials said on Tuesday, The Straits Times publishes this report on Wednesday. The mammals’ remains were found on beaches

DHAKA: North and South Korea have agreed to hold a reunion later this month for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Officials from both sides meeting in the border truce village of Panmunjom, decided on Wednesday the reunion would be held on February 20-25 at the North`s Mount

DHAKA: The United Nations has accused both sides to the Syria conflict of grave violations against children. Children caught in the Syrian war are being recruited as child soldiers, used as human shields, and tortured, according to a new UN report. The report, released on Tuesday, found

DHAKA: Myanmar has detained several journalists after they published allegations of a military facility producing chemical weapons, according to their newspaper editor, as a media watchdog raised fears over press freedom.Five journalists including the chief executive of the Unity Weekly

DHAKA: Sweden’s foreign minister, the latest high-level Western diplomat to visit Teheran, said on Tuesday that a comprehensive international nuclear agreement with Iran is possible within six months, media reported.‘If there is a good will on both sides a deal is possible within a

DHAKA: Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai has been holding secret talks with Taliban officials in the hope of persuading them to make peace with his government.The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed Afghan and Western officials, reports TDS.Karzai’s spokesman could

DHAKA: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah issued a royal decree on Monday that punishes citizens who fight in conflicts outside the kingdom, with prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years in jail.The statement issued by the Saudi Royal Court also says that any Saudi citizen who joins

DHAKA: Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych could call early elections if he cannot strike a deal with the opposition, a top lawmaker said on Tuesday ahead of a parliament session where protest leaders will press for concessions.Yuriy Miroshnychenko, Yanukovych’s personal

DHAKA: A firefight between security forces and suspected Islamists holed up in a building in a Tunis suburb has left one policeman and up to four militants dead.Tunisia interior ministry said Tuesday, reports TDS.The standoff, which began on Monday, was not yet over, a ministry spokesman

DHAKA: Pakistani government negotiators say they are not planning to meet a Taliban team for preliminary peace talks in Islamabad as expected on Tuesday.The government side said before talks began they wanted further clarification from the team nominated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

DHAKA: Russia’s top opposition channel known for its critical coverage of president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday faced the prospect of closure after a major cable operator said it would take the station off the air.Several providers have over the past days dropped the independent Internet

DHAKA: At least 70 people have been killed and dozens of houses torched in clashes between Muslim and Christian communities in a town in Central African Republic.A local police official said on Monday, The Jerusalem Post publishes this report on Tuesday.The scale of the violence

DHAKA: Preliminary peace talks between the Pakistani government and the Taliban are due to get under way in the capital, Islamabad, later on Tuesday. At their first meeting, negotiators nominated by the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are to chart a ‘roadmap’ for

DHAKA: Thailand`s opposition Democrat Party will challenge the disputed ballot in a Constitutional Court, as a long-running political conflict has showed no sign of ending. The opposition will file two complaints on Tuesday, as the Election Commission meets on Wednesday to probe possible

DHAKA: Ten people died and 35 others were injured as a bus fell into a ditch on the Pune-Satara highway Tuesday.The accident reportedly happened after a container hit the bus from behind. Some other cars were also damaged, reports NDTV.The injured have been rushed to hospital.BDST: 1128

DHAKA: The extent of corruption in Europe is ‘breathtaking’ and it costs the EU economy at least 120bn euros annually, the European Commission says.EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem has presented a full report on the problem.She said the true cost of corruption was

DHAKA: Late former South African president Nelson Mandela has left his US$4.1 million estate to family members, the ruling African National Congress, former staff and several local schools, according to a reading of his will on Monday.Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke told reporters

DHAKA: An agreement on Iran’s nuclear program is possible within six months if there is good will, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday, adding that he was not worried about the US Congress trying to impose new sanctions.‘With good will we can reach an