DHAKA: Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe for free trade talks on Tuesday, as pressure mounted at home over a corruption scandal in which hundreds of police officers were fired.The two countries also confirmed their cooperation on nuclear

DHAKA: The deputy mayor of a town in the Indian state of Bihar was arrested by police while in the company of two call girls at a city-based hotel in Patna on Monday night, shortly after he had attended a crucial meeting with a team of the visiting Finance Commission.The arrest comes amid

DHAKA: Syrian rebels laid siege to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Raqa on Monday in a bid to oust the al Qaeda-linked jihadists, who have been accused of widespread abuses against both rival rebel groups and Syrian civilians.At least 34 foreign jihadists from ISIL and

DHAKA: The new ministers of the Kuwaiti government took the parliamentary oath today at the start of a much-awaited session with the lawmakers.Abdul Mohsen Al Midaj, the deputy prime minister and minister of commerce and industry, Ahmad Al Mualifi, the education minister, Ali Al Abidi,

DHAKA: Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade sought a one-month extension of the deadline for charging her in a visa fraud case involving her domestic help but her plea was opposed by the prosecution, even as the US on Tuesday said it wanted to resolve the ‘ordeal’ as soon as

DHAKA: Priyanka Gandhi Tuesday attended a Congress strategy meeting with senior party leaders amid reports that a major organisational revamp is on the cards.Her brother, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, was not present in the meeting that took place at his residence, reports

DHAKA: A Chinese ship that helped rescue passengers from a Russian vessel trapped in Antarctica only to get stuck in the ice itself broke free on Tuesday.China state media reported, says The Straits Times.The Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, ‘pulled free of the ice and navigated into the open

DHAKA: A French restaurant, running in a posh locality in Islamabad, was raided and shut down by police following a public outcry over its policy of not allowing Pakistanis in.‘La Maison’, running out of Islamabad’s F7-1, was not allowing Pakistanis in, citing the French style of

DHAKA: India Tuesday test-fired its indigenously developed ‘Prithvi-II’ missile, which is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and has a strike range of 350 km, from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore.The test was carried out as part of a user trial by the Army.The

DHAKA: A Spanish judge has summoned the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos to appear in court over accusations of fraud and money-laundering.Infanta Cristina, 48, has been linked to the business affairs of her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who is being investigated for alleged

DHAKA: Iran is not among the first round of nations invited to attend Syria peace talks in Switzerland later this month.A UN spokesman has confirmed, reports Al Jazeera.However, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ‘is in favour of inviting Iran’, spokesman Farhan Haq said on

DHAKA: A special court set up to try Pakistan’s former ruler Pervez Musharraf for treason adjourned on Tuesday to consider a medical report on his heart complaint.The 70-year-old was rushed to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi, which borders Islamabad, on his way to

DHAKA: The Turkish government has dismissed 350 police officers in the capital Ankara in connection with an anti-corruption operation, reports say.The sackings took place overnight, with 250 people - mostly from outside the city - appointed to replace them, reports BBC.Hundreds of police

DHAKA: Iraq`s prime minister has urged residents and tribes in Fallujah to drive out al-Qaeda-linked fighters to avoid an all-out battle in the besieged city, a sign that the government could be paving the way for an imminent military offensive.In a message broadcast over state television

DHAKA: Americans in some states are being warned to stay indoors as a record-breaking freeze threatens a wind chill factor of minus 50. Chicago saw a record low of minus 16 (minus 27 C) on Monday. The day`s high was minus 11, with a windchill of minus 34. It`s part of an Arctic blast that

DHAKA: More than three-quarters of people surveyed in a poll have said they want immigration to be cut, with 56% calling for major curbs.Almost half of people asked, 47%, think immigration is bad for the economy, reports BBC.Among the 31% of respondents who said immigration is good for

DHAKA: The US says it is speeding up the supply of military equipment to Iraq to help its government fight militant groups in western Anbar province.The White House said additional surveillance drones would be delivered within weeks and more Hellfire missiles sent in the next few months,

DHAKA: Sudan and South Sudan agreed on Monday during a visit to Juba by president Omar al-Bashir to consider setting up a joint force to protect vital oilfields.Sudan’s foreign minister said, reports The Straits Times.‘Sudan and South Sudan are in consultations about the deployment of

DHAKA: Al-Qaeda-linked fighters have departed Iraq’s Fallujah and it is now in the hands of Sunni tribesmen, a senior tribal sheikh said on Monday.‘There is no ISIL in the city,’ Sheikh Ali al-Hammad said, referring to Al-Qaeda-linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,

DHAKA: Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Monday his country was trying to help in efforts to broker an end to fighting in South Sudan.‘China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, so we are paying close attention to the evolving situation in South Sudan, he