DHAKA: China’s ruling Communist Party says it punished nearly 300,000 officials last year for corruption.Some 200,000 officials were given what was called ‘light punishment’, while more severe penalties were taken against a further 80,000, reports the BBC.President Xi Jinping has

DHAKA: North Korea has threatened "indiscriminate" nuclear strikes against South Korea and the US if they push ahead with joint military drills.The exercises, this year involving more than 300,000 personnel, are an annual event and always generate tension.The order for a "pre-emptive

DHAKA: A suicide bomber driving a truck attacked a security checkpoint on a strategic highway south of Iraq’s capital on Sunday killing at least 60 people. Another 60 were wounded in the massive blast near the city of Hilla, police officials said.Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf said Hilla is

DHAKA: Billionaire Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death for corruption.Iran justice officials say, reports the BBC.He was arrested in December 2013 after accusations that he withheld billions in oil revenue channeled through his companies. He denies the

DHAKA: The Taliban has refused to take part in peace talks until the government orders foreign troops out of the war-torn country and releases all of its fighters from prison. The announcement on Saturday came as a blow to efforts to restart peace negotiations in the Pakistani capital

DHAKA: A regional governor has called on the Greek government to declare a state of emergency for the area surrounding the Idomeni border crossing where thousands of refugees are stranded due to border restrictions along the route towards Western Europe.About 13,000-14,000 people are

DHAKA: At least 10 people were shot dead by men dressed in police uniforms in an attack in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa on Saturday, security and hospital forces said.Five men arrived in a vehicle at a billiards hall in the violent northeastern December 1 neighborhood and opened

DHAKA: Slovakia’s leftist-nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico has won the general election but lost his majority in parliament, partial results suggest.Fico will now likely need to find coalition partners to return for a third term in office, reports the BBC.Gains by a number of

DHAKA: Scientists have discovered a "ghostlike" octopus in deep water off Hawaii that appears to belong to a previously unknown species, researchers said on Saturday (March 5).A submersible research craft spotted the small, translucent octopus by chance around 4km underwater off Necker

DHAKA: US presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton appear to have emerged strengthened in the latest round of voting for the US presidential nomination in five states.Despite defeats in the first states to report results, Trump and Hillary are projected to record wins in the

DHAKA: At least 30 people were killed and 36 others injured when a bus collided with a commuter minibus on the main road between the capital Harare and Bulawayo.“I can confirm there was a horrific road accident on Friday involving a conventional bus and a minibus,” said police

DHAKA: Unidentified gunmen killed 16 staff members at a Missionaries of Charity home for the elderly in the Yemeni city of Aden on Friday, a local security official said.The latest deadly attack shakes the southern port since a Saudi-led military coalition took it over last year, reports

DHAKA: Turkish police have raided the offices of the opposition Zaman newspaper, hours after a court ruling placed it under state control.Police entered the building in Istanbul late on Friday, firing tear gas at protesters who had gathered outside, reports the BBC.Zaman is closely linked

DHAKA: The discovery of a 30-feet-long and 10-feet-deep tunnel running through the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura sector has come as a real shocker to the Army.The discovery of a 30-feet-long and 10-feet-deep tunnel running through the Line of Control in Jammu and

DHAKA: For a second day, North Korea appeared to be flexing its military muscles in the wake of a United Nations vote meant to cripple the nation's nuclear program.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country's "nuclear warheads need to be ready for use at any time," the North Korean

DHAKA: US Presidential contender Donald Trump has come under attack at a Republican debate, hours after being hammered by some of the party's veteran politicians.The front-runner in the race to be the party's nominee took to the stage in Detroit with rivals Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz keen

DHAKA: European Council President Donald Tusk has warned illegal economic migrants against coming to Europe, during a new push to solve the EU migrant crisis.He said illegal economic migrants were risking "lives and money" for nothing, reports the BBC.Donald Tusk is visiting Greece and

DHAKA: Republican ex-presidential candidate Mitt Romney has urged his party to reject Donald Trump, reportedly calling the front-runner a "phony" and "fraud".Romney accuses Trump of "playing the American public for suckers", in a planned speech leaked to the media, reports the BBC.Trump

DHAKA: Syria’s electricity network is down across the whole of the country for unknown reasons.Syria state media say, reports the BBC.They cited sources as saying power had been cut in all provinces and teams were trying to determine the cause.In most parts of war-torn Syria,

DHAKA: North Korea has fired six short-range projectiles into the sea, South Korea's defence ministry has said, hours after the UN imposed tough new sanctions.A South Korean spokesman told the Yonhap news agency the projectiles were fired at about 10:00 local time (01:00 GMT) from Wonsan