DHAKA: Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached a record high in 2014, a United Nations report revealed Wednesday, highlighting the failure of the multi-billion-dollar US-led campaign to crack down on the lucrative crop. The total area under cultivation was about 224,000 hectares

DHAKA: China and the US have unveiled new targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, as the leaders of the two countries met for talks in Beijing. US President Barack Obama said the move was ‘historic’, as he set a new goal of reducing US levels between 26 percent-28 percent by 2025,

DHAKA: Russia has signed a contract to build two more nuclear reactors in Iran likely to be followed with another six, a move intended to cement closer ties between the two nations.The deal comes less than two weeks ahead of the November 24 deadline for Tehran to sign an agreement on

DHAKA: Officials from Japan’s ruling coalition urged lawmakers on Tuesday to prepare for a possible early election, and a government source said prime minister Shinzo Abe was likely to delay a tax hike that could derail a promised economic recovery. A second government source said one

DHAKA: While the rest of the suckers-for-romance celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14, the practical people in China celebrate the more aptly named ‘Singles Day’ every 11/11; indulging in heart-shaped soft toys, button-eyed teddies and chocolates.This love-struck young chap

KOLKATA: Zokey Ahad has been appointed as deputy high commissioner to Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kotkata.He joined his new office in Kolkata from the United Kingdom on Tuesday.Born in Dhaka, Zokey served as assistant high commissioner in Manchester before joining in Kolkata.He

DHAKA: Kurds battling the Islamic State (IS) group in Kobane reportedly made advances Tuesday in the south of the flashpoint Syrian town on the border with Turkey.Top Kurdish officials told the media their fighters were advancing ‘street by street’, voicing confidence that the IS

DHAKA: The UN mediator in the Syrian conflict, Staffan de Mistura, has told the BBC he believes there is a fresh opportunity to resolve the country’s crisis. He said truce measures could succeed because of the common threat from Islamic State (IS) militants, as well as a growing

DHAKA: The number of Hong Kongers identifying themselves as ‘Chinese’ has reached a record low, after more than a month of mass pro-democracy demonstrations calling for free elections.A poll has found, The Straits Times publishes this report on Tuesday.Only 8.9 percent of Hong

DHAKA: Eight women have died after undergoing sterilisation surgery at a health camp organised by the government in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.Thirty other women were admitted to hospital and doctors have said several are in a serious condition, reports the BBC.The

DHAKA: At least 50 people have been killed in an accident involving a bus and a truck in southern Pakistan. The passenger bus collided head-on with the truck near the city of Khairpur in Sindh province, officials say, reports the BBC. The bus was reportedly on its way from Swat, in the

DHAKA: An explosion was reported near the National Investigation Agency's office in Kolkata on Monday.The blast happened where the accused in the Burdwan blast case are currently being questioned, reports the NDTV.There was an explosion about 50 metres from the sentry post at the

DHAKA: Six out of 10 Indian men admit they have acted violently against their wives or girlfriends, with those facing financial difficulties more likely to carry out abuse.A study released Monday said, reports The Straits Times.Some 52 percent of women surveyed across the country

DHAKA: An association of Pakistani schools held an ‘I am not Malala’ day on Monday, condemning young Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai for what it called her support for controversial novelist Salman Rushdie.Education campaigner Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in

DHAKA: An informal vote on independence for Catalonia has shown more than 80% in favour.Poll officials say, reports the BBC.The non-binding vote went ahead after Spain’s constitutional court ruled out holding a formal referendum in the autonomous north-eastern region.More than two

DHAKA: Bombs exploded in three cities in Afghanistan on Monday killing at least 10 policemen, officials said, a day after a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself in Kabul’s police headquarters killing one person.The Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 by US-led forces and they have

DHAKA: US president Barack Obama said on Monday the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong were a complex issue and the primary US message was to make sure violence was avoided.Short of denouncing China’s handling of the crisis, Obama said the United States would not stop speaking out

DHAKA: Egypt’s most active militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), according to an audio clip posted on its Twitter account. If genuine, the declaration of allegiance would be a boost for the IS, showing its widening influence in the region

DHAKA:  Portfolios have been allocated to the new ministers in India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of ministers, who were sworn-in on Sunday. According to a NDTV report, these are the ministries allocated to them: Manohar Parrikar gets Defence, Suresh Prabhu gets

DHAKA: The fall of the Berlin Wall has shown the world that dreams can come true and ‘nothing has to stay as it is’, German chancellor Angela Merkel has said.Speaking 25 years after the event, Merkel said the message for those in countries where rights were threatened was that