DHAKA: Sri Lanka’s navy said on Sunday it has arrested 73 Indian fishermen for illegal poaching amid heightened tensions between the neighbours over the long-standing issue.The navy said it seized 16 Indian trawlers with 73 fishermen on board for poaching in Sri Lankan waters over the

DHAKA: Five leading Afghan militants freed from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for a US soldier have pledged to honor an agreement between the Taliban and Qatar, which is hosting them.The men, officials in the Taliban regime driven from power by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001,

DHAKA: The majority of Spaniards want a referendum on the future of the monarchy, according to a poll published on Sunday, less than a week after King Juan Carlos abdicated in favor of his son. Nearly two-thirds, 62 percent, believe a referendum should be held ‘at some point’ to

DHAKA: A minister from Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party has said rapes happen ‘accidentally’ in the latest controversial remarks by a politician amid renewed anger over attacks against women. Ramsevak Paikra, the home minister of central Chhattisgarh state who is

DHAKA: Thailand’s junta has prepared a force of over 6,000 troops and police for deployment in Bangkok on Sunday to smother protests and prevent opposition to the May 22 coup from gaining momentum. The military has cracked down hard on pro-democracy dissidents and supporters since it

DHAKA: Former army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is to be sworn in as Egypt’s new president after winning by a landslide in May’s elections. Security forces have been deployed at key locations around the Cairo in preparation for the ceremony at the Supreme Constitutional Court. The

DHAKA: BJP leader Vijay Pandit (37) was shot dead allegedly by four unidentified persons in Dadri area in West Bengal on Saturday night, after which a mob set ablaze 16 vehicles near a police station in protest. The assailants came on two motorcycles and held the pistol at Pandit's

DHAKA: Ukraine's new president has called for a dialogue with representatives of the country's east that has been swept by a separatist insurgency, but insisted he will still not talk with rebels, who he described as "gangsters and killers". In a combative inaugural speech on Saturday,

DHAKA: India’s military, one of the world’s largest arms importers, aims to speed up defence procurement in the interests of ‘national security’. The country’s new defence minister announced Saturday, reports The Straits Times. The policy announcement comes just after the new

DHAKA: At least 30 people have been killed in an inter-ethnic attack on a village in the South Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Witnesses say the dead included women and children, some killed inside a church where they had been sleeping. All the victims were of the

DHAKA: Petro Poroshenko has been sworn in as president of Ukraine, setting out a plan to bring peace to the conflict-torn east of the country. The 48-year-old tycoon, who won the 25 May election, offered political concessions to people in the east and said he did not want war or revenge.

DHAKA: Iran will hold two days of nuclear talks with the United States starting Monday, and then conduct two further days of negotiations with Russia. The foreign ministry in Teheran announced, reports the Straits Times. The official IRNA news agency, quoting the ministry, said the

DHAKA: Balkan countries have a ‘clear prospect’ of joining the European Union, but the process will be long. German chancellor Angela Merkel said in a podcast released Saturday, reports The Straits Times. ‘We support accession. But we don’t think that we have anything to gain if

DHAKA: Flash flooding in the remote northern Afghan province of Baghlan has killed at least 73 people and forced thousands to abandon their homes. Police say, reports the BBC. The flooding has been deadliest in the Guzargah-e-Nur district of the province 140km north of the provincial

DHAKA: The president of the United Arab Emirates on Saturday issued a law implementing compulsory military service for Emirati men, a move highlighting the Gulf state’s concern over turmoil in the region. The UAE, a federation of seven emirates with a mostly expatriate population,

DHAKA: A Malaysian woman on a business trip to India is alleged to have been raped by a man she met there. A 30-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the rape, Bernama reported, says The Straits Times. The woman said in her complaint that she arrived in Jaipur, the capital

DHAKA: An Egyptian court on Saturday postponed to July 5 the verdict in the trial of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 47 others for inciting violence that killed two people last summer. However, it sentenced to death 10 defendants who are on the run, and a final ruling on

DHAKA: Flash floods have killed more than 50 people in northern Afghanistan, washing away hundreds of houses and forcing thousands to flee. Provincial authorities said on Saturday, reports The Straits Times. ‘Heavy torrential rains followed by flash floods have killed more than 50

DHAKA: Petro Poroshenko has been sworn in as president of Ukraine, amid hopes the move can help put an end to deadly fighting in the east of the country. The 48-year-old tycoon has been buoyed by messages of support from the West, after his victory in the 25 May poll. In his speech

DHAKA: Altaf Hussain, the exiled leader of Pakistan’s powerful MQM party, has been released on bail by police in London after being arrested on suspicion of money laundering. The 60-year-old was questioned for seven hours on Friday evening. He had been transferred to hospital for