DHAKA: New Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe on Monday pledged aggressive deregulation drives to lure foreign talent to his city to spur growth and take back its reputation as Asia’s business hub from rivals such as Singapore.Japan has very strict immigration policies and business has to

DHAKA: Disaster has killed at least 44 people and completely cut off some towns in Serbia and Bosnia. Thousands crammed into boats and army trucks as they fled their homes in Serbia and Bosnia, after record rainfall turned the Sava River into a deadly torrent and caused the worst floods

DHAKA: Thirty-one children and one adult were killed in Colombia on Sunday when fuel exploded on a broken-down bus returning from a church event, an emergency response coordinator said. The charred bodies of victims were being identified using dental records in Barranquilla, the nearest

DHAKA: South Korea is to break up its coastguard in the wake of the ferry disaster in which about 300 people died, says President Park Geun-hye. In a televised address, she apologised formally for the sinking. A new safety agency would handle rescue duties, with investigative functions

DHAKA: German chancellor Angela Merkel wants to celebrate her 60th birthday at a reception with hundreds of guests by inviting a scientist to give a lecture. A report said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times. Dr Merkel, a trained physical chemist, reaches the milestone in July when her

DHAKA: Heavy gunfire and clashes broke out Sunday in the south of the Libyan capital Tripoli, near the country’s interim parliament. Witnesses said, reports The Straits Times. They said the clashes erupted after a convoy of armoured vehicles entered Tripoli from the airport road and

DHAKA: Armed rebels in northern Mali have taken about 30 civil servants hostage as the prime minister visited the area. Several armed Tuareg rebels clashed with government soldiers in Kidal on Saturday and abducted the officials. Their whereabouts are unclear. In 2012 a Tuareg rebellion

DHAKA: Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has insisted that reaching a final nuclear deal with world powers is still within reach. His comments came after Iran and six world powers - Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany - ended a fourth round of nuclear talks in

DHAKA: Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has insisted that reaching a final nuclear deal with world powers is still within reach. His comments came after Iran and six world powers - Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany - ended a fourth round of nuclear talks in

DHAKA: The head of Syria’s air defences has been killed in fighting near Damascus. Syria government officials say, reports the BBC. Gen Hussein Ishaq was killed as rebels attacked an air defence base near the town of Mleiha on Saturday, the officials said. He is one of a handful of

DHAKA: Police investigating the coal mine disaster in western Turkey have arrested 18 people, including mining company executives. Turkish media say, reports the BBC. The rescue operation at the mine, in the town of Soma, ended on Saturday after the bodies of the last two workers were

DHAKA: Given Narendra Modi’s substantial experience as chief minister, it is unlikely that he will overtly antagonize either India’s sizeable Muslim minority, or its neighbors. A Pakistani daily said, reports The Times of India. The Bharatiya Janata Party also has a history of

DHAKA: Inmates have taken 122 hostages in a prison in Brazil's northeastern state of Sergipe, AFP news agency reports quoting a prison spokeswoman. Sandra Melo, said on Sunday that negotiations had started for the release of the hostages, who were mainly visitors to the Advogado Jacinto

DHAKA: China has evacuated more than 3,000 of its nationals from Vietnam after a wave of anti-China unrest following Beijing's deployment of an oil rig in contested waters. The announcement on Sunday came after Vietnamese civil society groups on Saturday called for fresh demonstrations

DHAKA: Severe flooding across Serbia has prompted the evacuation of at least 16,300 people -- including 1,100 whisked away on helicopters -- the government said Saturday. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry confirmed there have been at least 15 deaths in Serbia and another five in

DHAKA: Countries neighbouring Nigeria are ready to wage war against the Nigeria-based, al-Qaeda-linked group, Boko Haram, Chad's president says. Idriss Deby made the statement after a summit in Paris on Saturday that also included Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and representatives

DHAKA: A strong and shallow undersea earthquake hit parts of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Sunday, causing panic but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.2-magnitude quake hit at a depth of 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) beneath the sea. It was

DHAKA: A day after clinching the city, Narendra Modi on Saturday visited Varanasi and offered prayers at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple. After visiting the temple, the Prime Minister-elect went to the famed Dashashwamedh Ghat and took part in ‘Ganga aarti’ for about half-an-hour

DHAKA: Turkey is calling a halt to the Soma mine rescue operation after two more bodies were found, raising the death toll to 301. The bodies of all miners trapped after the mine collapsed are now thought to be recovered. Protesters have clashed with police near Soma. Correspondents say

DHAKA: Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav sent feelers to rival Lalu Prasad that his party was willing to work with the latter’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to forge out a ‘secular alliance’ to govern Bihar. This comes in the wake of the resignation of Nitish Kumar as chief