DHAKA: India’s Election Commission has accused the main opposition BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi of violating the election code. He violated poll laws by flashing his party’s symbol and making a political speech while voting was going on in the seventh phase of

DHAKA: Ukraine’s acting president Olexander Turchynov has admitted his forces are ‘helpless’ to quell unrest driven by pro-Russian activists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Turchynov said the goal was now to prevent the unrest spreading. Activists have seized scores

DHAKA: Pakistani authorities on Tuesday cut off the electricity supply to several major official buildings for non-payment of bills, including parliament, the prime minister’s offices and the president’s official residence. Pakistan is blighted by rolling power cuts, caused in part

DHAKA: Thailand has announced that it will hold a fresh election, after the Constitutional Court invalidated its 2 February poll last month. The new polls will be conducted on 20 July, in an agreement reached between the Election Commission and the prime minister. Thailand officials

DHAKA: A bomb near a polling station in north Iraq killed two women on Wednesday, officials said, as voters cast their ballots under tight security following a surge of pre-election violence. The blast occurred in the town of Dibs, near the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, according to a

DHAKA: At least 14 people were killed Wednesday when a truck carrying local villagers crashed in a mountainous region of north-west Thailand. Police and hospital officials said, reports The Straits Times. ‘The truck lost control and smashed into a car in front as well as an oncoming

DHAKA: Malaysia will release on Thursday a preliminary report on its investigations into how Flight MH370 disappeared. Malaysia acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced on Wednesday, reports The Straits Times. Search continues for the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 jet

DHAKA: The sultan of Brunei has announced a controversial new penal code based on Islamic criminal punishments criticized by UN human rights officials. ‘Today... I place my faith in and am grateful to God the almighty to announce that tomorrow, Thursday May 1, will see the enforcement

DHAKA: The whole of Gujarat and Punjab is voting today in the seventh phase of Lok Sabha election along with some seats in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that will decide the fate of top guns including Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi, L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.   Telangana, the new

DHAKA: Iraqis are voting in the country's first parliamentary elections since the withdrawal of US troops three years ago. Polling began at 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT) and closes at 18:00. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping to win a third term in office amid a growing insurgency

DHAKA: Turkey is to start extradition proceedings against US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. Gulen, a former ally of the prime minister, has been accused by Erdogan of using his supporters to try to topple him. The cleric denies mounting a campaign

DHAKA: Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday derided hardliners critical of his style of governance and outreach to the West, saying they do not speak for the country. After a backlash stemming from rising prices of fuel, utilities and basic foods, Rouhani’s administration is

DHAKA: A large crowd of pro-Russian activists has stormed the regional administration’s headquarters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk. Hundreds of people, led by about 20 youths armed with metal bars, were attempting to take over the building. A few dozen activists shouting

DHAKA: At least 37 people have been killed in explosions in the Syrian city of Homs, officials say. The attacks, which involved at least one car bomb, also injured dozens, reports the BBC. Earlier, at least 14 people were killed and more than 80 wounded in a mortar attack on a technical

DHAKA: Cricket-mad teenager Dhaval Lodaya was on his way to a temple when his Mumbai train derailed and he bled to death, becoming one of the ten people who die every day on the city’s rail network.  Known as the lifeline of India’s congested financial capital, the low-fare trains

DHAKA: Four new candidates have submitted applications to run for Syria’s presidency in elections that are expected to return president Bashar al-Assad to power next month. The parliamentary speaker said Tuesday, reports daily Hurriyet. Mohamed al-Lahham announced the names of the

DHAKA: A Muslim woman in eastern India has alleged she was gang-raped by more than a dozen men because of her work helping the Hindu nationalist opposition in ongoing elections. Police said Tuesday, reports The Straits Times. The woman from Jharkhand state has filed a complaint with

DHAKA: South Korea’s coastguard on Monday released a video showing the captain of a sinking ferry scrambling to safety as hundreds remained trapped inside, a move expected to intensify criticism of the crew over the disaster. The 10-minute video, taken by rescue officials and aired on

DHAKA: Twelve people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a mortar attack on a technical institute in central Damascus. Syrian state media say, reports the BBC. Four mortar shells struck the mainly Shia Shaghour neighbourhood of the city, police told the Sana news agency. Two of

DHAKA: United States president Barack Obama said a 10-year defence pact that the Philippines and the United States signed yesterday is not meant to counter or contain a rising China. ‘Our goal is not to counter China, our goal is not to contain China. Our goal is to make sure