DHAKA: The first book written in what is today the United States of America fetched $14.2 million in New York on Tuesday, becoming the world’s most expensive printed book sold at auction.The translation of Biblical psalms ‘The Bay Psalm Book’ was printed by Puritan settlers in

DHAKA: Thailand’s central bank unexpectedly cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a point to 2.25 percent on Wednesday, saying political tension is affecting investor confidence and there’s no sign of exports recovering.The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee

DHAKA: Russia’s interior ministry said Wednesday its agents had detained 14 radical Islamists in Moscow who belonged to a banned offshoot of the Al-Qaeda terror network.The ministry said members of Takfir wal-Hijra, a group formed in Egypt in the 1960s and outlawed in Russia in 2010,

DHAKA: THE almost-complete fossil of diplodocus dinosaur will be up for auction in Britain on Wednesday.The BBC has reported, says The Straits Times.The diplodocus is a large, long-necked dinosaur from the late Jurassic period. The fossil was unearthed by palaeontologists in the United

DHAKA: An Egyptian prosecutor has ordered the arrest of two prominent activists for inciting protests, including one whose group helped lead the revolt that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.A source in the prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday, reports The Straits Times.The arrests

DHAKA: Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday he hoped to establish a ‘security roundtable’ with Indonesia, seeking to rebuild a strategic relationship with a key Asian neighbour damaged by allegations of spying by Canberra.Reports last week that Australia`s

DHAKA: The Italian Senate will vote later on whether to expel former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi from parliament over his conviction for tax fraud.Analysts say a large majority of senators is expected to back his expulsion, reports the BBC.The former PM has called for supporters to

DHAKA: David Cameron has announced a crackdown on so-called "benefit tourism", saying EU migrants will not be able to claim taxpayer-funded support indefinitely.Eligibility rules for out-of-work benefits will be tightened and access to housing benefit will be curbed, reports BBC.The prime

DHAKA: China monitored the flight of two US bombers that flew across its newly-declared "air defence identification zone"The defence ministry of China acknowledged the issue, BBC reports.According to the ministry, the B-52 planes flew over disputed islands in the East China Sea on Tuesday

DHAKA: At least six people, including two children, died on Tuesday night after a crude bomb exploded at a village that has been at the centre of protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.A case has been filed against activist Udhayakumar, who fronted the lengthy

DHAKA: Chinese officials say they intend to land the country’s first unmanned probe on the Moon next month.The probe has been named Yutu or ‘Jade Rabbit’, after the character that Chinese folklore says lives on the Moon’s surface, reports the BBC.In recent years, China has made

DHAKA: The EU pressed US politicians to give EU citizens the right to legal redress to protect their personal data, after US spying revelations soured ties with major allies.EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding told a delegation led by US Senator Christopher Murphy that their visit

DHAKA: A Yemeni court released into UN custody a Saudi woman who had crossed the border illegally to elope with a Yemeni man defying tradition in both conservative countries.In a case reminiscent of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, Huda al-Niran, 22, defied her family

DHAKA: Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif launched the construction of the country’s biggest atomic power plant and vowed to pursue further projects to make nuclear the largest energy source.The 2,200-megawatt plant is to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea

DHAKA: Pope Francis has called for power in the Catholic Church to be devolved away from the Vatican, in the first major work he has written in the role.In the document, he says he is open to suggestions to changes in the power of the papacy.He also warns that rising global economic

DHAKA: Women in Syria are increasingly the targets of violent abuse and torture by government forces and armed groups.Some 6,000 women have been raped since the start of the conflict in March 2011, the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network says.A spokeswoman for the group said these

DHAKA: The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that additional polio cases had been confirmed in two new areas of Syria, including near Damascus and in northern Aleppo, near Turkey, according to the agency’s twitter account.‘In addition to 15 polio cases in Deir al-Zor province,

Egyptian security authorities have allegedly detained 17 people suspected of working as spies in connection with the Mossad.Kuwaiti daily al-Rai reported Tuesday, says The Jerusalem Post.According to Egyptian officials cited in the report, the detainees were members of three spy networks

DHAKA: Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran was prepared to take part in the Syria peace talks in Geneva, slated for January 22, if invited.‘Participation of Iran in Geneva 2 is in our view an important contribution to the resolution of the problem,’ Zarif said on

DHAKA: The head of the Free Syrian Army said that rebel forces loyal to him would not join a planned peace conference in Switzerland in January and would continue their fight to topple president Bashar Assad throughout the talks.‘Conditions are not suitable for running the Geneva 2