DHAKA: The Afghan Taliban executed six men who worked for a government programme in western Herat, one of the war-ravaged country’s most stable provinces whose small but promising private sector is driving the national economy.The governor said on Tuesday, reports The Jerusalem Post.The

DHAKA: India’s parliament on Monday passed a flagship US$18 billion programme to provide subsidised food to the poor that is intended to ‘wipe out’ endemic hunger and malnutrition in the aspiring superpower.The Food Security Bill, a key scheme seen as a vote-winner by the ruling

DHAKA: Brazil’s foreign minister, Antonio Patriota, stepped down Monday night amid a diplomatic row with neighboring Bolivia.President Dilma Rousseff’s office issued a brief statement, saying Patriota had submitted his resignation and would be replaced by Brazil’s representative at

DHAKA: Mudslides killed at least 13 people after Fernand slammed into the east of coast of Mexico, state media reported Monday.Fernand was a tropical storm when it made landfall late Sunday, bringing heavy rains. The storm quickly fizzled into a tropical depression and had dissipated by

DHAKA: Palestinian negotiators have cancelled a planned round of peace talks with Israel to protest a raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank in which Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinians, including a UN worker.Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 15 others were

DHAKA: US Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned what he said was the “undeniable” use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.He described recent attacks in the Damascus area as a “moral obscenity”.The US and its allies are considering a response including possible

New Delhi:  The verdict on the Ayodhya title suit has been deferred by a week by the Supreme Court.  It was scheduled to be delivered tomorrow by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court will hear the case again on Tuesday, September 28.  The verdict on the

US: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has been named as the wealthiest person in the US for the 17th year in a row.Forbes magazine put his fortune at $54bn (£34.5bn), with investment guru Warren Buffet second with $45bn.Software tycoon Larry Ellison was in third place, while Wal-Mart heir

NEW YORK: Fidel Castro, the longtime president and leftist icon who stepped aside during a health crisis but still leads the Cuban Communist Party, has told a reporter that Israel definitely has the right to exist."Yes it does, without a doubt," Castro, 84, told visiting US journalist

NEW YORK: The White House on Wednesday seized on a new expose of President Barack Obama`s Afghan war deliberations by ace reporter Bob Woodward, saying it proved he was a thoughtful, decisive leader.The Washington Post legend`s past blockbusters have often wounded presidents, with their

NEW YORK: Russian immigrants to Israel are a key obstacle to reaching peace with the Palestinians, according to ex-US president Bill Clinton -- words that elicited a terse reaction Wednesday from Israel`s leader.Clinton, speaking Tuesday at the annual Clinton Global Initiative conference,

New York:  Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been honoured with the 2010 World Statesman Award by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith coalition which promotes mutual understanding, tolerance and peace. India`s Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, accepted the award

BEIJING: China is to give another 200 million dollars in emergency flood aid to Pakistan, Premier Wen Jiabao announced during a visit to New York for a UN anti-poverty summit.The announcement comes a month after Beijing faced sharp criticism of its relief pledges from Washington`s

MOSCOW: President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed a decree banning supplies of S-300 missiles and other arms to Iran in a long-awaited move after weeks of deliberations by Russian officials."Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree `on Measures to implement the United Nations Security Council

GENEVA: A UN probe said Wednesday there was clear evidence to back prosecutions against Israel for killing and torture when its troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.In a scathing report, it also threw out Israel`s argument that the aid activists were violent, thereby justifying

NEW YORK: NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday the alliance was on a "solid path" to improving ties with Russia, as the United States declared Moscow a partner and not an adversary.In their latest attempt to repair the rift in post-Cold War relations following Moscow`s 2008 war

Washington: A meeting of world powers in New York Wednesday focused on preparing for a possible meeting with Iran to discuss the Islamic state`s nuclear activities, a senior US official said.The foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, China,

UNITED NATIONS: US President Barack Obama and Iran`s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad take their political rivalry to the UN General Assembly on Thursday when world leaders start their annual debate.The Middle East, the possible breakup of Sudan, the Iran and North Korean nuclear programmes,

SEOUL: North Korea announced a reshuffle of senior officials Thursday just days ahead of a key communist party meeting expected to pave the way for a power transfer from Kim Jong-Il to his son.Kang Sok-Ju, North Korea`s first vice minister of foreign affairs, has been appointed to the

New Delhi:  In the wake of the Ayodhya verdict on Friday, bulk text and multimedia messages have been banned throughout the country for next 72 hours starting tonight.A plea for deferment of the verdict was filed in the Supreme Court today, but the bench refused to hear the matter saying