DHAKA: Two Turkish ministers stepped down Wednesday, the first heads to roll over a massive graft probe that has presented prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the biggest challenge to his 11 years in power.Economy minister Zafer Caglayan and interior minister Muammer Guler announced

DHAKA: Pope Francis is set to make his first Christmas address as pontiff in front of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.The Argentine pope is expected to tackle themes such as global poverty, which he has focused on since taking over from Benedict in March this

DHAKA: Two Taliban rockets landed inside the US embassy compound in Kabul early on Wednesday, causing no casualties but underlining Afghanistan’s continuing security problems as many foreigners in the capital marked Christmas Day.‘At approximately 6:40 local time in Kabul,

DHAKA: The Thai prime minister has proposed the formation of a national reform council to find solutions to the political turmoil that is splitting the country and paralysing governance.Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra`s announcement on Wednesday means she can portray herself as being

DHAKA: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has warned war could break out "without any prior notice" and urged his military to bolster its combat readiness, state media reported.The call on Wednesday comes one day after a US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University report said that

DHAKA: There have been riots in the Egyptian city of Mansoura, after the bombing of a police station that killed 14 people.Police said on Tuesday three bombs had been planted before the explosion at the police station, two of which went off at almost at the same time. The third one, found

DHAKA: The US government has offered help to anyone who misses the 24 December deadline to enrol for the new health insurance - known as "Obamacare".It said anyone who failed to finish their application through a dedicated website - HealthCare.gov - could still obtain a policy for the New

DHAKA: The Iranian parliament has voted to consider a proposal to pick another city as the nation`s capital, potentially moving the seat of government from the overcrowded Tehran.Iran`s official news agency IRNA said on Tuesday that politicians had accepted outlines of the proposal with

DHAKA: The United Nations Security Council has approved plans to almost double the number of UN peacekeepers in South Sudan.The 15-member council unanimously authorised on Tuesday a request by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to boost the strength of the UN mission in South Sudan to

DHAKA: Egyptian police arrested former Prime Minister Hisham Qandil in an apartment in Giza governorate, according to state-run news agency EGYNews.Qandil had been sentenced by a court to one year in prison for contempt. It said he failed to carry out a ruling to nationalize a private

DHAKA: Large crowds have gathered in the biblical town of Bethlehem to begin Christmas Eve celebrations.Tourists packed Manger Square in a party atmosphere, a BBC correspondent says.The nearby Church of the Nativity sits on the spot where the Bible says Jesus was born.Meanwhile in St

DHAKA: Thousands of people must have been killed in the past week of violence in South Sudan, the top UN humanitarian co-ordinator there has told the BBC.Toby Lanzer, who is in Bentiu in northern Unity state, said it had been "a devastating week for South Sudan".The UN Security Council on

DHAKA: The ongoing corruption probe is not judicial but political, Turkish interior minister Muammer Güler said Tuesday after attending a ceremony in Ankara.The minister also said those who launched the operation acted as they wanted to and had already decided on the guilt of the

DHAKA: India and Pakistan on Tuesday decided to strengthen border de-escalatory mechanisms, which includes the holding of flag meetings between rival brigade commanders, to ensure the maintenance of ‘sanctity and ceasefire’ on the line of control (LoC).Indian director general of

DHAKA: Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the final pieces were in place for the 2015 launch of an economic union with Belarus and Kazakhstan that Moscow hopes can also be joined by Ukraine.Putin said following talks with Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev and

DHAKA: At least 45,000 South Sudanese civilians have sought protection at badly overstretched UN bases amid brutal fighting that has spread to half of the young nation’s 10 states.The UN said Tuesday, reports TDS.At least 20,000 people are sheltering at two UN bases in the capital Juba,

DHAKA: A Chinese woman had twin girls at the age of 60 following IVF treatment after her only child died, making her possibly the oldest person in the country to give birth.China state media reported on Tuesday, says The Straits Times.The case is extremely unusual in China, which has long

DHAKA: A convoy carrying Iraqi defence minister Saadoun Al-Dulaimi was hit by an roadside bomb Tuesday, but he was unhurt.Iraq officials said, reports CNN.The attack took place on the main road between Fallujah and Ramadi, injuring two of the minister`s security guards, ministry spokesman

DHAKA: The European Union has warned Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to cease his interference in a major corruption probe into high-ranking officials.The Telegraph has reported, says daily Hurriyet.A spokesman for Stefan Füle, the European commissioner for enlargement,

DHAKA: Utility crews rushed to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands of people who faced a Christmas without lights after a messy storm downed power lines throughout eastern Canada and from the Midwest to Maine in the US.Just under 200,000 customers in Canada’s largest city were