DHAKA: Direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority could resume later this week.A senior Ramallah official told Israel Radio on Monday, reports The Jerusalem Post.The official said that despite the resignation of Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and his

DHAKA: Germany’s top parties, in talks on forming a government, agreed on Monday to a binding boardroom quota for women intended to fix a big gender imbalance in business.Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and their likely coalition partners, the Social

DHAKA: South Africa president Jacob Zuma visited former president Nelson Mandela at his Houghton home in Johannesburg on Monday, the presidency said.‘The health of the former president remains much the same as it was when President Zuma last visited him, which is stable but critical,

DHAKA: Iran on Monday unveiled a missile-equipped drone with a range of 2,000 kilometres.Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported, says The Straits Times.‘The Fotros drone has an operational range of 2,000 kilometres and can fly at an altitude of 25,000 feet, with a flight time of 16

DHAKA: Jordan has formally submitted a bid for a two-year seat on the UN Security Council, officials said on Monday, after its ally Saudi Arabia rejected the position partly in protest over international failure to end Syria’s civil war.Jordan, which closely follows regional heavyweight

DHAKA: A suicide bomber blew himself up during a Shia Muslim religious ritual in the eastern Iraqi city of al-Sadiya November 14, killing at least 30 people and wounding 67, a senior local official and police said.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came on

DHAKA: Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe has left for an Arab-African summit in Kuwait, state media said on Thursday, adding that he will also stop over in Singapore, where he normally goes for medical treatment.He flew out of the country on Wednesday, heading to Singapore ahead of the

DHAKA: Washington has expressed concerns over the declaration of a constituent assembly by Syrian Kurds as a self-declared ‘first step’ toward an interim administration in the northern parts of the war-torn country.‘We are concerned over the reports on efforts to declare an

DHAKA: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday his militant Shia group would stay in Syria for as long as necessary.Hezbollah has been fighting alongside president Bashar Assad’s forces in Syria’s civil war.‘As long as the reasons (to fight in Syria) remain, our

DHAKA: Turkey’s parliament has lifted a ban on women lawmakers wearing trousers in the assembly, in a further liberalisation of dress rules following a landmark decision to allow female deputies to wear the Islamic headscarf.A deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party

DHAKA: At least three people were killed and five injured when a blast thought to be from an oxygen tank tore through a dozen buildings in a province near Bangkok on Thursday.Thai police said, reports gulfnews.com.Police said the incident was believed to have happened when customers

DHAKA: German jihadists are heading for Syria in increasing numbers, unencumbered by travel formalities and able to integrate quickly into foreign militant groups where Arabic is not needed.The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence said, reports gulfnews.com.Hans-Georg Maassen, head

DHAKA: India’s Mahabodhi temple, one of the world’s holiest Buddhist shrines, is to have its dome inlaid with 300kg of gold donated by Thailand’s king and other devotees.Officials said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.The precious metal arrived on Monday on a special flight

DHAKA: Egypt’s foreign minister sought to downplay speculation of a major shift in his country’s foreign policy, saying during a top-level Russian visit on Thursday that Moscow was too important to be a substitute for the United States as Cairo’s key ally and backer.The remarks by

DHAKA: A suicide bomber struck a Shia Muslim procession north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 15 worshippers and wounding 65, security and medical officials said.The attack, north of the restive Diyala provincial capital Baquba, came as Shia marked the climax of Ashura, one of

DHAKA: One of the world`s most valuable collections of jewels, dedicated to the patron saint of Naples, has gone on show in an unprecedented exhibition.The treasure of San Gennaro is said to rival Britain`s Crown Jewels and those of the Russian czars in value.The 70 pieces were

DHAKA: Thousands of Syrian civilians have finally been allowed to leave the besieged Damascus suburb of Moadamiya.The BBC`s Lyse Doucet, who was at the scene, describes a tide of desperate people leaving the area, which has been closed off since March.Supplies in Moadamiya had been

DHAKA: Israel has released the second of four batches of 26 Palestinian prisoners, as part of a deal for the resumption of peace talks.Five prisoners were released in Gaza, while the other 21 were sent to the West Bank.Those freed were all convicted of murders and had spent between 19 and

DHAKA: The head of US intelligence has told lawmakers that discerning foreign leaders` intentions is a key goal of the nation`s spying operations.Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said such efforts were a "top tenet" of US intelligence policy.But he told the intelligence

DHAKA: At least 40 people died when a bus headed from India’s Bangalore to Hyderabad went up in flames early Wednesday.The driver, cleaner, and five passengers managed to escape in the accident that took place at Mahubnagar, 150 kms from the IT hub of Hyderabad.The driver has told the