DHAKA: The trial of Egypt’s former Islamist president Mohammed Mursi over his escape from prison in 2011 has begun, state media say.He was taken to the court in Cairo by helicopter from a prison in Alexandria, Mena news agency reports, says the BBC.Mursi, Egypt’s first freely-elected

DHAKA: Rahul Gandhi, whose family have dominated post-independence politics in India, forecast an unlikely victory for his beleaguered Congress party in upcoming elections as he gave his first ever television interview on Monday.The 43-year-old, the ruling Congress party’s de facto

DHAKA: When a 39-year-old furniture factory owner named He came down with flu symptoms late last year, he wasn’t worried.According to his family, the man, who worked in Guangdong province in southern China, had always been healthy, reports CNN.Weeks later, He was on a ventilator.

DHAKA: The son of the assassinated former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has called on the country’s authorities to take military action against militant groups.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said politicians must ‘wake up’ to the threat posed by armed groups such as the

DHAKA: The UN Security Council has approved a resolution urging countries to stop paying ransoms to terrorist groups.The UK-drafted resolution is designed to put pressure on governments, reports BBC.The British UN ambassador said al-Qaida-linked groups had made at least $105m (£63m; 77m

DHAKA: Retired defence chief Peter Cosgrove has been nominated as Australia`s next governor-general by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.The ceremonial role, as representative of Queen Elizabeth II, involves opening parliament, giving assent to laws and receiving official visitors.Cosgrove will

DHAKA: Italian police are hunting for a stolen holy relic that contains the blood of Pope John Paul ll.It appears to have been taken during the burglary of a small chapel that was a place of special significance to the late Pope.The church of San Pietro della Ienca lies in an isolated

DHAKA: Radiation levels in and around the Fukushima nuclear power plant are starting to be measured by drones.Special unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been created by Japanese Atomic Energy Agency and the Japanese Space Exploration Agency.The machines are controlled with the use of a

DHAKA: BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Monday called Rahul Gandhi Congress’ prime ministerial candidate in ‘purdah’ (veil), questioning why the party’s campaign centres around him even when he is not the official candidate for the top post.‘...the campaign is centred around one

DHAKA: Ukraine’s main opposition parties said on Monday they were ready to continue talks with president Viktor Yanukovych’s government.The also warned that the patience of protesters in the streets could ‘snap’ at any moment, reports The Straits Times.Opposition leaders said in a

DHAKA: Raymond Weil, founder of the watch brand of the same name and one of the great innovators of the Swiss watch industry, has died at 87.The company said on Monday, reports The Straits Times.He made his name by putting the luxury watch within reach of the pockets of people with style

DHAKA: Egypt’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, has been promoted to the rank of field marshal, the highest in the military.The presidency said on Monday, reports The Straits Times.‘Interim president Adly Mansour issued a

DHAKA: Israeli defence computers were compromised via a malicious email attachment, a computer security firm has revealed.The email was spoofed to look like it had been sent by Israel’s Shin Bet secret service tricking several people into opening it, said Seculert, reports the BBC.The

DHAKA: Paris police say 19 officers were injured and some 250 people detained after a protest against president Francois Hollande’s leadership degenerated into violence.Police said Monday that none of the injuries is critical, reports TDS.The numbers of injured and detentions is high

DHAKA: US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has alleged the National Security Agency engaged in industrial espionage.In an interview with Germany’s ARD TV channel, the former NSA contractor said the agency would spy on big German companies that competed with US firms, reports the

Dhaka: Tunisia`s national assembly has approved the country`s new constitution, three years after the overthrow of the North African country`s long-time ruler Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.Sunday`s vote by an overwhelming majority of assembly members marks another crucial step to getting the

DHAKA: An overcrowded ferry with 45 passengers, most of them tourists, keeled over and sank off Viper Island, 500 metres from the dockyards in Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, killing at least 21 people on Sunday.The diesel-run tourist boat Aqua Marine had covered a distance

DHAKA: At least 21 people have been killed after a boat carrying tourists capsized near Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The deaths have been confirmed by P Jawahar, the deputy commissioner of Nicobar.The boat was travelling between Ross Island and North Bay, P Jawahar said

DHAKA: French leader Francois Hollande on Sunday began a new chapter in his presidency after splitting from his partner of eight years following an affair with a younger actress.Under intense media scrutiny since the revelation of the affair two weeks ago, Hollande, who had pledged a

DHAKA: Egypt’s interim president, Adly Mansour has announced that Egypt will hold a presidential election before parliamentary polls, changing a political ‘road map’ laid down after the army overthrew Mohamed Mursi last summer.The long-expected change could pave the way for the