DHAKA: Pope Francis urged the people of Rome not to let the beauty of their city to blind them to the growing number of homeless, refugees, and unemployed living among them.Pope Francis, who is also the bishop of Rome, has made appeals for people to reach out to the poor in a personal way

DHAKA: Japan’s population fell by a record 244,000 in 2013, according to health ministry estimates released on Wednesday, highlighting concerns over an ever-dwindling workforce supporting a growing number of pensioners.An estimated 1,031,000 babies were born in 2013, down about 6,000

DHAKA: South Sudan`s government and rebels are set for New Year`s Day peace talks in Ethiopia`s capital, Addis Ababa, to thrash out a ceasefire to end weeks of bloodletting in the world`s newest state.Both sides agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday, mediators said, but fighting between

DHAKA: At least 25 people were killed Tuesday when a rocket struck a bus in Syria`s commercial capital of Aleppo, the opposition Aleppo Media Center said.The strike from the government controlled Al-Nayrab military airbase burned all those inside the bus beyond recognition, the center

DHAKA: Celebrations are taking place around the world to mark the start of 2014.People in Auckland, New Zealand, were among the first to celebrate. In Australia, hundreds of thousands gathered for a spectacular firework display around Sydney`s Harbour Bridge.East Asian cities were next to

DHAKA: The world has seen some world famous persons died in 2013. Among others, the death of Nelson Mandela drew the attention of the world. The death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez also include the list. Names of other eminent

DHAKA: The year 2013 is full of many incidents important to politics, business, science and cultural fields. Some of the major incidents that took place in the year and drew people’s attention are listed below for the readers of banglanews24.com.JanuaryPalestine Authority officially

DHAKA: Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh will not announce his resignation at a press conference on Friday, as speculated in some newspapers.Sources in his office said to NDTV.However, senior leaders in his party say he will set the stage for the projection of Rahul Gandhi as the

DHAKA: More than 19,000 people have been displaced by a volcano in Indonesia that has been erupting for months and shot lava into the air nine times overnight.An official said on Tuesday, reports The Straits Times.Mount Sinabung on the western island of Sumatra sent hot rocks and ash

DHAKA: Myanmar on Tuesday announced there were ‘no more political prisoners’ after issuing’a sweeping amnesty order aimed at fulfilling a presidential pledge to free all dissidents by the end of the year.The country has released scores of prisoners of conscience as part of dramatic

DHAKA: As the 74 people on a climate change research ship stuck in the ice in Antarctica readied for New Year`s Eve festivities, authorities revealed plans to send in a rescue helicopter.The Russian-flagged MV Akademik Shokalskiy has not moved in a week since getting stuck in unusually

DHAKA: Israeli authorities have freed a group of 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered agreement to resume direct peace talks.The prisoners were greeted by cheering crowds on their return to the West Bank and Gaza, reports BBC.Israel approved the releases on Saturday, but they

DHAKA: Wagons from a mile-long train carrying crude oil have burst into flames as they derailed after a collision in the US state of North Dakota.A plume of thick black smoke could be seen many miles away and explosions were heard, reports BBC.The incident occurred about a mile outside

DHAKA: At least 10 people have been killed in violence as Iraqi security forces dismantled an anti-government protest camp in the western city of Ramadi.A defence ministry spokesman said local Sunni leaders and clerics had agreed to end the 12-month sit-in peacefully, reports BBC.But

DHAKA: Gunfire has been heard at several locations in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, including the state TV and radio headquarters and the airport.Youths armed with machetes and guns have taken reporters hostage, a police spokesman has told media, reports the BBC.A customs

DHAKA: Saudi Arabia is to give Lebanon’s army a grant of $3bn.Lebanese president Michel Sleiman made the announcement in a televised address after the funeral of a senior Lebanese politician killed in a car bomb attack.He said it would help fight terrorism, reports the BBC.Mohamad

DHAKA: Egyptian police have arrested three journalists working for the Al-Jazeera broadcaster in the capital Cairo.They include the TV network’s Cairo bureau chief Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and former BBC correspondent Peter Greste.The interior ministry said the journalists had held illegal

DHAKA: A ship stranded in East Antarctica since Tuesday remained stuck as the latest rescue efforts were thwarted by fierce winds and poor visibility.An Australian icebreaker trying to reach the Russian scientific mission ship was forced to turn back, reports BBC.Earlier attempts by

DHAKA: At least 15 people have been killed and 23 others hurt in a suspected terrorist attack on a trolleybus in the Russian city of Volgograd, officials say.The blast comes a day after 17 people died in a suicide bombing at the central station in the city, reports BBC.Security has been

DHAKA: The Syrian government has evacuated about 5,000 people from an embattled industrial town near the capital Damascus, where rebels linked to al-Qaeda have been battling government troops for more than two weeks.The evacuation on Sunday comes as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights