DHAKA: The widow of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said on Wednesday she was still convinced he was poisoned, after French experts ruled out the theory that he had been assassinated.‘I’m still completely convinced that the martyr Arafat did not die a natural death, and I will

DHAKA: Negative feelings in Hong Kong towards mainland Chinese are at their highest for some years, while sentiment about Japanese people remains comparatively warm, a poll shows.The Hong Kong University survey conducted in November showed 31.8 percent of Hong Kong people have

DHAKA: Thailand prime minister Yinlguck Shinawatra returned to her office on Wednesday for the first time in five days but her effort to show that normalcy was returning to Thailand after days of violent protests was upstaged by another rowdy rally at the national police

DHAKA: Russia’s foreign minister says an international deal aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons will in the long run eliminate any need for a missile defence system in Europe.American officials have said the missile defences it wants to install in Europe will

DHAKA: A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has praised Japan for making progress in stabilising the Fukushima nuclear plant.However the team, which has spent 10 days inspecting the plant, also said the process of decommissioning Fukushima is ‘extremely complicated’.It

DHAKA: Americans take a positive view of the interim nuclear accord between the Western powers and Iran, according to poll results reported by the Politico news site.The survey, which was commissioned by a liberal organisation aligned with the Democratic Party, showed that 34 percent of

DHAKA: US vice president Joe Biden told Chinese president Xi Jinping on Wednesday that relations between the two countries must be built on trust.Biden, speaking in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, added that Xi is a candid person, and that candour generates trust which is the basis

DHAKA: Russia wants ‘stability and order’ in neighbouring Ukraine, where protests have erupted over a decision to spurn a trade pact with the European Union.Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev told a visiting Ukrainian official on Wednesday.Medvedev told Ukrainian deputy prime

DHAKA: Turkey’s popularity in the Middle East has dropped sharply over the past two years, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday, reflecting Ankara’s sometimes controversial foreign policy strategy.The biggest decline was registered in Egypt and war-ravaged Syria, where Turkey is

DHAKA: South Africa’s ailing first black president Nelson Mandela is still teaching life lessons and remains a fighter even as he approaches death.His daughter said on Tuesday, reports NDTV.‘Tata (father) is still with us, very strong... very courageous, even, (for) lack of a better

DHAKA: A truck carrying potentially ‘extremely dangerous’ radioactive material intended for medical use has been stolen in Mexico.The UN atomic watchdog said on Wednesday, reports The Straits Times.‘At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded,’ the

DHAKA: The US military has halted its ground cargo shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan because of the risk to drivers after protests over US drone strikes.Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said this would affect outgoing shipments of equipment and other goods from US units on Afghan

DHAKA: Joe Biden should not repeat ‘erroneous remarks’ on China’s new air zone, Chinese state media warned, as the US vice-president arrived in Beijing.Biden is in Beijing for meetings with Chinese president Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang, reports the BBC.His visit to Asia has

DHAKA: A senior commander of the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah has been killed near Beirut, the group says.Hassan Lakkis was ‘assassinated’ near his home in Hadath, 7km south-east of the Lebanese capital, Hezbollah TV channel Al-Manar said, reports the BBC.Hezbollah blamed

DHAKA: The US military has halted its ground cargo shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan because of the risk to drivers after protests over US drone strikes.Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said this would affect outgoing shipments of equipment and other goods from US units on Afghan

DHAKA: A team of French scientists probing the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004 do not believe he was poisoned, according to leaks from their report.They have reportedly concluded he died after a "generalised infection".A previous report by Swiss scientists said tests on

DHAKA: The UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo has started to deploy unarmed surveillance drones to monitor rebel activity near the forested borders with Rwanda and Uganda.This is the first time any UN mission has deployed drones.The first two were launched from the eastern city of

DHAKA: The Thai government said on Tuesday it had ordered police confronting anti-government protesters in the capital, Bangkok, to stand down to avoid violence.‘The protesters said they want to seize government buildings, but the government doesn’t want to see any fighting or

DHAKA: With British prime minister David Cameron in the country on an official visit, a Chinese state-run newspaper on Tuesday labelled Britain a fallen great power worthy now only as a destination for tourists and students.The Global Times editorial appeared as Cameron emphasised the

DHAKA: Nine people were killed and 17 wounded in a suicide and mortar attack on a government compound in the northern Iraqi town of Tarmiya on Tuesday.Iraq police and medics said, reports The Jerusalem Post.One attacker wearing an explosive belt blew himself up at the structure, which