MPs debate holidays for Diwali, Eid in UK

London: British MPs have made a renewed attempt to raise the profile of a long-standing campaign for declaring the festivals of Diwali and Eid public holidays in the UK with a debate in the House of Commons complex.

B’desh court doubles jail term for Khaleda

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia suffered another setback on Tuesday when a court here doubled her jail term to 10 years in a corruption case, piling pressure on the Opposition.

China, UAE agree to further expand ties

Abu Dhabi: Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan agreed with leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to further boost cooperation between the two countries during a three-day visit that concluded on Tuesday.

3 dead as Shias clash with Nigerian forces

Abuja: At least three people were killed when supporters of an imprisoned Shia cleric clashed with security forces during a protest march in Abuja, the Nigerian Army said.The military said troops and police “repelled the attack” by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), who also “fired weapons”, threw stones and Molotov cocktails.

Generals loom large in Brazil’s next govt

Rio De Janeiro: Brazil’s far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is likely to tap Army Generals and an ultra-free-market economist for key roles in his Cabinet. The former Army captain styles himself as an outsider — even though he has spent a long career in Congress — and has mostly sought prospective Ministers with political experience. Bolsonaro, 63, wants to slash the number of ministries from 29 to 15, and has vowed to end the practice of using Cabinet appointments as bargaining chips to build a coalition with other parties.