A University of Hawaii astronomer has captured the first direct image of a planet forming around a star. Dubbed LkCa 15 b, it is the youngest planet ever found. The university’s Institute for Astronomy said Adam Kraus used telescopes on Mauna Kea island to find the planet. He was working with Michael Ireland from Macquarie [...]

Holders Barcelona made hard work of beating Czech minnows Viktoria Plzen 2-0 in their Champions League Group H clash Wednesday but need just one win to reach the knockout stages. The Catalan giants were near their fluent best in the Nou Camp but wasted a string of chances after midfielder Andres Iniesta put them ahead [...]

Greece is braced for a second day of a general strike and mass protests as parliament takes a final vote on tough new austerity measures. Protesters are gathering outside parliament in Athens, a day after 100,000 people marched against the cuts and police clashed with demonstrators. The measures, including tax hikes and pay cuts, are [...]

The United States believes Iran’s shadowy Quds Force is becoming increasingly aggressive overseas and may be working on other international plots beyond the alleged plan to kill Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington, three U.S. officials told Reuters. U.S. allegations last week of a foiled plot in Washington have escalated tensions between the United States and [...]

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday encouraged Afghanistan’s wary leadership and civic leaders to keep up Taliban reconciliation efforts and boost counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan as the Obama administration presses ahead with troop withdrawal plans. On an unannounced visit to Kabul, Clinton told civic leaders the U.S. would not abandon Afghanistan and [...]

Commercial banks have a good opportunity to make money by injecting more capital into the volatile stockmarket, a top banker said Thursday. “It is a good opportunity to make money from stockmarket as the market is witnessing a downtrend,” K Mahmud Sattar, president of Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB), told reporters after a meeting at [...]

The BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Wednesday accused the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, of being involved in corruption in the Padma Bridge project. ‘The communications minister said who would take action against him for corruption in the Padma Bridge project. He could say this as the person who would take action against him had the [...]

Days after the World Bank suspended funding for the Padma bridge project following allegations of corruption, Malaysia has expressed its willingness to extend loan for the project. A special envoy of the Malaysian government, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, told prime minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting on Thursday that his country is ready to [...]