BBC: In 17th Century Europe, when Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens painted their famous masterworks, ultramarine blue pigment made from the semi-precious lapis lazuli stone was mined far away in Afghanistan and cost more than its weight in gold. Only the most illustrious painters were allowed to use the costly material, while…
Xinhua: Kim Yong Chun, marshal of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), died of disease Thursday at the age of 82, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Friday. Kim, who is also a member of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), deputy to…
M Humayun Kabir: For-mer cricket star PTI Chief Imran Khan has been elected the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan. Khan won with 176 seats while his opponent, PML-N’s Shahbaz Sharif, secured 96 votes in the polling that took place in the National Assembly yesterday, reports BBC, Dawn. His PTI party won the most seats in…
NDTV: China has ordered the world’s top pork producer, WH Group Ltd, to shut a major slaughterhouse as authorities race to stop the spread of deadly African swine fever (ASF) after a second outbreak in the planet’s biggest hog herd in two weeks. The discovery of infected pigs in Zhengzhou city, in central Henan province,…
Kabir Humayun: Small entrepreneur Faria Mahjabin, who was arrested from Dhaka over inciting recent student protests through rumour, has been placed on a three-day remand. Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Mainuddin Siddiqui passed the order yesterday, reports The Daily Star. Earlier in the day, Inspector Majedul Islam of Hazaribagh Police Station placed her before the court with…
Halima Akter: Vegetables might help from protect you from cancer. A team at the Francis crick institute discovered a chemical produced by eating certain vegetables that might hold a key to suppressing cancer. Some vegetables contain aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhR), a molecule that helps our gut from inflaming. Gut inflammation is a common contributor to…
NDTV: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attacked “hostile forces” over “brigandish” sanctions, state media reported Friday, as Washington seeks to maintain pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear programme. Kim and US President Donald Trump held a groundbreaking summit in Singapore in June, which the US leader touted as a historic breakthrough. But there has…
AFP: Nepal introduced a new criminal code on Friday (Aug 17) that makes sharing confidential information a jailable offence, sparking concerns among journalists that the laws could be used to muzzle the press. Media have warned that the Communist-led government, which has shown an increasing intolerance for dissent, could use the vaguely worded code to…
Xinhua: The official visit by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to China, which starts Friday, will open up new prospects for bilateral ties between the two countries, said Bai Tian, the Chinese ambassador to Malaysia. In an article published on local media Friday, Bai said Mahathir visits China “not only as the incumbent prime minister…
Banglanews24: The baby girl of ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is now a school-going toddler. Alayna Hasan Aubrey, daughter of Shakib Al Hasan and Ummey Ahmed Shishir, was born on November 9, 2015. Her ability to learn things quickly has taken over the internet. Thursday (August 16) came with proud moments for Shakib-Shishir as their…