At least 34 people have been killed in the Pakistani commercial hub of Karachi, after a member of the dominant political party in the city was shot dead, police said on Tuesday.

Raza Haider of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was gunned down on Monday along with his bodyguard while attending a funeral, an attack that apparently set off a new round of ethnic and sectarian-related clashes in the city of 18 million.

A section of labour leaders has said at a press conference that Sunday evening's tripartite meeting that apparently settled RMG minimum wage issue was a conspiracy.

Representatives of 13 labour organisations suggested on Monday that those who agreed to the government stipulated pay scale of the garment workers were not the genuine workers' representatives.

Supporters of Pro-metropolitan Juba League convenor Nizamul Islam demonstrated in the city on monday, and allegedly vandalised private property protesting an earlier attack on the leader.

Witnesses said that they vandalised three buses and 10 trucks, injuring two passengers in their attack. It is also alleged that the demonstrators fired a number of bullets.

The Housing and public works department has demolished the illegally built extension of the Ramna Restaurant, in the capital's Ramna Park.

The demolishing started at 10am on Monday morning.

Workers from the housing and public works department began demolishing the illegal portion with sledge hammers and crowbars, in the presence of a magistrate and the police.

If you're trying to bring your blood pressure to a healthy level, a US study suggests that how much you weigh is more important than how fit you are.

As expected, the study of about 35,000 people by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found overweight or obese people were more likely to have a high systolic blood pressure - the top number in a blood pressure reading.

Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh have all been rested for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand that kicks off on Aug 10.

Yuvraj Singh makes a return to the 15-man squad after being dropped for the Asia Cup, the first time he had been omitted since cementing his place, reports Cricinfo.

From Sunday, the costs of telephone calls to most overseas destinations will be reduced, according to the website of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

These lower prices are part of the decision by the BTRC to bring all calls under a single platform - with callers from now on having to dial 00 to make international calls. Callers will no longer be able to make calls using 012 prefix.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has threatened to take stern measures against those responsible for creating unrest in the readymade garment sector.

Her deputy spokesperson Mahbubul Haque Shakil said that the prime minister had said that there would be zero-tolerance for those who create anarchy in the industry.

Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith has said that the government will amend the money laundering act in the next parliamentary session.

The finance minister was briefing journalists after a meeting with the customs, VAT and tax officials at the Chittagong Circuit House on Saturday noon.

The election commission has nothing to do with cancellation of any political party, commissioner Sohul Hossain has told bdnews24.com.

He made the remarks on Saturday following a comment from the law minister, who said that the EC will decide whether to ban a religion-based political party.

A gel containing a prescription drug can sharply reduce HIV infections in women, a study described as groundbreaking by the World Health Organisation showed on Monday.

The gel, containing Gilead Sciences(GILD.O: Quote, Profile, Research) AIDS drug tenofovir, reduced HIV infections in women by 39 percent over two and a half years -- the first time such an approach has protected against sexual transmission of the virus.

The US and South Korean militaries kicked off large exercises on Sunday to underscore deterrence against North Korea after accusing the reclusive communist state of sinking a warship. Pyongyang warned that the drill had pitched the peninsula onto the brink of war.

US naval vessels, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, began the drills by setting off from South Korean ports where they had called last week in a show of force timed with a high-level meeting between the two allies.

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has admitted he is unsure whether Fernando Torres will definitely remain at the club, although he said he was looking forward to working with him if he gets the chance.

Torres has been linked with a move to Premier League champions Chelsea in recent times, but the former Fulham boss is still hoping the Spaniard will stay at the Merseyside club, despite being unable to clarify the situation.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina urged deputy commissioners to work with a mentality of serving the people, pointing out that they are responsible for conveying the situation on the ground to the government so that it can address the issues.

She was speaking at the inauguration of the three-day deputy commissioners' conference at the international conference centre in the prime minister's office on Sunday morning.

The probe committee has identified 11 persons directly involved in the question leak incident related to the recruitment test of assistant teachers for public high schools.

Of them, six persons were Bangladesh Government (BG) Press employees, one Public Service Commission (PSC) official and four outsiders.

Prime minister's energy advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi said on Sunday that the final draft of the national coal policy will be published by the end of the year after taking advice from specialists in the field.

He revealed this in response to a query at a seminar on coal gasification held at the Petrobangla headquarters in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation (Petrobangla) arranged the seminar.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid has ruled out proposals for introducing Union quotas in the recruitment of teachers and the positions in governing boards of educational institutions.

But the minister gave assurances that teachers would be immediately recruited to remove the crisis of teachers in the educational institutions.

Commerce minister Faruk Khan has expressed his concern that there might be an unstable market during Ramadan because of a vested syndicate group.

"The government has taken the appropriate steps to keep the market stable. But some people might plot to make it unstable," he said at a procession arranged by the Rickshaw-Van Workers' League at Bangabandhu Avenue on Sunday afternoon.

Ready-made garment factory owners are not interested in providing more than Tk 2,400 as minimum wage a month against the workers' demand of Tk 5,000, a parliamentary panel has been told.

Considering the owners refusal, the watchdog on the labour and manpower ministry had recommended providing the workers with conveyance, accommodation facilities and other allowances for the poorly-paid workers.

Law minister Shafique Ahmed has urged Muslim marriage officials to be watchful about wrong portrayal of the war crimes trial. He said, "Those who committed heinous crimes like murder, rape, looting and arson during the war of independence in 1971 should not be pardoned."

Speaking at a seminar on the role of registrars in prevention of child marriage, organised by Bangladesh Muslim Marriage Registrar's Council, at BMA community centre in Dhaka on Saturday, the law minister spoke about the government's hyped agenda, while the marriage officials placed their demands.