Amid the rising tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenia has expressed its readiness to work with international mediators. Watch report.

Armenia calls for truce with Azerbaijan: Nearly 200 people dead in clashes

Armenia: Ready to work with mediators for ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Turkey of sending 'jihadist' to fight in the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict.

Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes rage as Macron denounces ‘jihadist’ deployment

The heavy fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia has entered its sixth day as dozens have died and unspecified numbers wounded as the two Caucasian countries battle for the historically disputed separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Watch report.

Day 6 of Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes: Hundreds killed dozens wounded

The heavy fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia has entered its fifth day as dozens have died and unspecified numbers wounded as the two Caucasian countries battle for the historically disputed separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Watch report.

Day 5 of Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes: Hundreds killed dozens wounded

Addressing the nation on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged citizens to be an inspiration for one another and stay resolved in this battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

Indian PM Narendra Modi urges citizens to be an inspiration for one another

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning addresses the nation on Buddha Purnima. Watch this video to know more.

Indian PM Narendra Modi addresses nation on Buddha Purnima

A Canadian citizen was one of the masterminds behind a mass killing at a Dhaka cafe, Bangladesh police said on Saturday, after new information came to light following a raid on an extremist hideout. 
 
Tamim Chowdhury, whose whereabouts are unknown, returned to Bangladesh from Canada three years ago. He has since led and financed efforts to radicalise young Muslims, officers with knowledge of a probe into recent attacks told AFP. 
 
The dual Canadian-Bangladeshi national, in his early 30s, is thought by counter-terrorism officials to lead a faction of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant group, blamed for scores of murders of foreigners and religious minorities. 
 
Five assailants stormed an upscale cafe in Dhaka&#39;s Gulshan neighbourhood on July 1 and killed 20 hostages, including 18 foreigners in Bangladesh&#39;s deadliest single militant attack.&nbsp;A week later, gunmen attacked an Eid prayer gathering of 250,000 people held to mark the end of Ramadan, killing three. 
 
&quot;So far what we learnt is that Tamim Chowdhury is one of the masterminds of the attacks of Gulshan cafe and Sholakia Eid prayer ground,&quot; an officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. 
 
&quot;He trained the extremists behind the two attacks and the nine extremists killed at Kalyanpur,&quot; the officer said, referring to a shoot-out by police at a flat used as an extremist hideout on Tuesday.&nbsp;He added that Chowdhury &quot;has been working to radicalise&quot; young Muslims. 
 
Another senior police officer told AFP that Chowdhury&#39;s role in fostering extremism was revealed during the interrogation of Rakibul Hasan, 25, who was arrested in the raid on the hideout. 
 
According to a police first information report into the raid, seen by AFP, Chowdhury and others gave him and the nine militants killed in the raid &quot;money, explosives and weapons&quot; and &quot;trained and advised&quot; them. 
 
Hasan told police during the interrogation that Chowdhury &quot;used to visit the extremists&#39; flat and give them necessary funds and encourage them by talking about jihad and religious issues,&quot; the report said. 
 
Authorities blame the JMB militant group for the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka and the assault on the Eid gathering.&nbsp;However, the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, releasing photos of the carnage and of extremists posing with the group&#39;s flag. 
 
Arrested extremist Hasan told police the group busted in the raid were members of IS, with officers recovering its signature black flags and robes from their hideout.&nbsp;But the national police chief A K M Shahidul Hoque has rejected that claim, asserting that they were members of the banned JMB. 
 
Another senior officer told AFP that foreign intelligence agencies sounded alarm bells on Chowdhury&#39;s extremist activities a year ago.&nbsp;Police are investigating whether the JMB faction allegedly led by Chowdhury has any ties with IS. 
 
(AFP)

Tamim Chowdhury's role supplying 'money, explosives and weapons' was revealed while interrogating a fellow militant arrested in a raid

A Canadian citizen was one of the masterminds behind a mass killing at a Dhaka cafe, Bangladesh police said on Saturday, after new information came to light following a raid on an extremist hideout. Tamim Chowdhury, whose whereabouts are unknown, returned to Bangladesh from Canada three years ago. He has since led and financed efforts to radicalise young Muslims, officers with knowledge of a probe into recent attacks told AFP. The dual Canadian-Bangladeshi national, in his early 30s, is thought by counter-terrorism officials to lead a faction of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant group, blamed for scores of murders of foreigners and religious minorities. Five assailants stormed an upscale cafe in Dhaka's Gulshan neighbourhood on July 1 and killed 20 hostages, including 18 foreigners in Bangladesh's deadliest single militant attack. A week later, gunmen attacked an Eid prayer gathering of 250,000 people held to mark the end of Ramadan, killing three. "So far what we learnt is that Tamim Chowdhury is one of the masterminds of the attacks of Gulshan cafe and Sholakia Eid prayer ground," an officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. "He trained the extremists behind the two attacks and the nine extremists killed at Kalyanpur," the officer said, referring to a shoot-out by police at a flat used as an extremist hideout on Tuesday. He added that Chowdhury "has been working to radicalise" young Muslims. Another senior police officer told AFP that Chowdhury's role in fostering extremism was revealed during the interrogation of Rakibul Hasan, 25, who was arrested in the raid on the hideout. According to a police first information report into the raid, seen by AFP, Chowdhury and others gave him and the nine militants killed in the raid "money, explosives and weapons" and "trained and advised" them. Hasan told police during the interrogation that Chowdhury "used to visit the extremists' flat and give them necessary funds and encourage them by talking about jihad and religious issues," the report said. Authorities blame the JMB militant group for the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka and the assault on the Eid gathering. However, the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, releasing photos of the carnage and of extremists posing with the group's flag. Arrested extremist Hasan told police the group busted in the raid were members of IS, with officers recovering its signature black flags and robes from their hideout. But the national police chief A K M Shahidul Hoque has rejected that claim, asserting that they were members of the banned JMB. Another senior officer told AFP that foreign intelligence agencies sounded alarm bells on Chowdhury's extremist activities a year ago. Police are investigating whether the JMB faction allegedly led by Chowdhury has any ties with IS. (AFP)

Canadian citizen confirmed mastermind behind Dhaka siege

The latest outbreak of Ebola in Guinea has ended, the World Health Organization said today, warning that a recurrence of the killer tropical disease still remained a threat.&nbsp; 
The last known Ebola patient in the west African country was discharged from hospital in April.&nbsp; 
WHO has declared the end to an outbreak, also known as the end to viral transmission, 42 days after the last known patient was tested negative for the second time.&nbsp; 
&quot;WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on ending this Ebola outbreak,&quot; said Abou Bekr Gaye, the UN agency`s representative in Guinea.&nbsp; 
He called for vigilance to &quot;stop any new cases that may occur.&quot; 
In the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola crisis -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- fresh cases emerged after an outbreak was declared over.&nbsp; 
The worst-ever Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in December 2013 and went on to kill more than 11,300 people, devastating economies and health systems in the worst affected countries, while testing the world`s capacity to respond to a global health emergency.&nbsp;

An outbreak of Ebola virus in Guinea, which was earlier confined to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, was the first ever outbreak in a west African country. Since March 2014, West Africa has had the largest outbreak in history, with countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea being the worst affected.

The latest outbreak of Ebola in Guinea has ended, the World Health Organization said today, warning that a recurrence of the killer tropical disease still remained a threat. The last known Ebola patient in the west African country was discharged from hospital in April. WHO has declared the end to an outbreak, also known as the end to viral transmission, 42 days after the last known patient was tested negative for the second time. "WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on ending this Ebola outbreak," said Abou Bekr Gaye, the UN agency`s representative in Guinea. He called for vigilance to "stop any new cases that may occur." In the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola crisis -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- fresh cases emerged after an outbreak was declared over. The worst-ever Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in December 2013 and went on to kill more than 11,300 people, devastating economies and health systems in the worst affected countries, while testing the world`s capacity to respond to a global health emergency.

Latest Ebola outbreak in Guinea is over: WHO

The band Maroon 5 is cancelling concerts planned in North Carolina, the latest musical act to take a stand against a state law on bathroom use that has been criticized as discriminatory against transgender people.

&quot;This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band,&quot; the American pop rock group said on its website on Friday.

&quot;We don&rsquo;t want to penalize our fans in North Carolina by not performing for them, but in the end it comes down to what we feel is morally right AS WE FEEL EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY.&quot;

With a law passed in March, North Carolina became the first state in the country to require transgender people to use multiple-occupancy public restrooms and changing facilities that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity.

The law, approved by the Republican-led legislature in a one-day special session, also blocks local governments from passing anti-discrimination ordinances that include protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

It has sparked lawsuits by both supporters and opponents of the law, and a mounting backlash from corporations, conventions, tourists and entertainers. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department asked a federal district court to declare that the state is violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

On Tuesday, renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman also backed out of a scheduled performance in North Carolina in protest of the law. Other performers who have canceled shows in the state include Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Boston, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr and the group Cirque du Soleil.

The upcoming shows by Maroon 5, known for hits such as &ldquo;Moves Like Jagger,&rdquo; were to be held in Raleigh and Charlotte. The band&#39;s decision drew praise and criticism from fans posting comments on its website.

&quot;You shouldn&#39;t punish your fans who have no control over the politics!&quot; one post said.

Republican Governor Pat McCrory&#39;s campaign spokesman Ricky Diaz questioned the timing of the band&#39;s &quot;political statement.&quot; McCrory is up for re-election in November.

&quot;At this point, the only people they are hurting by hypocritically targeting North Carolina for selective outrage are their fans and the hardworking men and women servicing these shows while they keep tour dates overseas &ndash; even in Russia,&quot; Diaz said in a statement.

The band Maroon 5 is cancelling concerts planned in North Carolina, the latest musical act to take a stand against a state law on bathroom use that has been criticized as discriminatory against transgender people.

The band Maroon 5 is cancelling concerts planned in North Carolina, the latest musical act to take a stand against a state law on bathroom use that has been criticized as discriminatory against transgender people. "This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band," the American pop rock group said on its website on Friday. "We don’t want to penalize our fans in North Carolina by not performing for them, but in the end it comes down to what we feel is morally right AS WE FEEL EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY." With a law passed in March, North Carolina became the first state in the country to require transgender people to use multiple-occupancy public restrooms and changing facilities that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity. The law, approved by the Republican-led legislature in a one-day special session, also blocks local governments from passing anti-discrimination ordinances that include protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation. It has sparked lawsuits by both supporters and opponents of the law, and a mounting backlash from corporations, conventions, tourists and entertainers. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department asked a federal district court to declare that the state is violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act. On Tuesday, renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman also backed out of a scheduled performance in North Carolina in protest of the law. Other performers who have canceled shows in the state include Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Boston, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr and the group Cirque du Soleil. The upcoming shows by Maroon 5, known for hits such as “Moves Like Jagger,” were to be held in Raleigh and Charlotte. The band's decision drew praise and criticism from fans posting comments on its website. "You shouldn't punish your fans who have no control over the politics!" one post said. Republican Governor Pat McCrory's campaign spokesman Ricky Diaz questioned the timing of the band's "political statement." McCrory is up for re-election in November. "At this point, the only people they are hurting by hypocritically targeting North Carolina for selective outrage are their fans and the hardworking men and women servicing these shows while they keep tour dates overseas – even in Russia," Diaz said in a statement.

Maroon 5 cancels shows in North Carolina in protest against transgender bathroom law

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