DHAKA: A jihadist group in Syria has publicly executed and crucified eight rebels fighting both president Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the jihadists. A monitor said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times. The report comes amid fierce clashes on the outskirts of Damascus between the

DHAKA: Thailand’s military court has issued an arrest warrant for the spokesman of an anti-coup group over alleged arms offences, an accusation firmly rejected by the former minister. The warrant against Jakrapob Penkair, a prominent member of the ‘red-shirt’ movement affiliated to

DHAKA: Western governments are rushing to visit India’s PM Narendra Modi, drawn by the prospect of multi-billion-dollar deals as the Indian government prepares to open the nascent defence industry to foreign investment. Senior politicians from France, the United States and Britain

DHAKA: Iraqi government forces trying to retake the city of Tikrit from Sunni insurgents have pulled back to a nearby town amid fierce clashes. Reports say, according to the BBC. Government troops launched an assault on the city on Saturday with tanks, armored vehicles and air support.

DHAKA: A Japanese man set himself on fire in central Tokyo on Sunday after giving a speech opposing prime minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to reform the country’s pacifist constitution. Police and reports said, according to The Straits Times. The middle-aged man doused himself in what

DHAKA: A powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the far south Atlantic ocean in the inhospitable South Sandwich Islands region. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on Sunday, reports The Straits Times. The USGS, which monitors quakes worldwide initially said the quake

DHAKA: A 69-year-old Brazilian fan died of heart failure while watching his country's World Cup penalty shootout win over Chile, media reported on Saturday.The man was watching the tense encounter, which Brazil won on spot-kicks after the sides were locked 1-1 after extra-time, in a

DHAKA: Iran is ready to help Iraq fight an armed revolt using the same methods it deployed against opposition forces in Syria, an Iranian general said, suggesting Tehran is offering to take a larger role in battling Sunni militias threatening Baghdad. Iranian leaders to date have said

DHAKA: The death toll in a massive explosion on a state-owned gas pipeline running through southern India has risen to 19, officials said on Sunday, while police confirmed a case of negligence was filed against the company. A senior official from the East Godavari district of Andhra

DHAKA: Saudi King Abdullah on Sunday sharply criticised religious extremists, vowing not to let ‘a handful of terrorists...terrify Muslims’ in a speech marking the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. Islam is ‘religion of unity, fraternity and mutual support’ but

DHAKA: US space agency Nasa sent a saucer-like vehicle high into the sky on Saturday to test technology for a future Mars landing, but its parachute tangled when deployed and the spacecraft splashed into the Pacific Ocean. The test began when the space agency attached its ‘Low-Density

DHAKA: A magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit 167 km east-southeast of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands of Japan on Sunday. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said, reports The Straits Times. Japanese radio NHK said there was no threat of a tsunami. USGS earlier reported the quake was of 6.4

DHAKA: Iraq says it has received the first batch of fighter jets it ordered from Russia to help it as it fights an offensive by Sunni rebels.  The defense ministry said five Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft would enter service in ‘three to four days’, reports the BBC.  The insurgents

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron extended Ramadan greetings to Muslims in Britain and throughout the world observing the holy month of Ramadan.  He said “This is an special time of year for Muslims at home and abroad: a time for charity, for contemplation and community.”

DHAKA: At least 11 people were killed and 28 others wounded in an explosion in a brothel in the northeastern Nigerian city of Bauchi, aljazeera reports.  Suspicion for the blast immediately fell on the Boko Haram group, which has in the past few months targeted several cities across

DHAKA: Nine people died after one of the two towers of an 11-storey under-construction building collapsed near Chennai in India on Saturday. The incident occurred at Moulivakkam near Porur, about 20 km from Chennai. 23 people have been rescued so far and the injured are being admitted

DHAKA: Reacting strongly to reports that China has in its recent map shown Arunachal Pradesh as its territory, India on Saturday said ‘cartographic depiction’ does not change reality on the ground and asserted that Arunachal was an integral part of the country. Asked about recent

DHAKA: China’s top official in charge of Taiwan affairs on Saturday wrapped up a landmark four-day visit to the island which sparked angry protests, forcing him to scrap some engagements. The visit by Zhang Zhijun, the most senior Chinese official ever to visit Taiwan, was a further

DHAKA: Russia put off the maiden launch of its first new space rocket design since Soviet times for a second day on Saturday. RIA news agency said, a fresh blow to the country’s once-pioneering industry, reports The Straits Times. The debut launch of the Angara rocket was first called

DHAKA: China has reportedly commissioned a ‘preliminary research study’ to build an international rail link connecting its border province of Xinjiang to Pakistan, a contentious project from India’s perspective as it runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. China has allocated funds