In the final days leading to his ouster, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad complained to Iran’s foreign minister that Turkey was actively supporting Sunni rebels in their offensive to topple him, two Iranian officials told Reuters this week. Five decades of rule by Assad’s family ended on Sunday when he fled to Moscow, where the government…
In the early days of 2013, an American man, dressed in ragged clothing, dodged between houses in the streets of Damascus’ upscale Mazzeh neighbourhood looking for a civilian to take him to safety after more than five months of captivity in the concrete cells of a local prison. The man, journalist Austin Tice, was taken…
RAIPUR: Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed Centre’s appeal against an order upholding reinstatement of Chhattisgarh-cadre IPS officer Gurjinder Pal Singh, who was compulsorily retired following allegations of sedition, extortion and disproportionate assets.SC noted Singh was subjected to a classic case of political vendetta to settle political scores, and has cleared the path for his reinstatement, his…
NEW DELHI: Bangladesh reported 88 incidents of communal violence targeting minorities, primarily Hindus, since the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina in August, interim government head Muhammad Yunus’ press secretary Shafiqul Alam said on Tuesday. Authorities have arrested 70 individuals in connection with the incidents.The disclosure came a day after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri…
After racing from Lebanon to Syria to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime and making arrangements for his family to follow, 42-year-old Anas Idrees knew what was next on his list of priorities. He ventured into the grand Hamidiyeh Souk in old Damascus until he arrived at the renowned Bakdash ice cream parlour, then…
US officials were pressing on Monday for information about Austin Tice and to secure the release of the American journalist captured in Syria 12 years ago. Washington’s hostage-affairs envoy Roger Carstens was in Beirut as part of intensive efforts to locate Tice, according to the State Department, while White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan…
Syrian rebels declared President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster on Sunday after seizing Damascus, forcing him to flee the country and bringing an end to his family’s decades-long rule. The rebels’ aggressive seizure of Damascus on Sunday capped more than 13 years of brutal civil war. The overthrow was orchestrated by a coalition of rebel forces, including…
After a spate of attacks on minority Hindus, a social media campaign in Bangladesh has called for a ban on the Hindu religious organisation, ISKCON or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The campaign coincides with similar demands by a newspaper editor and allegedly by some radical Islamist groups. An ISKCON temple was among the…