World

Australia rang in the New Year with a spectacular display of rainbow-coloured fireworks cascading from Sydney Harbour Bridge, as revellers marked the nation’s legalisation of gay marriage amid tight security. About 1.5 million people packed the city’s foreshore to watch the pyrotechnics light up the sky above the historic bridge and the iconic opera house, the first major celebrations worldwide

Damascus, Dec 31: The Syrian authorities on Saturday unearthed around 115 bodies discovered from a mass grave in northern Syria. According to Syria's Sana news agency, the bodies were found in the northern Syrian province of Raqqa. The bodies are of civilians and soldiers killed by the Islamic State (IS) militants, who had been controlling the city before their downfall late this year. The

Washington, Dec 30: An Indian-origin student was shot dead during an attempted armed robbery in the US, becoming one of the latest victims of gun violence in the country. Another Indian was injured in the attack. Arshad Vhora, 19, was shot dead yesterday at the Clark gas station at 142nd and Langley in Dolton in Chicago, CBS News reported. Police said two people were shot during an armed robbery

Lahore, Dec 29: One hundred and forty-five Indian fishermen today crossed the Wagah border into India after Pakistani authorities released them from jail. The Indian fishermen were brought here on a train from Karachi this morning. The Edhi Foundation provided them with cloths and Rs 5,000 each. "We also served them lunch before they crossed the Wagah border into their homeland," Edhi Lahore

Washington, Dec 29: India is facing "very very big" challenges in gender justice, a top UN Women official has said, adding that the government has "prioritised" women's issues in its policies and programmes but there is a need for greater momentum. Lakshmi Puri, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and deputy executive director of UN Women, called for setting up special courts for

Washington, Dec 29: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said China has been “caught” allowing oil into North Korea and said such moves would prevent “a friendly solution” to the crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear program. “Caught RED HANDED – very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to

Islamabad, Dec 28: An impassioned Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has accused former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf of being responsible for his mother Benazir Bhutto's murder. Speaking at a rally to mark the tenth anniversary of Bhutto's murder in the southern Pakistani town of Garhi Khuda Bux on Wednesday, Bilawal led a crowd of thousands in a chant declaring Musharraf "a murderer". Benazir Bhutto

Kabul, Dec 28: A suicide attack on an office of the Afghan Voice news agency and a neighbouring Shia cultural centre in the capital Kabul killed dozens on December 28, officials and witnesses said, with many of the victims students attending a conference. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Interior Ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said at least 40 people had been killed

Dhaka, Dec 27: The first list for repatriation of Rohingya refugees, who entered into Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State, will contain 1,00,000 names. The Dhaka Tribune quoted a Bangladesh government official as saying, "A database containing the names of 850,000 Rohingya refugees has already been created. In the first phase, we will provide them [Myanmar] with a list of

Jerusalem, Dec 26: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Guatemala with a "God bless you" on Monday for deciding to move its embassy to Jerusalem, while the Palestinians said the Central American country was "on the wrong side of history". In an official Facebook post on Sunday, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said he had chosen to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv - siding with