The little girl who fled from war-torn Latvia spent more than 50 years in exile - but soon after returning she became president. Not only that, Vaira Vike-Freiberga became the first female head of a former Soviet bloc state, reports BBC.  "My parents never let me forget that I am

An infiltration attempt by the Pakistan Army's Border Action Team (BAT) in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector was foiled by the security forces this week, resulting in the deaths of at least five intruders, the Indian Army said on Saturday evening. The target for the strike was a

Tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and workers have begun leaving the disputed region of Kashmir after local officials issued a security alert and India said it had killed at least five militants who were trying to attack its forces. The Foreign Office yesterday issued new advice

Twenty people have been killed and 26 injured in a mass shooting in the Texas city of El Paso. Governor Greg Abbott described it as "one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas". The massacre happened at a Walmart store near the Cielo Vista Mall, a few miles from the

Indonesian authorities said Saturday that a strong earthquake that hit off Java island killed four people and damaged more than 200 houses, swaying buildings as far away as the capital. The U.S. Geological Survey said Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 quake was centred 151 kilometres (94

Sudan's ruling military council and main opposition coalition have agreed on a constitutional declaration which will pave the way for a new period of transitional government. African Union mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt made the announcement early on Saturday, without giving any

Russian opposition leader Lyubov Sobol is among scores of people detained during an unauthorised Moscow protest. Ms Sobol was in a taxi about to set off for the rally when police officers dragged her into a black van, which swiftly sped off. Protesters are gathering in the Russian

Seven Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh today, police said. The exchange of fire happened at around 6 am in the forest near Sitagota village under Baghnadi police station area, when a team of District Reserve Guard or DRG

An earthquake of magnitude 7 struck off Indonesia's island of Sumatra on Friday (Aug 2), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.  The Indonesian geophysics agency issued a tsunami warning after the quake, which the USGS said had hit at a depth of 59km, about 227km from

DHAKA: Bangladeshi twins who were joined at the head were recovering Friday after Hungarian surgeons performed a marathon 30-hour operation to separate their skulls and brains. The three-year-old twins, named Rabeya and Rukaya, suffered from a rare embryological disorder affecting an

Japan will remove South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners, deepening a bitter row between the two countries. The decision to strike South Korea off its so-called "white list" puts fresh trading restrictions on the country. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday

The US is set to formally withdraw from a nuclear treaty with Russia, raising fears of a new arms race. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987. It banned missiles with ranges between 500

Women in Saudi Arabia can now travel abroad without a male guardian's permission, royal decrees say. Under the new rule announced on Friday, women over the age of 21 can apply for a passport without authorisation from a male guardian. All adults can now apply for a passport and

US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a fresh 10% tariff on another $300bn (£247bn) of Chinese goods, in a sharp escalation of a trade war between the two countries. It came after the latest round of bilateral talks showed little sign of a breakthrough. The new tariffs,

At least 32 people have been killed in an attack on a military parade by Yemen's rebel Houthi movement. The parade in the southern port city of Aden was targeted by missiles and an armed drone, a Houthi-run TV channel says. Aden is the seat of Yemen's internationally

India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has expelled one of its lawmakers after a car crash in which a woman who had accused him of rape was injured. The BJP acted amid outrage over the time taken to expel Kuldeep Sengar, who is in jail awaiting trial and denies the rape

Four people died from dengue in recent weeks, bringing the total number of dengue deaths this year to nine, Singapore Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a recent statement. The four men died between Jun 30 and Jul 16, the authorities said. The

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the triple talaq bill passed by Parliament, making it a law, a government notification said. The bill, which prescribes up to three years imprisonment for Muslim men giving instant triple talaq to their wives, was passed by

Sri Lanka announced it will give free one-month visas on arrival to visitors from nearly 50 countries in its latest effort to revive the island nation’s lucrative tourism industry that was badly hit by the Easter bomb attacks that killed 263 people. Tourism Minister John Amaratunga

The son of al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden, Hamza, has died, according to US intelligence officials. Details of Hamza Bin Laden's place or date of death remain unclear in the anonymously-sourced reports. In February, the US government offered $1m for information leading to his