The small park in Bangkok’s Rama III district is mostly popular with runners circling its neatly trimmed garden track to the sound of birdsong. But on Thursday, they were joined by a convoy of fire trucks and half a dozen military drones, drawing dozens of curious onlookers. After an hour setting up, the drones and water cannon were pumping thick… Read more »
A spate of vigilante-style murders of rape suspects in Bangladesh has raised fears of possible extrajudicial killings amid anger over rising rape cases in the South Asian country. At least three rape suspects have been found murdered in the past two weeks with a note hung around their necks confessing their crimes. One of the bodies was found dumped in… Read more »
Pashtun rights activist Gulalai Ismail has been released by the police in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, a day after she was arrested along with 17 others for holding a protest in the city. Ismail’s father Muhammad Ismail told Al Jazeera through a text message late on Wednesday night that she has been released and is on her way home. The other… Read more »
A Chhaupadi or a Menstruation hut once was a part of Nepali culture. The idea of Chhaupadi was to isolate a woman or girl when she was on her menstrual cycle. It’s a small windowless hut that is secluded from the village. While first world countries would say this is an inhumane practice, many cultures in asian Countries use to… Read more »
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, last Shahanshah of Iran, dreamed of a “Great Civilization.” In his pursuit of this, he led a number of reforms, bringing Iran into the modern age while also fostering reverence of Iran’s pre-Islamic past, a time where the Persians had united the world under their rule. His dream, however, did not come to pass under his rule…. Read more »
Tolo News reports, “Russia has agreed to assist Tajikistan in modernizing its armed forces and fortifying its border in light of threats emanating from Afghanistan’s territory, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. The announcement was made following talks between Lavrov and his Tajik counterpart Sirodjiddin Muhriddin in Dushanbe. “We have already began work to provide assistance to our… Read more »
The BBC reports, “Thousands of passengers have been left stranded after air regulators grounded Turkmenistan Airlines for safety reasons. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority said flights from Birmingham and London’s Heathrow to Amritsar, and Heathrow to New Delhi – which fly via Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – had been suspended. The CAA acted after the European Aviation Safety Agency suspended permission for… Read more »
Le Monde reports, “Tout semblait réussir au chanteur pop Hamid Askari. Il se produisait sur scène dans les plus grandes salles du pays, toujours à guichets fermés. Ses albums se vendaient bien. Il avait son lot de fans qui lui demandaient un autographe, partout où il allait. Bref, l’artiste vivait un rêve. Mais un incident, survenu lors de son dernier… Read more »
Sky News reports, “A “large number” of prisoners are to be pardoned in Iran to mark the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Although state TV in Iran has not confirmed the exact figure, previous reports suggested up to 50,000 prisoners would either be released or have their sentences reduced. The ruling was passed by Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei… Read more »
Prime Minister Modi has announced the implementation of a variety of expensive changes to the Indian government. Critics have suggested that such decisions, like extending federal aid to all farmers, is a ploy to gain political support for the upcoming general election. New changes include assisting over 620 million Indian citizens with a basic income of 6,000 rupees, or just… Read more »