Father of pilot captured by ISIS pleads for release
AMMAN (Jordan): The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State militants in Syria has pleaded for his son’s release. Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh, speaking to reporters in the Jordanian capital Amman on Thursday, also urged the militants to show “hospitality” toward his... read more »
Chinese city, university ban Christmas celebrations
BEIJING: A Chinese city, which earlier saw demolition of portions of churches, has banned Christmas celebrations. Joining the move is a university in Xian, which has asked students not to celebrate Christmas and other foreign “kitsch” festivals. Both of them are focusing on the... read more »
Tsunami anniversary: Rebuilding lives in Aceh
At first glance, Rina looks like any other 14-year-old Indonesian girl. Shy and cherubic, she’s yet to lose the child-like innocence that comes with the territory of teen-hood. We meet on a Sunday because she’s busy studying for exams. Her father Mustafa tells me Rina is one of the top... read more »
Pakistan was warned about Peshawar school attack in August, says report
Peshawar: Government departments in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province were warned of an imminent attack on the Army Public School months before the carnage unfolded in Peshawar on 16 December. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa home ministry stated that the Taliban commander Khaksar in Orakazi, a part... read more »
