US, UK, Australia most expensive destinations for international students

Studying abroad can prove extremely expensive. Tuition fees vary widely across international universities, as do cost of living expenses. According to HSBC, the United States has the highest average annual fees for... Read more »

Afghan government says Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, died in 2013

KABUL, (Afghanistan) — After months of deliberation, Afghan officials announced on Wednesday that they were now certain that the Taliban’s longtime leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, died in Pakistan in 2013. The announcement... Read more »

No freedom of speech for animals: Italian town bans dogs from barking

Dog owners in Italy’s southern province could face a fine of up to 500 euros Dog owners in an Italian town could face a fine of up to 500 euros if their... Read more »

5.1-Magnitude quake rocks Islamabad

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake has struck just outside Islamabad, the U.S. Geological Survey said, killing three people. Residents of the Pakistani capital reported buildings and vehicles shaking after the quake hit at 1:59... Read more »
Nigeria has made a vital step towards being declared polio free, after marking a year without a recorded case.

Nigeria marks a year without polio, hopes high for polio-free Africa

With Nigeria having reached 12-month milestone, Africa will have gone a full year without polio unless Somalia reports a case within the next month Once stigmatized as the world’s polio epicentre, Nigeria... Read more »

Turkey allows US to use key air base to strike ISIS

Turkey has agreed to allow the U.S. military to launch air strikes against Islamic State militants from a U.S. air base in Incirlik, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing defense... Read more »
Blue Mosque in Istanbul during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr. Ozan Kose AFP Photo

Muslims around the world celebrate Eid ul-Fitr

Most Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have declared Friday the first day of Eid, but in POman and Morocco, the holiday will start on Saturday. Millions of Muslims in at... Read more »
hinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in Beijing, capital of China, July 15, 2015. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Chinese president meets Fijian PM in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping held meeting with Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama on Wednesday in Beijing, capital of China, July 15, 2015. Fiji is keen to attach Chinese investment in the IT... Read more »

NASA’s three-billion-mile journey to Pluto reaches iconic encounter

After a decade-long journey through our solar system, New Horizons made its closest approach to Pluto Tuesday, about 7,750 miles above the surface — roughly the same distance from New York to... Read more »
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Akhbar Salehi at the signing of a roadmap for the clarification of past and present issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program in Vienna. Coburg Palace, Vienna, Austria, 14 July 2015.

World leaders welcome landmark Iran nuclear deal

Iran and six world powers have finally concluded an agreement that will lift sanctions on Iran but place strict limits on its nuclear programme for more than a decade. The comprehensive deal on... Read more »
Malala Yousafzai celebrated her birthday and the opening of a new school with "brave and inspiring girls of Syria" in Lebanon on Sunday. Photo: WAEL HAMZEH/EPA /LANDOV

On 18th birthday, Nobel winner Malala opens school for Syrian girls

ebanon — Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrated her 18th birthday in Lebanon on Sunday by opening a school for Syrian refugee girls and called on world... Read more »
Former Saudi Foreign Minister and veteran diplomat Prince Saud al-Faisal dies at the age of 75

Glowing tributes pour in for veteran Saudi diplomat, Prince Saud Al-Faisal

World leaders joined Saudi Arabia on Friday in mourning the demise of the world’s longest-serving foreign minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who passed away on Thursday in Los Angeles. Western and Arab leaders... Read more »

Syria Refugee Crisis worsens as four million forced to flee: UNHCR

With the fighting dragging into its fifth year the number of Syrians who have fled into neighboring countries to escape the civil war has reached more than 4 million and the number... Read more »
The two-week “Talisman Sabre” exercise in the Northern Territory and Queensland involves 30,000 personnel from the US and Australia.

Australia, US kick off massive military exercise in NT and Queensland

United States and Australia started a joint military exercise called ‘Talisman Sabre’ which is set to go on for two weeks in the states of Northern Territory and Queensland. The US and... Read more »

Solar Impulse lands in Hawaii after completing epic flight across the Pacific from Japan

A plane powered by the sun’s rays landed in Hawaii on Friday after a record-breaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan. Pilot Andre Borschberg and his single-seat aircraft landed at... Read more »

Australia and WFP’s new partnership to fight global hunger

Australia-WFP partnership to save lives, improve humanitarian action, and fight the impact of food shortages in the Indo-Pacific Australia has announced to enter into a new partnership with the United Nations World... Read more »
“The AFSPA is like a blank cheque from the government of India to kill innocents like my nephew” said Amin Magray, uncle of 17-year-old killed by troops in April 2003

Amnesty criticises India for not making troops accountable for abuses in Kashmir

“If the army knew that they would be charged and will have to go to court and be prosecuted, they would think ten times before they pull their triggers on an innocent…... Read more »

Britain swelters on hottest July day ever recorded in UK

The UK has seen the hottest July day on record, with temperatures hitting 36.7C (98F). The Met Office said the reading had been registered at Heathrow – breaking the previous record set... Read more »
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki, standing, at a treaty-signing ceremony at the Vatican on Friday. Photo credit: L’Ossservatore Romano via AP

Vatican formally recognizes Palestinian state, Israel irked

Vatican signs first treaty with ‘State of Palestine,’ backs two-state solution VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on Friday signed a treaty with the “state of Palestine,” a development that the church hopes will... Read more »
Emergency workers and partygoers tend to the injured at the Formosa Water Park. Photograph: AP

More than 200 injured in fire at Taiwan’s amusement park

More than 200 people were injured — scores of them seriously — after flammable powder apparently exploded in midair at a recreational water park in Taiwan, the East Asian nation’s official Central... Read more »
Kuwaiti security forces gather outside the Shiite Al-Imam al-Sadeq mosque after it was targeted by a suicide bombing during Friday prayers on June 26, 2015, in Kuwait City. Photo: Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images

More than 80 killed in Terror attacks in four countries

Friday was a banner day for terror groups around the world. Terrorists launched attacks in four countries on an industrial plant in France, a hotel in Tunisia, a mosque in Kuwait, and... Read more »
Roshni Jan, widow of Juma Khan, 38, outside her home. Image by Talal N. Ansari.

Murder in Uniform – Kashmir’s infamous “fake encounter”

Kashmir’s most infamous “fake encounter” leaves five families desperate for justice Kashmiris still live alongside half a million military personnel whom they consider their occupiers; the conflict nears its third decade and... Read more »

EU agrees to launch military mission against migrant smugglers

EU foreign ministers have agreed to launch an operation against networks smuggling people across the Mediterranean. The group also agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia by a further six months. Luxembourg... Read more »

Killer heat wave claims more than 200 lives in Pakistan

An intense heat wave killed more than 200 people in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi, officials said, as the electricity grid crashed during the first days of the Muslim holy month of... Read more »