AFP, SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un personally signed the order three weeks ago authorising Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test, calling for 2016 to kick off with the “thrilling sound” of a hydrogen bomb explosion. The North said Wednesday it had conducted its first “successful”…

AFP, ISTANBUL: It’s an occasional but regular sighting in Istanbul. Out of the mist on the Bosphorus that divides Europe and Asia looms the hulk of a Russian warship purposefully making its way to the Mediterranean. Most likely the ship is part of Moscow’s so-called “Syria Express”,…

AFP, Islamabad: The Pakistani Taliban has released its first annual report, claiming it killed hundreds of people in 2015, with analysts suggesting its “inflated” figures illustrate the militants’ struggle to demonstrate their capability as security improves. The report, written in…

AFP, BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel came under mounting pressure Wednesday for her welcoming stance toward migrants, which opponents have linked…

AFP, MUSCAT: Oman on Wednesday said it regretted the “unacceptable” attacks on Saudi missions in Iran but did not announce any measures against the Islamic republic, after some Gulf nations downgraded diplomatic ties. The Omani reaction comes four days after protesters torched Riyadh’s…

AFP, Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will be released from prison next month after serving a sentence for possessing weapons supplied by gangsters behind the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, reports said yesterday. The disgraced star will walk free from Yerwada Central Jail in the western state of Maharashtra…

AFP, PARIS: French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published a special edition Wednesday on the eve of the anniversary of a jihadist attack that wiped out most of its staff, prompting protests from the Vatican over a cover lampooning God. In typical Charlie Hebdo fashion, the special edition features…