Airport in Aleppo closed due to rebel attacks

The international airport in Syria’s second city of Aleppo has been temporarily closed due to repeated attacks by rebel fighters, an official said on Tuesday. The closure of the aviation hub came as regime warplanes... Full story

Delhi gang rape triggers big rush to acquire arms

Indian residents gather to pray for gang-rape student victim during a silent protest in New Delhi on Tuesday. The family of an Indian gang-rape victim said that they would not rest until her killers are hanged as police finalised their investigation before charges are laid against suspects this week. — AFP photo

The horrific attack on Nirbhaya has led to a spurt in requests for gun licences from women. Since December 18, the day the news of the brutal gang rape appeared in newspapers, the licensing department of Delhi Police has received a total of... Full story

Iran blasts Obama for Latin America law

Iran on Tuesday blasted US president Barack Obama for enacting a law aimed at countering Tehran’s alleged influence in Latin America, saying it was an overt intervention in the region. Full story

UN hits DR Congo rebels with sanctions

The UN Security Council slapped an arms embargo Monday on M23 rebels and their alleged Rwandan allies, the FDLR, amid a flare-up of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern region. Full story

Hillary has blood clot close to her brain

Top US diplomat Hillary Clinton was in a New York hospital Tuesday because of a potentially dangerous blood clot near her brain, but doctors said she should make a full recovery. Full story

Thousands march against HK leader

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters take to the streets calling for new Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to step down in Hong Kong on Tuesday. — AFP photo

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong Tuesday, calling for the city’s embattled leader to quit and demanding greater democracy 15 years after it returned to Chinese rule. Organisers have said they expected... Full story

Cannibalism suspected in India tea plantation murders

The police in northeast India said Tuesday they believed workers on a tea plantation who bludgeoned their boss and his wife to death last month also ate parts of their bodies. A crowd of 1,000 workers at the... Full story

Sperm donor offspring call for privacy changes

Hideaki Kato discovered his true identity by accident. During his medical training a decade ago, the now 39-year-old Japanese doctor was performing blood tests on family members when... Full story

North Korean leader seeks end to confrontation with South

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, called for an end to confrontation between the two Koreas, technically still at war in the absence of a peace treaty to end their 1950-53 conflict, in a surprise... Full story

Myanmar leader gives first New Year address

The Myanmar president, Thein Sein, on Tuesday called for ‘mutual trust’ between the ruling regime and the people in his first New Year address since taking power and ushering in sweeping reforms. Full story