Amader Brahmanbaria.com

RIYADH: Saudi authorities on Wednesday beheaded a Pakistani man for heroin smuggling, the 13th prisoner from Pakistan to be executed in the kingdom for drug trafficking since mid-October. His beheading in Makkah province brings to 87 the number of Saudis and foreigners executed this year in the Kingdom, according to an AFP tally. Sadruddin Saeedullah Khan was caught smuggling “a ... Read More »

UNITED NATIONS: The Security Council rejected a Palestinian resolution demanding an end to Israeli occupation within three years late Tuesday, a blow to an Arab campaign to get the UN’s most powerful body to take action to achieve an independent state of Palestine. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, had made clear its opposition to the draft resolution, insisting on ... Read More »

As you kick off this month, forget the grand promises you made as your new year’s resolution and commit instead to starting small. We have assembled a list of meaningful yet manageable steps you can take toward a longer, fuller life. Make one of these changes every day and before the month is up you’ll feel like a whole new ... Read More »

LONDON: Brent crude fell to a 5-1/2-year low of less than $57 a barrel as a global supply glut outweighed concerns of lost supply from Libya where battling militias have closed ports. The oil benchmark recovered ground later but was on track for its second weakest month since the global financial crisis of 2008, and traders said the sell-off that ... Read More »

MELBOURNE: The third Test between Australia and India in Melbourne failed to deliver a nail-biting finish on Tuesday but ended with a draw tinged with controversy and the shock retirement of long-serving India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni from Test cricket. The result secured Australia a 2-0 series victory with a match in reserve, but their triumph was quickly overtaken by ... Read More »

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s war crimes court Tuesday sentenced a leading Islamist to death for rape, mass murder and genocide during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. A.T.M. Azharul Islam became the 16th person and the 11th Islamist to be convicted of atrocities by the International Crimes Tribunal, which found him guilty of being a key member of a notorious ... Read More »

MUMBAI: An Indian court dropped charges Tuesday against the president of the Hindu nationalist ruling party, who was accused of ordering the killing of an alleged gangster nearly a decade ago. Human rights activists said those who were shot dead, all Muslims, were victims of a so-called “fake encounter” — a staged gunbattle. “The inference drawn by the CBI (Central ... Read More »

GAZA CITY: The Palestinian consensus government has failed to meet its commitment to rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip, former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has said. Speaking late on Monday shortly after a ministerial delegation from the West Bank arrived in Gaza, Haniyeh accused the government of failing “to keep its commitments, by not carrying out reconstruction, nor unifying institutions ... Read More »

People can now enjoy on smartphones Hadiths (traditions of the Last Prophet, peace be upon him) recorded by Bukhari and Muslim as a new app has been developed by a dawa center in Riyadh. “The new app will enable people hear all Hadiths recorded in the two authentic books,” said Faleh bin Mohammed Al-Saghir, supervisor of the project at the ... Read More »

JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers searching for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people pulled bodies and wreckage from the sea off the coast of Borneo on Tuesday, prompting relatives of those on board watching TV footage to break down in tears. Indonesia AirAsia’s Flight QZ8501, an Airbus A320-200, lost contact with air traffic control early on Sunday during bad weather on a ... Read More »

PARIS: From rapping nuns to fish surgeries, some of the stranger stories from the year just ending: – In February, a California couple out walking their dog struck it rich by unearthing a horde of buried gold coins worth more than $10 million, according to experts. It is believed to be the most valuable treasure trove ever discovered in the ... Read More »

DHAKA: China has offered to sign a free trade agreement with Bangladesh to try to narrow a growing trade gap, the Bangladeshi foreign minister said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the proposal during talks with his counterpart in Dhaka AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE in a move which local exporters described as a “huge development.” “The Chinese minister has offered to ... Read More »

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama isn’t ruling out the possibility the US could one day reopen an embassy in Iran. Obama was asked in an NPR interview whether he could envision opening an embassy there during his final two years in office. Obama replied, “I never say never,” but said ties must be restored in steps. Obama says Iran is different ... Read More »

SYDNEY: Hopes are fading for the release of Australian journalist Peter Greste, who has been in jail in Egypt for a year, after Cairo sent mixed signals about his case, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Monday. Greste, Egyptian-Canadian acting bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohammed were arrested a year ago Monday in a case that ... Read More »

— Which particular aspect of Saudi Arabia you like the most? That it is the land of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah. — What is your favorite and oft-repeated Arabic word? Insha’Allah. — Which book is by your bedside these days?   Mosharaf Hossain, political counselor, Bangladesh Embassy, Riyadh. An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at ... Read More »