A British man who says he is a pharmacist from Birmingham has been detained in Syria on suspicion of being a member of the Islamic State group. Kurdish forces captured Anwar Miah in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour a month ago.  A video of his capture has surfaced on Twitter and shows Mr Miah saying he has lived in ...

America’s ports are fearful that they will be big losers as the escalating trade fight between Washington and Beijing bites into business. The anxiety is that tit-for-tat tariffs between the two economic superpowers will crimp shipments, denting port revenues.   Kurt Nagle, head of the American Association of Port Authorities, called the state of play “concerning,” following the latest back-and-forth ...

The Pakistani army said late Saturday that nine terrorists and seven soldiers were killed in an anti-terrorist operation carried out in North Waziristan district in northwestern part of the country. An army statement said that the security forces killed nine terrorists in clashes when the security forces launched an intelligence-based operation in Gharlamai and Spera Kunar Algad in North Waziristan, ...

Chinese police have solved more than 33,000 cases involving guns and explosives since a campaign against such crimes was staged across the country in February. Over 140,000 illegal guns and a large number of explosives confiscated or turned over to the police were destroyed on Thursday in 146 cities, including Chongqing, Qiqihar, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Kunming.   During the ...

A high-speed rail link has been launched in Hong Kong, connecting the territory with mainland China. The Express Rail Link connects Hong Kong to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in 40 minutes – less than half the time taken by older trains.   Chinese authorities will be able to operate at a joint checkpoint at the station, and on ...

The Maldives has started to vote in a heavily-criticised election that will be closely watched by India and China. The Indian Ocean archipelago is best-known overseas for its clear waters and high-end resorts but its government stands accused of crushing dissent.   President Abdulla Yameen has embraced China, while his opponent, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, is seen as leaning towards India ...

Militants shot dead at least 29 people including women and children in an attack Saturday on an Iranian military parade claimed by the Islamic State group, as Tehran accused a US ally in the region of the assault. The attack in the southwestern city of Ahvaz came as the country marked the anniversary of the start of its 1980-1988 war ...

A US military drone attack in southern Somalia killed 18 al-Shabab fighters after American and local forces on the ground came under attack, the US Africa Command said. The air strike was carried out Friday in self-defence after fighters were “observed manoeuvring on a combined patrol,” while the US also responded with “indirect fire”, a military spokesman said on Saturday. ...

Twitter has told an undisclosed number of users their private messages may have been leaked to third-parties for more than a year.   The software “bug”, which has since been fixed, involved direct messages between users and businesses that offer customer services via Twitter.  Affected users are being notified via a message that appeared when opening the app or logging ...

At least three persons were killed and three others injured in an explosion that ripped through an illegal firecracker factory in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh Saturday, police said. The mishap occurred at the firecracker unit in the state’s Rajahmahendravaram district.   “The blast occurred when fireworks were being made in a thatched house this morning. Three persons ...