Eight Killed In Turkish Car Bombing

Fire fighters work in Gaziantep where at least seven people were killed and dozens wounded when a car bomb blew up on August 20, 2012 in the centre of Turkey's south-eastern city of Gaziantep (AFP Photo / Ihlas News Agency)

Eight people have been reported killed and dozens wounded by a bomb attack close to a police station in southeastern Turkey.

Officials said the blast in the town of Gaziantep near the Syrian border on August 20 was caused by a remote-controlled car bomb.

Taliban Claim Infiltration Of Afghan Forces

Members of  terrorist group, Taliban.

The spiritual leader of the Taliban said the group's insurgents have succeeded in foisting the ranks of the Afghan security forces, allowing them to attack their fellow NATO service members. The admission comes amidst a rise in friendly fire attacks.
“Mujahideen have cleverly infiltrated the ranks of the enemy according to the plan given to them last year,”

Ramadan Ends.

Indian Muslims offer prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan during a rain shower at the Kharudin Mosque in Amritsar on Friday, August 17. A three-day festival begins after the sighting of a new crescent moon. During Ramadan, devout Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk.Image credit CNN

Mubarak! Ramadan officially ends today!

China's 'Most Wanted' Gunman Shot And Killed By Police

Mugshots released by Chinese authorities purportedly showing Zhou Kehua between 2005 and 2011. Image credit CNN

A fugitive gunman thought to be behind a string of armed robberies and murders in China dating back to 2004 has been shot and killed following a huge manhunt.
Zhou Kehua one of the country's most wanted criminals was killed by police in the southwestern city of Chongqing on Tuesday morning, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Described as "ruthless and highly dangerous" by Chinese authorities, Zhou became infamous for robbing people while they were drawing money from banks and repeatedly dodging police manhunts.

Thai Politician Accidentally Kills Ex-Wife, Personal Secretary With Uzi

Senator Boonsong Kowawisarat and Uzi used in accidentally killing former wife and personal secretary.

A Thai politician accidentally shot and killed his former wife and personal secretary with a submachine gun in a restaurant in northern Thailand, local police said Monday.
Senator Boonsong Kowawisarat was dining with Chanakarn Detkard and four others on Sunday when he took out an Uzi 9mm sub-machine gun, police said.
"Senator Boonsong's gun was accidentally fired off while he was trying to keep his pistol into its case. The shot went straight into his secretary who was having dinner," Police Lt. Colonel Choosak Pulsawat told reporters.

At Least 50 Feared Dead In Iran Earthquakes

Two earthquakes hit the city of Tabriz, Iran . (File)

At least 50 people died and another 400 were injured in two strong earthquakes that jolted northwestern Iran Saturday near the city of Tabriz, the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency said.

The first earthquake, a magnitude 6.4, hit at 4:53 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Just minutes later a second quake, measuring 6.3, struck.

41 Killed In India When Bus Plummets 200 Feet Into Gorge.

The mangled remains of the bus that plummeted in the gorge in India's Himachal Pradesh state. 

At least 41 passengers were killed and 17 seriously injured Saturday when a bus plunged into a gorge in India's mountainous Himachal Pradesh state, authorities said.
The wreck occurred around 8.45 a.m. in the northern province's Chamba district, officials said.

Iraq oil production surpasses Iran.

A ship is connected to the Basra Oil Terminal twelve nautical miles off the Iraqi coast in the waters of the Northern Persian Gulf close to the port town of Umm Qasr. Image credit CNN

 In a CNN report, oil production in Iraq surpassed that of its regional rival Iran last month, highlighting the impact of continued investment in Iraq and Western sanctions on Iran.
Iraqi oil production inched over the 3 million barrel a day mark in July, according to numbers released Friday by the International Energy Agency. That's 300,000 barrels per day higher than the country's average output in 2011.

IEA said much of July's increase was due to the opening of a new offshore tanker-loading facility in the Persian Gulf.
Oil production in the country has been slowly but steadily climbing since the end of the war as the Iraqi government and partners such as Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500), BP (BP), Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) and Total (TOT) work to repair existing fields and hunt for new sources.

13 Dead As Lightning Strikes Makeshift Mosque in Bangladesh

Lightning strikes during a storm has left 13 dead and several wounded in Bangladesh. 

In a report by CNN, at least 13 people were killed and 20 wounded when lightning struck a makeshift mosque in a remote village in northeast Bangladesh on Friday, police said.
The lightning strike occurred as people gathered for a special evening prayer known as taraweeh that is conducted during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Syrian Troops Crush Rebels In Key Aleppo District.

Syrian gunman fires shots into the air during funeral of war veteran killed in Aleppo clash.

Syrian troops and rebels clashed on Friday in the city of Aleppo, where several people died when a shell crashed into a bakery as hundreds of residents queued for bread, AFP correspondents said.
They said around a dozen people, including three children, were killed and 20 wounded at the bakery in the eastern Tariq al-Bab district of the increasingly desperate city.
And troops repelled a rebel attack on Aleppo's international airport, state news agency SANA reported. "Mercenary terrorists" had tried to attack it but the "army hit back and killed most of them."
In the latest clashes, Aleppo's historic Citadel, part of a UNESCO-listed world heritage site, was heavily damaged by bombing, the opposition said.

Nine Alleged To Help Teenager Sell Kidney For Iphone And Ipad.

It is alleged that nine people helped a teenager to sell one of his kidneys so he could buy an iPhone and an iPad.

In a report by CNN, Nine people went on trial in southern China over allegations they helped a teenager to sell one of his kidneys so he could buy an iPhone and an iPad, a court in Hunan Province said Friday.
Prosecutors said in court Thursday that the nine people "should be held criminally liable for intentional injury," the court in the province's Beihu District said in a statement Friday.
The 17-year-old high school student from Anhui Province -- who was referred to only buy his surname, Wang -- suffered renal failure after the kidney was removed in April 2011, according Xinhua.

South Korea's President, Lee Myung-Bak Visits Disputed Island.

Lee Myung-bak would be the first South Korean leader to visit the islands. image Credit BBC

In a report by BBC, South Korea's president is visiting islands also claimed by Japan, in a move set to raise diplomatic tensions.

Lee Myung-bak flew to the islands, which are known as Dokdo in South Korea and as Takeshima in Japan.

A Kyodo news agency report said Japan had recalled its ambassador from South Korea.

Both South Korea and Japan say they have a historical claim to the islands, and the issue has been a long-standing thorn in relations.

The islands, which are roughly equidistant from the two countries, are small but lie in fishing grounds which could also contain large gas deposits.


South Korea has stationed a small coastguard detachment on the islands since 1954.

Mr Lee is the first South Korean president to visit them. Then Prime Minister Han Seung-soo visited in 2008, sparking a row with Japan.


The visit was announced by Mr Lee's spokeswoman early on Friday.

The South Korean president was first due to visit Ulleung Island before flying on by helicopter to the disputed area, his spokeswoman said.

Reports from Japan said the government had both recalled its own envoy and summoned the South Korean ambassador in Tokyo.

Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said he had "no understanding" of why Mr Lee had decided to visit the islands at this time.

"I strongly protested to the ambassador and I told him that our countries' leaders have agreed we should manage relations from a wider perspective," he said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the country's military had stepped up security in the area ahead of the visit.

Mr Lee's visit comes with the two countries' football teams due to play off for the Olympic bronze medal later in the day.

It also comes shortly before South Korea marks the anniversary of the end of Japanese colonial rule.

The issue has flared sporadically in recent years amid lingering antipathy between the two nations over historical issues.

Last month, Japan filed a formal diplomatic protest with South Korea after a man rammed his truck against the gate of its embassy in Seoul to protest against Japan's claim to the islands.

In 2008 South Korea withdrew its ambassador to Japan after a book for Japanese teachers reportedly said Japan owned the islands.