Moscow / AFP Russian air strikes have killed at least 30 extremists in rebel-held Idlib province in northwestern Syria, the defence ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The strikes, which began on Tuesday, were part of a major operation against extremists in Idlib and Homs which saw the first missions carried out by Russian warplanes taking off from …

  Dhaka / AFP A Bangladesh court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the country’s opposition leader after she failed to appear for a hearing over the date of her birthday. The bizarre controversy, which has been raging for more than a decade, centres on the fact that Khaleda Zia celebrates her birthday on August 15, the day Bangladesh’s former …

  Ankara / AFP Turkish police on Thursday detained the pro-Kurdish co-mayor of the southeastern city of Van in the latest raids targeting municipal chiefs, expanding a widespread crackdown that has sparked international concern. Bekir Kaya was taken into custody as part of a “terror investigation”, the official news agency Anadolu reported, saying he was accused of membership of the outlawed …