1. Sketch of bomb suspect released

    Police in Thailand released a sketch* on August 19 of the man they believe carried out last week’s deadly Bangkok bombing and offered a 1 million baht (US$28,000) reward for help leading to his arrest.

    But apart from the sketch, authorities don’t know the bomber’s motive and his whereabout as of yesterday.

    The sketch was released after grainy security video footage showed the man leaving behind a backpack just 15 minutes before the blast at a popular downtown shrine. Police said the picture was also partly based on a description provided by a motorcycle taxi driver.

    2. IS beheads antiquities scholar

    Islamic State (IS) militants beheaded* an antiquities* scholar in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra and hung his body on a column in a main square of the historic site, Syria’s antiquities chief said on August 18.

    The killing of 81-year-old Khaled Asaad is the latest atrocity* committed by the militant group.

    IS captured the city from government forces in May but is not known to have damaged its Roman-era ruins despite a reputation for destroying artifacts viewed by the militants as idolatrous*.

    3. Russia’s Putin takes dive in submersible

    Russian President Vladimir Putin descended to the bottom of the sea in a submersible*.

    The submersible was launched on August 18 from the port of Sevastopol in Crimea.

    During his plunge below the surface of the Black Sea, Putin saw the recently discovered wreckage of a Byzantine ship on the seabed and spotted several centuries-old relics scattered around it, according to state-run RT.com.

    His trip in the vessel took him to a depth of 83 meters, the website said.

    4. IS claims Cairo building bombing

    A powerful car bomb blast tore through a Cairo police building on August 20, injuring at least 29 people. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

    Six policemen were among those wounded in the explosion, but officials said none of the injuries were life-threatening*.

    Described by a resident as “like an earthquake,” the overnight explosion shook the working-class Shubra district of northern Cairo, severely damaging the front of the police office and shattering the windows of nearby buildings.

    5. Britain reopens embassy in Tehran

    Britain’s foreign secretary reopened his country’s embassy in Tehran on Sunday in a long-awaited step signaling better relations four years after a mob stormed the embassy, forcing its closure.

    Philip Hammond’s trip came five weeks after Britain and five other world powers struck a deal with Iran to end a 13-year dispute over the Islamic republic’s disputed nuclear program.

    He entered the embassy at noon and held a ceremony shortly afterward in its garden with Ajay Sharma, the new charge d’affaires who will be Britain’s top diplomat in Tehran.

    6. ‘Oldest message in a bottle’ received

    A century-old message in a bottle, possibly the oldest ever found, has finally reached its destination.

    Tossed into the North Sea some time between 1904 and 1906, the bottle washed up on the beach on the German island of Amrum and was found by a couple in April. Inside, they found a postcard asking that it be sent to the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom — which they did.

    The bottle was one of some 1,000 released into the North Sea by researcher George Parker Bidder, who later became the association’s president. The bottles were weighed down to float just above the sea bed, and used as part of a study into the movement of sea currents.(SD-Agencies)