Oklahoma gunman who killed four, targeted surgeon

A gunman, who fatally shot five people including himself at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical building after buying an assault-style rifle the same day, had gone to there to kill a doctor who he blamed for back pain he felt after surgery, authorities said on Thursday.

Platinum jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth ii begin

A beaming Queen Elizabeth waved to cheering crowds massed outside Buckingham Palace on Thursday as Britain kicked off four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.

Chinese yuan weakens to 6.7095 against dollar

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi or the yuan, weakened 444 pips to 6.7095 against the US dollar Thursday, according to China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

Shanghai lockdown lifted, but trauma lives on

Shanghai on Wednesday lifted its city-wide lockdown, however, the trauma of the lockdown of the past two months lives on.

Tobacco’s environmental effect is devastating: WHO

The tobacco industry is a far greater threat than many realise. It is one of the world’s biggest polluters, from leaving mountains of waste to driving global warming, the WHO said on Tuesday.

Russian forces advance in factory city

Russian forces on Wednesday pressed closer to the centre of an industrial city in a drive to grab a swathe of eastern Ukraine, while the United States said it would supply advanced rockets to Kyiv to help force Moscow to negotiate an end to the war.

EU not ready to agree Russian oil ban: Leaders

European Union leaders will fail to agree on a Russian oil ban at a summit on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels, leaders said as they arrived, adding that weeks of haggling over the matter were not over even if they were hopeful for a deal later.

Modi to launch scholarship for children orphaned by Covid

India’s federal government will provide educational scholarships, mental health counselling and health insurance to children who have been orphaned by the corona virus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday.

Heavy fighting as Russia advances into Sievierodonetsk

Russian troops have entered the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, according to the regional governor, who described fierce fighting on Monday over the ruins of a city that has become the focus of Moscow’s offensive.

Russia putting ‘all its resources’ to capture Donbas city: Governor

Ukrainian forces endured heavy artillery barrages on Sunday as they held off Russian attempts to capture Sievierodonetsk, the largest city Kyiv still controls in the Luhansk region of the Donbas, Ukrainian officials said.

UN rights envoy defends contentious China visit

The UN rights envoy on Saturday said her contentious visit to China was “not an investigation”, and insisted she had unsupervised access during meetings in Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Pakistan open to buying oil, wheat from Russia

Pakistan is open to importing oil and food products from Russia, the country’s foreign office spokesperson said on Saturday amid US-led Western sanctions against Moscow.

Russia battles to take railroad hub, surrounds major city in east Ukraine

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine captured the centre of the railway hub town of Lyman and encircled most of Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian officials acknowledged on Friday, as Kyiv’s forces fell back in the face of Moscow’s biggest advance for weeks.

UK ministerial code updated to set out possible sanctions for breaches

British ministers who breach the government’s code of conduct will not be expected to resign, an official document published on Friday said with an updated version of the rule book setting out a range of alternative sanctions.

Police face questions over response to Texas school massacre

The gunman in the Texas school massacre barged unchallenged through an unlocked door, then killed 19 children and two teachers while holed up in their classroom for an hour before a tactical team stormed in and killed him, police said on Thursday.

Pakistan’s political upheaval due to domestic factors: UK minister

UK Minister for Armed Forces James Heappey on Wed­nesday said Pakistan’s political uphea­val was because of domestic factors rather than some sinister foreign plot and looked relieved that there was now a convergence of views on international order.

Russian forces reach key highway from Donbas cities

Advancing Russian forces came closer to surrounding Ukrainian troops in the east, briefly seizing positions on the last highway out of a crucial pair of Ukrainian-held cities before being beaten back, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday.

China concerned as UN human rights chief visits Xinjiang region

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who began a six-day official mission to China, has visited remote Xinjiang region, which is home to millions of Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims, who have been subjected to a Chinese government campaign of cultural, linguistic and social control and acts of oppression that governments including the US have termed a genocide.

Kashmir woman honoured for landmark innovation

SRINAGAR: The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind bestowed Nari Shakti Puraskar on Kashmir woman innovator, Nasira Akhter on international women’s day. She was one of the 29 women who bagged the prestigious award.

India-Japan key pillars of stable, secure Indo-Pacific region: PM Modi

India and Japan are key pillars of a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region and their partnership is for peace, stability and prosperity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an op-ed published in a leading Japanese language newspaper on Monday.

Pakistan govt rejects PTI’s demand to hold general elections, decides to complete its tenure

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government on Monday rejected the demands of ousted former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan for holding re-elections in the country, and said that the government will complete its tenure, as per the Pakistan media reports.

Joe Biden, Narendra Modi to discuss Ukraine: NSA Jake Sullivan

The bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of Quad, will include a ’’constructive and straightforward’ dialogue along with a continued discussion on the Ukraine situation.

White House clarifies Biden’s ‘military’ remark on Taiwan

The White House on Monday clarified US President Joe Biden’s statement after Biden said US was ready to use military force to defend Taiwan if necessary.

Russian soldier jailed for life in first war crimes trial

A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia’s invasion.

UN human rights chief begins contentious China visit

The UN human rights chief began a six-day trip to China on Monday that will include the remote Xinjiang region, stirring fears over access and the propaganda value the visit offers to the Chinese Communist Party.

Australia’s Labor to retake power after 9 years

Australia’s Labor Party will form the country’s next government on Monday, as unprecedented support for the Greens and climate-focused independents ended nearly a decade of rule by the conservative coalition.

Ukraine rules out giving Russia land in ceasefire deal

Ukraine ruled out a ceasefire or any territorial concessions to Moscow while Russia stepped up its attack in the eastern Donbas region and stopped sending gas to Finland in its latest response to Western sanctions and its deepening international isolation.

Millions stranded, dozens dead -flooding hits Bangladesh and India

Heavy rains caused widespread flooding in parts of Bangladesh and India, leaving millions stranded and at least 57 dead, officials said Saturday.

After Modi govt slashes fuel rates, Imran Khan praises India for ’not giving in to US

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan heaped praise on India for buying discounted oil from Russia despite “pressure from the US”, saying his government was also working to achieve the same with the help of an independent foreign policy.

Window of opportunity for improvement of Pakistan-India ties: Report

Islamabad [Pakistan]: After decades of exploiting anti-Indian nationalism for partisan interests, there seems to be a window of opportunity for improving the ties between India and Pakistan, said South Asian Democratic Forum members.