China condemns US, Canada for sending warships through Taiwan Strait

The Chinese military on Sunday condemned the United States and Canada for each sending a warship through the Taiwan Strait last week, saying they were threatening peace and stability in the region.

No end in sight to volcanic eruption on La Palma

There’s no immediate end in sight to the volcanic eruption that has caused chaos on the Spanish isle of La Palma since it began about a month ago, the president of the Canary Islands said on Sunday.

Norway killer detained for four weeks as mental health questioned

The man who killed five people in the town of Kongsberg in southern Norway has been remanded in custody for four weeks by a court order issued on Friday.

Blast at Shi’ite mosque in Afghan city of Kandahar kills dozens

A large explosion tore through a Shi’ite mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar killing at least 35 people, the second week in a row that militants bombed Friday prayers and killed dozens of worshippers from the minority sect.

Iran says agreed with EU on Brussels nuclear talks

Iran and the EU agreed Thursday to hold further dialogue in Brussels aimed at resuming talks on a faltering 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic republic and world powers, Tehran said.

Merkel calls for unity in EU, warns of centrifugal forces

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of dividing forces in the European Union and issued a plea for more unity across the continent, speaking at an award ceremony speech in Spain on Thursday.

Hundreds flee as lava spreads on Spain’s La Palma

Around 300 more people fled their homes early on Thursday as flows of molten rock pouring from the Cumbre Vieja volcano threatened to engulf another area on the Spanish island of La Palma.

Norway bow and arrow attack suspect likely radicalized

There were growing indications that an attack that left five people dead and two injured in a small Norwegian town may have had terrorist motives.

Cleric Sadr wins Iraq vote

Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s party was the biggest winner in an Iraqi election on Monday, increasing the number of seats he holds in parliament, according to initial results, officials and a spokesperson for the Sadrist Movement.

Afghan minister: Need more time on girls’ education

Afghanistan’s foreign minister appealed to the world for good relations on Monday but avoided making firm commitments on girls’ education despite international demands to allow all Afghan children to go back to school.

G20 Afghan summit to focus on Humanitarian crisis

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will host a special summit of the Group of 20 major economies on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan, as worries grow about a looming humanitarian disaster following the Taliban’s return to power.

At least 5 Indian soldiers shot dead in Kashmir gun battles

Gun battles breaking out in Indian Kashmir in a mountain pass dividing the disputed Himalayan territory with Pakistan have resulted in the death of at least five soldiers and two militants in the deadliest attack since February.

N.Korea’s Kim calls for improving people’s lives amid ‘grim’ economy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged officials to focus on improving citizens’ lives in the face of a “grim” economic situation, state media reported on Monday, as he marked the anniversary of the country’s ruling party.

German SPD expects to lead new coalition this year as talks deepen

Germany’s Social Democrats began in-depth exploratory coalition talks on Monday with two smaller parties and expressed confidence that the three would form a new government this year following an inconclusive national election.

Taiwan won’t be forced to bow to China: president

Taiwan will keep bolstering its defences to ensure nobody can force them to accept the path China has laid down that offers neither freedom nor democracy, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Sunday, in a riposte to Beijing that its government denounced.

Thousands protest against Tunisia leader

Thousands of Tunisians protested against President Kais Saied’s seizure of almost total power protested in the capital on Sunday as the growing numbers taking to the street in recent weeks has raised the risk of the political crisis unleashing unrest.

Indian minister’s son arrested, for killing farmers

Ashish Mishra, son of junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni, has been arrested on accusations he ran over and killed four protesting farmers last week, a senior police official said.

Suicide bomber kills 46 at Afghanistan mosque

A suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kunduz province on Friday, killing 46 people and wounding more than 140, the state-run Bakhtar news agency said.

Hindus fearful in Indian Kashmir after wave of assassinations

Small groups of militants armed with pistols have carried out a spate of targeted killings in Indian Kashmir, sowing fear among some minority communities, according to security officials and residents.

US special forces secretly training Taiwan’s military: Pentagon official

US special operations forces have been quietly training Taiwanese troops for months, risking the ire of China, a Pentagon official said Thursday.

Pakistan earthquake kills at least 20

At least 20 people were killed and more than 200 injured when an earthquake struck southern Pakistan, Disaster Management Authority Director General Naseer Nasir said on Thursday.

UAE leader ordered phones of ex-wife, lawyers hacked

Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum ordered the phones of his ex-wife and her lawyers to be hacked as part of a “sustained campaign of intimidation and threat” during the custody battle over their children, England’s High Court has ruled.

Biden, Xi plan U.S.-China virtual summit

The United States and China have agreed in principle for their presidents to hold a virtual meeting before the end of the year, a senior U.S. administration official said on Wednesday, after high-level talks aimed at improving communication between the two countries.

‘Massive’ child sex abuse in French Catholic Church

French Catholic clergy sexually abused some 216,000 minors in the seven decades since 1950, a “massive phenomenon” that was covered up for decades by a “veil of silence,” an independent commission said Tuesday.

German Afghan mission cost over 17 billion euros

The 20-year-long mission by German soldiers and development workers in Afghanistan cost more than 17.3 billion euros (20.1 billion dollars), according to official figures.

Indian Court orders compensation payment for Covid death

India’s top court ordered state authorities to pay $672 (50,000 rupees) as compensation for each death caused by Covid-19, as a way to help families cope with the loss, according to its order reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.

Australia’s NSW state premier resigns amid COVID-19 battle

The premier of Australia’s biggest state economy New South Wales (NSW), Gladys Berejiklian, resigned on Friday after a corruption watchdog said it was investigating whether she was involved in conduct that “constituted or involved a breach of public trust”.

Saudi Arabia & Iran may re-establish relations

Riyadh and Tehran may soon formally resume relations severed in 2016. A report said officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran had met this week. The series of contacts were reportedly mediated by the Iraqi government.

Flight carrying Americans from Kabul departs for US

A group of American citizens and lawful permanent residents evacuated to the United Arab Emirates from Afghanistan flew out of the Gulf state bound for the United States on Thursday, the country’s foreign ministry said, after being temporarily held up for vetting.

US, China military, in talks on defence issues: Pentagon

US and Chinese military officials held “frank, in-depth” talks this week on a range of defence issues, the Pentagon said Wednesday, as the countries grapple over their competing interests in the Indo-Pacific region.