Australia slams UN recommendation to list Great Barrier Reef as ‘in danger’

A UN committee recommendation on Tuesday to add the Great Barrier Reef to a list of “in danger” World Heritage Sites provoked a furious response from the Australian government, which said it had been blindsided by the move which it believed was politically motivated.

Taliban launch major offensives in northern Afghanistan

Taliban insurgents have conducted a wave of offensives in Afghanistan’s north in recent days, moving beyond their southern strongholds as international forces withdraw.

Spain pardons jailed Catalan separatist leaders

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday pardoned all nine Catalan separatist leaders jailed for their role in a failed independence bid in the region in 2017, one of whom reacted with defiance to news of his impending release.

Kashmir leaders to urge India’s Modi to restore region’s autonomy

Kashmiri politicians will urge Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy when they meet him on Thursday for the first talks since he took away the region’s special status two years ago, party officials said.

India hits record number of daily vaccines

Indian states opened mass vaccination sites on Monday at school grounds, auditoriums and other facilities, as the government’s free Covid-19 inoculation drive expanded to anyone over the age of 18.

President-elect Raisi backs nuclear talks, rules out meeting Biden

President-elect Ebrahim Raisi on Monday backed talks between Iran and six world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal but flatly rejected meeting U.S. President Joe Biden, even if Washington removed all sanctions.

Driver crashes into crowd at Pride Parade in Florida

One person died and another was injured after a pickup truck ran into a crowd of spectators at a Pride parade in south Florida on Saturday, local authorities said.

Brazilians protest Bolsonaro’s rule as country hits 500,000 coronavirus deaths

Tens of thousands took to the streets across Brazil, protesting the rule of President Jair Bolsonaro as the country hit the half-a-million Covid-19 deaths mark, blamed on the sloppy government handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Uganda sees first virus case among arriving Olympic teams in Tokyo

A first coronavirus case among arriving athletes has been registered in Tokyo, a month before the start of the Olympic Games.

Israel to send Palestinians 1m Covid-19 vaccine doses

Israel will send at least 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under a deal to share shots, officials said on Friday, in a boost for the Palestinians’ vaccination campaign in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Iran votes for new president ultraconservative tipped to win

Iranians voted Friday in a presidential election in which ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi, is seen as all but certain to coast to victory after all serious rivals were barred from contesting.

Record number of people displaced in 2020: UN

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, more people were displaced worldwide last year than ever before.

UN urged to probe sharing of Rohingya data

The UN improperly collected and shared data from more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, passing it on to Myanmar, the country they fled, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday, urging an investigation.

Biden, Putin upbeat as Geneva summit starts

US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin shook hands in Geneva on Wednesday at the start of their first summit, with both men striking an upbeat tone.

Massed plane incursion near Taiwan, a response to collusion

China does not tolerate foreign forces intervening in Taiwan issues and has to make strong responses to such acts of “collusion”, the government said on Wednesday after the island reported the largest incursion to date of Chinese aircraft.

Presidents to discuss Covid-19, Ukraine, hacking, climate change and ME

When Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden meet in Geneva on Wednesday for their summit, they will discuss a wide range of topics, including Coronavirus, the war in Donbass (Ukraine), and the fight against cybercrime.

NATO adopts tough line on China

NATO leaders warned on Monday that China presents “systemic challenges,” taking a forceful stance towards Beijing in a communique at Joe Biden’s first summit with an alliance that Donald Trump openly disparaged.

‘don’t need foreigners to investigate killings’

President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman says the Philippines won’t cooperate with a planned International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the thousands of deaths that took place during Duterte’s war on drugs.

Head of ‘world’s largest family’, dies in India

A 76-year-old man who had 39 wives and 94 children and was said to be the head of the world’s largest family has died in north east India, the chief minister of his home state said.

French nuclear firm assessing perceived leak at Chinese plant

A French nuclear firm said Monday it was working to resolve a “performance issue” at a plant it part-owns in China’s southern Guangdong province following a US media report of a potential leak there.

Junta trial of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to hear first testimony

The trial of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear its first testimony Monday, more than four months after a military coup ousted her government.

Indian village prays to ‘goddess corona’

Indian villagers have erected a shrine to “goddess corona” and are offering her prayers in the hope that divine intervention can banish the deadly virus.

Chinese market gas explosion kills 12

A gas blast at a market in central China has killed at least 12 and seriously injured another 37, China Central Television reported on Sunday.

Regime shelling kills 12 in northwest Syria: Monitor

Syrian regime shelling on the opposition-held Idlib enclave killed 12 people Thursday, one of the deadliest violations of a 15-month-old ceasefire, a war monitor said.

G7 summit: Focus on pandemic and climate change

Leaders of the Group of Major Industrialized Nations (G7) are meeting on Friday for a summit that is overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Malaysia to deport thousands of undocumented Indonesian migrants

Indonesia is preparing to receive thousands of deportees from Malaysia, a government official said on Friday, amid a crackdown there on undocumented workers and as the country suffers its most severe coronavirus outbreak so far.

Hardline Pakistani cleric detained for threatening Malala

A firebrand Pakistani scholar has been detained for making death threats against Nobel prize laureate Malala Yousafzai over her comments on marriage, officials said Friday.

Macron slapped during trip to southeast France

A bystander slapped French President Emmanuel Macron across the face during a trip to southeast France on Tuesday on the second stop of a nation-wide tour.

At least 15 dead in India sanitiser factory fire

At least 15 people have died after a blaze swept through a sanitiser factory in the western Indian city of Pune on Monday, police said.

Killing of Canadian Muslim family a hate crime - police

Four members of a Canadian Muslim family who were killed on Sunday when a pickup truck which jumped the curb deliberately ran them over. Canadian police said on Monday it was a targeted anti-Islamic hate crime, .