‘Black fungus’ Declared an epidemic in Jammu & Kashmir as India battles deadly infection

Jammu and Kashmir has become the latest union territory in India to declare black fungus an epidemic, as cases of the coronavirus-linked infection continue to rise.

Forced landing of plane in Belarus ‘state-sponsored hijacking’: Ryanair CEO

The actions of the Belarusian authorities to force Ryanair Flight 4978 to land at Minsk Airport on Sunday were an act of state-sponsored “hijacking” and “piracy,” according to the chief executive of the Irish low-cost airline.

Tension in Jerusalem high but Gaza ceasefire holds

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, referred to by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, reopened for Jewish visitors on Sunday, days after a ceasefire came into force between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

India orders social media: Remove reference to ‘Indian variant’

India’s information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on Friday which was seen by Reuters.

Two Covid shots effective against Indian variant -UK

A double dose of COVID-19 vaccines is almost as effective against the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus first identified in India as it is against Britain’s dominant strain, English health officials said on Saturday.

Israel pummels Hamas tunnel system as diplomats look for truce

Israel’s army on Thursday said it “neutralized” an extensive tunnel system dug by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, keeping up its military offensive as diplomats continued to search for a ceasefire deal.

Spain accuses Morocco of ‘blackmail’ over Ceuta migrant surge

Spain’s defence minister accused Morocco of “blackmail” on Thursday over its passivity in the face of a surge in migrant arrivals in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta earlier this week.

US warship illegally enters territory in S.China Sea: China

China said on Thursday a US warship had illegally entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea, and was expelled by its forces, an assertion the United States denied, in the latest exchange of salvos over Beijing’s claims in the busy waterway.

‘De-escalate today’ Biden in call with Netanyahu

U.S. President Joe Biden prodded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to immediately lower tensions in the Gaza conflict “on the path” to a ceasefire, the White House said.

Nepal, Bangladesh scramble to secure COVID-19

Nepal and Bangladesh are making frantic diplomatic efforts to secure COVID-19 vaccines to prop up their faltering inoculation drives as their stocks run out and supply prospects have become clouded by a prolonged Indian curb on vaccine exports.

Rescuers hunt 51 missing persons after cyclone sinks barge

Naval vessels and aircraft scoured the waters off India’s west coast on Wednesday after the most powerful cyclone in more than two decades battered the region, sinking a barge and killing 22 aboard, authorities said.

Scores missing at sea as cyclone tears up Indian west coast

The Indian Navy mounted a massive air and sea rescue mission on Tuesday for 81 oil workers and crew whose barge sank in heavy seas following a powerful cyclone that tore up the west coast killing at least 19 people.

Thai workers killed in Israel-Palestinian conflict as truce calls mount

Israel bombarded Gaza with air strikes and Palestinian militants resumed cross-border rocket fire on Tuesday after a brief overnight lull during which the U.N. sent a small fuel convoy into the enclave, where it says 52,000 people are now displaced.

India logs record number of Covid deaths as caseload hits 25 million

India became the second country after the United States to report more than 25 million cases of Covid-19 as it registered 263,533 new infections in the past 24 hours on Tuesday.

Calls for ceasefire after Gaza’s deadliest day

Israel killed a senior Palestinian militant commander in heavy air strikes on Gaza on Monday and Islamist groups renewed rocket attacks on Israeli cities despite mounting international calls for a ceasefire.

UFOs spotted daily for ‘A couple of years’: Ex-Navy pilot

A former Navy pilot has claimed that encounters with unidentified flying objects were commonplace during his years of military service, as the US government finalizes a much-anticipated report on such sightings.

Myanmar’s Miss Universe contestant pleads “our people are dying”

Myanmar’s Miss Universe contestant, Thuzar Wint Lwin, used the pageant on Sunday to urge the world to speak out against the military junta, whose security forces have killed hundreds of opponents since it seized power in a Feb. 1 coup.

Israel strikes Gaza from ground and air, escalating offensive

Israel bombarded Gaza with artillery and air strikes on Friday in response to a new barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas-run enclave, intensifying a conflict that has now claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives.

China reports first local COVID-19 cases in more than 3 weeks

Mainland China reported seven new COVID-19 cases on May 13, including its first local transmissions in more than three weeks, the country’s national health authority said on Friday.

India records over 4,000 deaths per day amid clamour for vaccine

India recorded more than 4,000 COVID-19 deaths for a second straight day on Thursday as infections stayed below 400,000, and extended the interval between doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to up to 16 weeks amid a dire shortage of shots in the country.

French court to rule on Air France, Airbus trial

A French court will rule Wednesday whether Air France and Airbus should stand trial over the 2009 crash of a Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight that killed all 228 people on board.

Hamas hits deep in Israel, as Israel pummels Gaza

Hamas launched rockets at Tel Aviv and toward Jerusalem early on Thursday and Israel vowed to keep pummeling Hamas in Gaza.

Scarcity of oxygen: Nepal’s hospitals stop admitting Covid-19 patients

Patients in Nepal are gasping for breath, as authorities said they were facing an acute shortage of medical oxygen due to which 16 people infected with Covid-19 died recently, according to media reports.

Fears of war as Israel-Gaza violence escalates

Israel said it killed 16 members of the Hamas military wing in a Gaza air strike on Wednesday and Palestinian militants rained rockets into Israel as global concern mounted over their most intense hostilities in years.

India’s official Covid-19 death toll passes 250,000

India’s daily Covid-19 death count hit 4,205 on Wednesday, setting a new daily record and taking the total fatalities due to the disease in the country past 250,000.

Myanmar protesters decry arrests, beatings as junta fights for control

Myanmar security forces fired shots and arrested about 30 people at an anti-coup rally in the country’s second-biggest city on Wednesday, witnesses said, as protesters defy a months-long crackdown by a junta struggling to impose order.

India’s seven-day COVID average at new high, WHO issues warning on strain

India’s coronavirus crisis showed scant sign of easing on Tuesday, with a seven-day average of new cases at a record high and international health authorities warning the country’s variant of the virus poses a global concern.

Moscow rejects US ransomware attack claims

Russia on Tuesday rejected US accusations that a Russia-based group was behind a ransomware attack that forced the shutdown of the largest oil pipeline in the eastern United States.

UN calls for greater international pressure on Myanmar’s junta

Thousands of people in Myanmar turned out to protest against the military coup on Tuesday, marking the 100th day of demonstrations despite the violent crackdown by security forces.

Hundreds injured in renewed fighting at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque

Fighting between Israeli security forces and protesters left hundreds injured in clashes prompted by a dispute about access to parts of the Old City and attempts to evict the members of a Palestinian family from their home.