India changes controversial land laws in disputed Kashmir

India has amended a law in Jammu and Kashmir allowing Indian citizens to buy land in the disputed territory, said officials, sparking opposition criticism about a steady erosion of the rights of Kashmiri people.

India and US sign key defence pact as Pompeo eyes China

India and the United States signed a key military pact and agreed on boosting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region during talks between their top foreign affairs and defence officials in New Delhi Tuesday.

Italy hit by more violent protests against coronavirus restrictions

Protests against the Italian government’s anti-coronavirus restrictions have spread across the country, with violent incidents overnight to Tuesday in Milan and Turin.

Outcry grows in Middle East over French defence of Mohammed cartoons

An outcry against France has escalated in the Middle East over cartoons of Islam’s prophet Mohammed, deemed offensive by many Muslim countries.

China reports surge of asymptomatic coronavirus cases in Xinjiang

China reported the highest number of asymptomatic novel coronavirus infections in nearly seven months on Monday following the discovery of a cluster of cases linked to a garment factory in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Russian strikes kill 56 rebels in north-western Syria

At least 56 Turkish-backed rebels were killed on Monday after Russian planes targeted their military training camp in north-western Syria with airstrikes, according to a monitoring group. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the camp belonged to Faylaq al-Sham, an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebel groups that is aligned with Turkey.

Iran reports Covid-19 death every four minutes

Iran extended COVID-19 curbs in Tehran and across the country on Monday as health authorities said they were recording a death from the virus every four minutes.

US sees record Covid-19 numbers for second day straight

Figures from Johns Hopkins University showed, the United States saw a record high number of new daily Covid-19 cases for the second day in a row on Saturday, as warnings grew over its spread.

Treaty banning nuclear weapons to enter into force

Guterres called it “the culmination of a worldwide movement to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons,” according to a statement from his spokesman on Saturday.

Pakistan’s PM Khan accuses Macron of ‘attacking Islam’

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday of “attacking Islam”, after the European leader criticised Islamists and defended the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

Erdogan confirms test of Russian missile system, ignores US criticism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday confirmed the first test last week of a controversial Russian missile defense system, as he dismissed US criticism.

North Korea’s Kim lauds Chinese war dead on anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid tribute to the millions of Chinese troops who fought a US-led coalition to a standstill and saved his country from defeat in the Korean War, state media reported Thursday.

Trump and Biden enter campaign’s 11-day homestretch

President Donald Trump and rival Joe Biden begin a sprint through the final 11 days of the U.S. presidential race on Friday, a day after battling over the COVID-19 pandemic and personal integrity in their second and final debate.

US, Russian trio return to Earth after six months on ISS

Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner and American astronaut Chris Cassidy have landed safely on Earth after spending half a year on the International Space Station (ISS), according to NASA.

Obama blasts Trump’s tweets, track record in 2020 campaign trail debut

Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Wednesday with a blistering attack on Donald Trump with less than two weeks to go before the Republican President’s Election Day face-off with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

India, US set for military pact on satellite data during Pompeo visit

India is closing in on an agreement with the United States that will give it access to satellite data for better accuracy of missiles and drones, government and industry officials said, as it tries to narrow the gap with the powerful Chinese military.

Tax records show Trump maintains Chinese bank account:NYT

In an exclusive expose ‘The ‘New York Times’ on Tuesday, revealed US President Donald Trump, who attempts to paint his rival Joe Biden as weaker on Beijing, has admitted to maintaining a previously unknown Chinese bank account.

India recorded highest air pollution exposure globally

India recorded the highest annual average PM 2.5 concentration exposure in the world last year, according to the State of Global Air 2020 (SOGA 2020) report released on Wednesday.

Global powers push to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting

Armenia’s president headed to Brussels for talks with the European Union and NATO military alliance on Wednesday in a renewed drive to end the heaviest fighting since the 1990s over the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Tens of thousands demand premier Imran Khan resign

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters rallied on Sunday in the city of Karachi as part of a campaign to oust Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, who they accuse of being installed by the military in a rigged 2018 election.

Wales imposes two-week lockdown

Wales will impose a two-week “fire-break” lockdown from Friday in which everybody apart from essential workers must stay at home to combat an accelerating second wave of COVID-19.

New fighting over Karabakh despite ceasefire

A new ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan to halt fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh was again failing to hold on Monday as both sides accused each other of fresh attacks.

Restrictions to be eased in Australia’s Covid-19 hotspot

Restrictions in the state at the centre of Australia’s second wave of the coronavirus pandemic were set to be eased, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday, as the state recorded just two new cases and zero deaths.

Ardern wins landslide in New Zealand’s ‘Covid election’

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won a landslide victory in New Zealand’s general election on Saturday, leveraging success battling Covid-19 into an unprecedented majority she said gave her a mandate for progressive reform.

Global coronavirus cases rise by one-day record of 400,000

Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

Trade talks with Europe are over: British PM

Britain on Friday said there was no point in holding any more Brexit talks without a dramatic softening of the EU’s position, bringing a potentially nasty divorce at the end of the year a step closer.

England seeing 27,900 new COVID cases per day

England saw an average of 27,900 new cases per day and infections are 50% higher on the previous week, a weekly survey showed on Friday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson bids to contain a resurgent pandemic with local restrictions.

French ex-president Sarkozy charged with ‘criminal conspiracy’

French prosecutors said Friday that they had charged former president Nicolas Sarkozy over claims he accepted cash from the Libyan dictatorship of Moamer Kadhafi for his 2007 election campaign.

Trump cites teenaged son’s bout with coronavirus in calling for schools to reopen

Under siege over his handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump on Wednesday cited what he said was his son’s mild bout of the virus as a reason why American schools should reopen as soon as possible.

Thousands defy Thai crackdown after emergency decree, arrests

Thousands of Thai protesters gathered Thursday in defiance of a sweeping crackdown after authorities moved to crush months of pro-democracy demonstrations by imposing emergency powers and rounding up leading activists.