Trump says US gave Iran ’a week off’ for funeral of Iran’ late supreme leader amid stalled talks

US President Donald Trump said on Friday evening that Tehran is eager to settle with Washington, adding that the US had paused negotiations to allow for the slain former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral processions, which officially began in Iran.

India’s Modi to visit Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand next week

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia, Australia and ​New Zealand next week, the Indian Foreign Ministry said on ‌Friday, as New Delhi seeks to bolster ties in the Asia-Pacific region.

China launches coast guard patrol east of Taiwan despite international pushback

China said on July 4 it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, drawing a sharp response from Taipei after a task force in June off the island’s coast caused alarm in some Western capitals.

China’s tightening digital clampdown on the Tiananmen massacre anniversary

China’s internet appeared to cinch tighter on June 4 as users across the country reported an intensification of online censorship tied to the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. 

Trump, Netanyahu agree to meet in the US soon during phone call

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have agreed to meet in the United States in the near future following a phone conversation on Friday, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Germany bans workers from calling in sick

New rules designed to boost stagnating economy require ill employees to get doctors’ notes immediately

India’s Skyroot Aerospace readies country’s first private orbital rocket launch

Indian space startup Skyroot Aerospace said on Thursday it was preparing for the launch of ​its Vikram-1 rocket, the first attempt by an ‌Indian private company to place a satellite in orbit.

Venezuela quake survivor pulled out alive after eight days

A man has been rescued alive after being trapped for eight days in the rubble of a building that collapsed after twin earthquakes in Venezuela.

Canadian boy dies of rabies after waking to bat on his face

An 11-year-old Canadian boy has died from rabies after being awoken by a bat on his nose and mouth.

Indonesian couple publicly caned for kissing on TikTok

A young couple in Indonesia’s strict Islamic province of Aceh have been publicly caned for kissing outside marriage on TikTok, an act seen as a violation of Sharia law.

Boy driving pickup truck crashes into group of Thai monks, killing 8

An 11-year-old boy crashed a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in northeastern Thailand on Thursday (July 2), killing eight, officials said.

Next indirect US-Iran talks due after late supreme leader’s funeral

The next indirect United States-Iran talks will come after the late Iranian supreme leader’s funeral, mediators said on Thursday (Jul 2), as diplomacy inches ahead on ending the Middle East war.

Russia buys gasoline from India to tackle shortages, sources say

Russia has started seaborne imports of gasoline from India, two industry ​sources said on Wednesday, in an effort to mitigate fuel shortages triggered by ‌Ukrainian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

India tells WhatsApp to halt usernames rollout, justify feature or face action

India has ​asked WhatsApp to justify the implementation of a planned feature covering usernames and to freeze the rollout ‌in its biggest market, escalating a crackdown on messaging anonymity that began with Telegram, according to a government letter reviewed by Reuters.

Oil falls for a third straight day after US, Iran talks conclude in Doha

Oil prices dropped about 1% on Thursday, down for a third consecutive day, after Qatar said Iran and the ​U.S. had made progress in indirect talks focused on the Strait of ‌Hormuz, which handled one-fifth of global oil supply before the war.

Israel says troops will stay In Lebanon, Syria, Gaza ’’until further notice’’

Israel’s defence minister said Wednesday that Israeli forces would remain in so-called security zones established in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza ’’until further notice’’.

Banned by Beijing, this comedian is taking his act to Chinese speakers abroad

When one of China’s biggest stand-up comedians opened his show with a joke about the extraordinarily long rule of the country’s leader Xi Jinping, it drew a cheer, alongside a smattering of approving profanities.

A plane crashed into a tower in Beijing but China is not saying what happened

It has been four days since a small plane slammed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper, killing the pilot – the only person on board – and wounding 13 others, but it’s still unclear why, and how, that happened.

India, Japan eye direct yen-rupee trade settlement to cut reliance on US dollar

India and Japan are set to advance plans for a local-currency settlement framework that would allow direct yen-rupee transactions for bilateral trade and reduce reliance on the US dollar, according to a Nikkei Asia report ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to New Delhi today.

Iran says it won’t meet with U.S. envoys

Iran said Tuesday it would not meet with top ‌US envoys who flew to the region following an outbreak of hostilities, clouding the prospects for a lasting peace between the two countries.

Roof collapse kills 14 children at Pakistan tuition centre

Fourteen children died after the roof of a building near Lahore collapsed on top of them, officials say.

Bird nests of fibre-optic cables show war’s impact on Ukraine

Woven from fibre-optic cable and grass, a small ​bird’s nest found near the front line of the war in Ukraine shows how the more ‌than four-year-old conflict is reshaping the natural environment, researchers say.

US deports first migrant to Pacific nation Palau

The United States has started deporting migrants to a sparsely populated archipelago in the tropical Pacific, the island nation of Palau told AFP on Wednesday.

Trump made more than $1bn from crypto in first year back in office

US President Donald Trump made more than $1bn (£750m) last year from business dealings in cryptocurrency, according to his mandatory financial report for 2025.

Criminalising despair: Pakistan’s mental health crisis faces a judicial setback

The battle against mental illness is often fought behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny and beyond the reach of legal texts. Yet in Pakistan, the law has once again entered that deeply personal space.

Afghanistan says Pakistani airstrikes kill 36 in border provinces

Afghan government officials said on Monday that Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 36 people and injured 163 others.

Oil stocks in US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fall by 5.5 million to lowest level since 1983

Stocks of ​crude oil in the U.S. ‌Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell by 5.5 million barrels to 325.7 million barrels, ​the lowest level since May ​1983, according to data from the ⁠Department of Energy.

US and Iran negotiators head to Doha, but meeting uncertain

Iranian and U.S. negotiating ​teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire ‌to end the four-month-old war.

Chinese tycoon sentenced to 30 years in US jail

Guo Wengui, who was once believed to be one of China’s richest businessmen, has been sentenced to 30 years in jail in the US for running a billion dollar scam.

WhatsApp now lets you reserve usernames

WhatsApp announced a much-awaited feature: usernames, which will allow users to share their profiles without disclosing their phone number. However, WhatsApp will still require a phone number to create an account on the chat app.