Belarus hosts rival protests

Russia said on Sunday it had told Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko it was ready to offer military assistance if necessary as demonstrators held one of the biggest protests yet against Lukashenko’s contested re-election.

UAE, Israel launch phone link after diplomatic breakthrough

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel on Sunday launched a telephone service between the two countries, days after they stunned the region by agreeing to establish full diplomatic ties.

India’s Covid-19 tally jumps to 2.46 million

In another steep rise in its single-day cases, India has reported 64,553 fresh Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours. With 1,007 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours across the country, the Covid-19 death toll in India has jumped to 48,040.

Russia fights to stop an outbreak of bubonic plague

Russia has stepped up vaccinations against the bubonic plague amid signs of a ‘alarming’ westward spread of the Black Death.

Global Covid death toll passes 750,000

The global death toll from Covid-19 passed 750,000 on Thursday, with some countries toughening controls as caseloads once again creep up.

Harris to target Trump’s virus response in US campaign push

Kamala Harris joins presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on the campaign trail for the second time in two days on Thursday in an appearance that will focus on hammering President Donald Trump’s his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Post-blast state of emergency in Beirut gets legislative approval

A state of emergency was approved for Beirut on Thursday, as the country’s legislature met for the first time since last week’s deadly blast in the city, giving authorities powers to suppress any move seen as a threat to national security.

Thousands form human chains in Belarus after post-vote crackdown

Thousands of protesters formed human chains and marched in Belarus on Thursday in a growing wave of peaceful demonstrations over President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election and an ensuing brutal police crackdown.

Over half of Beirut health facilities ‘non-functional’: WHO

More than half of Beirut’s healthcare facilities evaluated by the World Health Organisation are “non-functional” following last week’s deadly portside explosion, the organisation said Wednesday.

Two dead in Bangalore violence over anti-Islam Facebook post

Two people died after a “derogatory” Facebook post about the Prophet Mohammed sparked riots in India’s IT hub Bangalore that saw clashes between police and thousands of protesters, authorities said Wednesday.

Coronavirus outbreak could force postponement of NZ elections: PM

New Zealand locked down nursing homes nationwide Wednesday after a 102-day streak without the coronavirus ended, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the outbreak could force her to postpone next month’s general election.

Global coronavirus cases hit 20million, 734,000 fatalities

The global number of Covid-19 cases has reached 20million, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre.

New Zealand loses coronavirus-free status

New Zealand’s largest city was placed in lockdown after the country’s coronavirus-free status ended after more than 100 days with the detection of four cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday.

Lebanese demand change after government quits over Beirut blast

Angry Lebanese said the government’s resignation on Monday did not come close to addressing the tragedy of last week’s Beirut explosion and demanded the removal of what they see as a corrupt ruling class to blame for the country’s woes.

Melbourne’s lockdown labelled the worst ever breach of freedom

A group of researchers is campaigning to end Melbourne’s draconian lockdown because it is pushing up to 400,000 people out of work and taking away the basic right to liberty of millions of Australians.

HK pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai arrested

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was arrested Monday on suspicion of breaching the new national security law, local media reported.

Lebanon government set to resign amid outrage over Beirut blast

Lebanon’s prime minister was set on Monday to announce the resignation of his government, the health minister said, after a devastating explosion in Beirut that has stirred public outrage and spurred a string of ministers to step down.

India’s coronavirus cases soar past 2 million

India, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Asia, has today reported its total number of coronavirus cases have jumped to more than two million.

Saudi Crown Prince accused of canada murder plot

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a team of hit men to North America to assassinate a rival’s top spy, after taking his children and his brother hostage, because he knew secrets about the young royal’s brutal palace coup that brought him to power, a new lawsuit alleges.

Hope of finding survivors in Beirut explosion fades

Lebanese rescue workers and army soldiers were struggling on Friday to remove huge items of debris in search for possible survivors at Beirut’s port following the massive blast that ripped through the area killing at least 149 people.

Beirut engulfed by death, destruction and grief

The smell of smoke, blood and death dominated the port of Beirut on Wednesday as Lebanese army troops searched everywhere for possible survivors and more bodies under the wreckage.

India keeps tight lid on Kashmir on anniversary of revoking semi-autonomy

With a heavy deployment of troops and curbs on public movement, Indian authorities kept a tight lid on potential protests in the disputed region of Kashmir on Wednesday, the first anniversary of the revocation of its semi-autonomy.

Emergency aid lands in Lebanon as world offers support

Emergency medical aid and pop-up field hospitals were dispatched to Lebanon Wednesday along with rescue experts and tracking dogs, as the world reached out to the victims of the explosion that devastated Beirut. The blast centred on the city’s port caused massive destruction and killed more than 100 people, heaping misery on a country already in crisis.

Massive explosion rocks Beirut

A massive explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut has left at least 10 people dead and destroyed the home of the former prime minister.

China accuses US of ‘outright bullying’ over TikTok

China accused the United States on Tuesday of “bullying” over popular video app TikTok, after President Donald Trump ramped up pressure for its US operations to be sold to an American company.

Isaias lashes US east coast with fierce winds, heavy rain

Hurricane Isaias slammed into North Carolina bringing life-threatening storm surges and leaving more than 350,000 homes without power, as the US eastern seaboard battened down for flash floods and destructive winds.

Renomination of Trump to be held in private: GOP

The vote to renominate President Donald Trump is set to be conducted in private later this month, without members of the press present, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention said, citing the coronavirus.

More than 1,000 Americans die from coronavirus for fifth day

Deaths from the coronavirus in the US have topped 1,000 for the fifth day in a row.

Melbourne turns into a ghost town

The streets of Melbourne went eerily quiet on Sunday night as the state plunged into stage four lockdown in an unprecedented move that is tipped to cost the country $9billion and wipe out hundreds of thousands of jobs.

You can’t delay 2020 election: Republicans and Democrats to Trump

President Donald Trump restated his threat to delay November’s election, citing concerns mail-in voting could lead to a ‘rigged’ and ‘crooked’ result as one of the Republican Party’s most prominent conservative members said Trump should be impeached over the matter.The idea of delaying the Nov. 3 U.S. elections was immediately rejected by both Democrats and his fellow Republicans in Congress - the sole branch of government with the authority to m