Israel’s security cabinet approves Netanyahu plan to occupy Gaza City

Israel’s political-security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City early on Friday, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take military control of the entire strip despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating almost two-year-old war.

India, Russia reaffirm defence ties and privileged strategic partnership

Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General Aleksandr Fomin held a meeting with Vinay Kumar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.

Myanmar’s figurehead president dies after long illness

Myanmar’s figurehead president who came to power after a 2021 coup, Myint Swe, has died, the South East Asian nation’s military leaders said. He was 74.

FBI office in New Zealand will defend against Chinese influence, Patel says

FBI Director Kash Patel visited New Zealand over the weekend to launch the bureau’s new office there, saying the country was a crucial partner for fighting Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trump could meet Putin over Ukraine as soon as next week, official says

Reuters - President Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, a White House official said on Wednesday, as the U.S. continued preparations to impose secondary sanctions, including potentially on China, to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump order imposes additional 25% tariff on goods from India

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods from India, saying the country directly or indirectly imported Russian oil, adding to 25% tariffs already announced.

Zelenskiy says ’mercenaries’ from China, Pakistan and other countries fighting for Russia

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Ukrainian troops in northeastern Ukraine were fighting foreign ’’mercenaries’’ from various countries including China, Pakistan and parts of Africa, and vowed a response.

Great Barrier Reef suffers worst coral decline on record

Parts of the Great Barrier Reef have suffered the largest annual decline in coral cover since records began nearly 40 years ago, according to a new report.

Racer killed in 280mph crash while trying to break land speed record

Race organisers at Utah’s famed Bonneville Salt Flats have confirmed that a veteran driver died in a 283mph (455km/h) crash while trying to break the land speed record.

Trump administration to wind down mRNA vaccine development

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Tuesday that it will start winding down mRNA vaccine development efforts under a federal health agency focused on developing medical countermeasures to address public health emergencies.

UPI’s record-breaking day highlights India’s digital payments boom

India’s digital payment revolution reached a new peak on August 2, 2025, as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) clocked over 707 million transactions in a single day — its highest ever.

Sri Lanka’s costly EV gamble: When China’s BYD became a liability

When Sri Lanka announced a partnership with China’s BYD to bring electric vehicles into the country, it was heralded as a double victory: a leap toward green mobility and a symbol of deepening economic ties with Beijing. Today, that bold venture has curdled into a crisis. Nearly 1,000 BYD cars sit detained in Colombo Port, hiding a potential Rs. 22 billion worth of liabilities arising from alleged under-declaration of motor capacities.

WhatsApp says it removed 6.8m accounts linked to scams

WhatsApp says it has taken down 6.8 million accounts linked to scammers targeting people around the world in the first half of this year.

Vietnam facing worsening African swine fever outbreaks

Vietnam has been hit by an increasing number of outbreaks of African swine fever, with the number of infected pigs more than tripling in just two weeks, state media said on Tuesday.

Japan sets record high temperatures, worries mount over rice crops

Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops.

India emerges as world’s 5th biggest aviation market; Mumbai-Delhi among busiest airport pairs in 2024: IATA

India emerged as the world’s fifth biggest aviation market, handling 241 million passengers, while Mumbai-Delhi was one of the busiest airport pairs in 2024, according to data released by global airlines’ grouping IATA.

Myanmar military courts sentence 12 to life for human trafficking, including Chinese nationals

Myanmar military courts have sentenced a dozen individuals, including five Chinese nationals, to life imprisonment for their involvement in multiple human trafficking cases, state-run media reported on Saturday (Aug 2).

India calls Trump’s tariff threat over Russian oil ’unjustified’

India has called Donald Trump’s threat of ’’substantially’’ higher tariffs over its purchase of oil from Russia ’’unjustified and unreasonable’’.

FBI opens first office in New Zealand, sparking backlash in China

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in June that China posed an imminent threat and urged Indo-Pacific countries to increase military spending to 5% of GDP.

Philippines President to visit India from Aug 4-8, to meet PM Modi, Murmu

Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr is set to visit India from August 4-8, and hold talks with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials.

Pakistan’s July inflation rises to 4.1 pc amid fuel, food price hikes

Pakistan’s inflation surged to 4.1 per cent in July, driven primarily by rising costs of non-perishable food items and the Pakistani government-administered increases in energy tariffs, The Express Tribune reported.

More than 60 migrants die off Yemen in boat capsize

More than 60 migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off the coast of Yemen in bad weather on Sunday.

Is the Recent US-Japan Trade Deal Another Plaza Accord?

In a moment steeped in déjà vu, US President Donald Trump on July 22 unveiled a sweeping new trade pact with Japan.

Nepal: Second phase of South Asia’s first petroleum pipeline construction under Indian assistance advances

The second phase of the petroleum pipeline project, being carried out with assistance from the Indian Government and extending from Nepal’s Amlekhgunj in Bara to Lothar in Chitwan, has officially commenced.

Couple welcome ‘world’s oldest baby’ born from embryo frozen 31 years ago

A newborn has been named the world’s oldest baby after being born from an embryo frozen in 1994.

Top Senate Democrat presses Pentagon over Microsoft’s use of China-based engineers

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) pressed the Pentagon on Monday for answers about its guardrails on contractors following revelations that Microsoft was using China-based engineers to maintain the agency’s computer systems.

Buddhist gem collection returns to India after 127 years

A collection of hundreds of jewels linked to Buddha’s remains has returned to India after 127 years following an auction planned for earlier this year that drew threats of legal action from the government in Delhi.

President Trump lowers U.S. tariffs on Sri Lankan goods to 20%

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order reducing import taxes on goods from Sri Lanka to 20%. This is a big drop from the 44% rate he announced in April, the White House said late Thursday.

Australia, India, Japan, US declare economic war on China’s rare earth empire

Foreign ministers from the Quad nations- Australia, India, Japan, and the United States- convened in Washington earlier this month and unveiled a robust strategy designed to counteract China’s coercive influence in the Indo-Pacific, as reported by The Japan Times earlier this month.

Where is the last straw of the US debt crisis?

On July 4, US President Donald Trump signed the highly controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act, raising the US federal debt ceiling by $5 trillion to $41.1 trillion. The bill will increase the fiscal deficit by $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years and add $4.1 trillion to the US national debt.