China lauds India for helping SL amid economic crisis

China on Wednesday praised India for helping Sri Lanka amid the unprecedented economic crisis in the island nation that has led to a shortage of fuel and other essential items.

Facing ‘severe’ energy crisis, Pakistan reverts to five-day work week

Pakistan will reduce its official work week to five days from six in a bid to reduce energy and fuel consumption as part of an energy conservation plan approved by the country’s cabinet on Tuesday, the information minister said.

Israel mainly to blame for conflict: UN report

Israel’s occupation and discrimination against Palestinians are the main causes of the endless cycles of violence, UN investigators said Tuesday, prompting angry Israeli protests.

Ukraine will fight for all territory, stalemate ‘not an option’: Zelenskiy

Ukraine will fight to recover all its territory occupied by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, as his troops battled street-to-street in Sievierodonetsk in one of the bloodiest land battles of the war.

Pakistan National Assembly condemns Imran Khan’s attempts to defame country’s armed forces

The Pakistan National Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution condemning the efforts being made by former Prime Minister Imran Khan to “defame” the country’s armed forces for political purposes.

Battle for Ukraine’s Sievierodonetsk at street-by-street point

Ukrainian and Russian troops fought street-by-street to win control of the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk on Monday in the pivotal battle of the Kremlin’s eastern Ukraine offensive.

India rushing to quell outrage after insulting remarks on Islam

India’s government sought on Monday to calm anger at home and abroad after two officials of the ruling BJP party made remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, with 38 people arrested for rioting in a northern city and a protest planned later in Mumbai.

UK PM Johnson faces confidence vote

Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a confidence vote on Monday after a growing number of lawmakers in his Conservative Party questioned the British leader’s authority over what has been dubbed the “partygate” scandal.

India slams Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s tweet on minority rights

India on Monday slammed Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over a tweet on ’’minority rights’’ and said that Pakistan itself is a ’’serial violator of minority rights’’.

49 killed, hundreds injured in Bangladesh depot fire

At least 49 people have been killed and more than 300 injured after a massive fire swept through a container depot in southeastern Bangladesh, according to senior officials. Firefighters were still working on Sunday to put out a massive blaze, Reuters reported.

North Korea test-fires a salvo of short-range missiles

North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Sunday, likely its largest single test, a day after South Korea and the United States ended joint military drills.

Europe-supplied tanks destroyed by latest Russian attack on Kiev

Russia struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv with missiles early on Sunday for the first time in more than a month and the airstrikes had destroyed Europe-supplied tanks in the Ukrainian capital, Moscow said on Sunday.

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency seeks arrest of PM Shehbaz, son in money laundering case

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) requested the court to allow the arrest of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son and Punjab province Chief minister Hamza Shehbaz in a Rs 16 billion money-laundering case.

Moody’s downgrades Pakistan outlook to ‘negative’

With deteriorating external and fiscal indicators, Moody’s Investor Service downgraded Pakis­tan’s outlook to negative from stable on Thursday amid a delay in a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an economic bailout.

Ukrainians hold out as Russia storms eastern city on war’s 100th day

Russian forces advanced deep into the ruined eastern factory city of Sievierodonetsk but Ukrainian troops were still holding out there on Friday as Russia’s assault on its neighbour reached its 100th day.

Cheers and some jeers as Harry and Meghan return

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were greeted with cheers and some jeers as they joined the royal family at a thanksgiving service on Friday for Queen Elizabeth. In their first public appearance together in Britain since quitting royal duties Harry, 37,

Kremlin denies blame for mounting food crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin met African Union leaders on Friday and the Kremlin said he would tell them that Moscow was not to blame for the growing food crisis affecting their continent.

Pakistan govt dismisses fears of undermining criminal justice system over Exit Control List rules

Pakistan government on Thursday dismissed fears that attempts were afoot to undermine the criminal justice system (CJS) in a suo motu case regarding Exit Control List (ECL) rules.

Russia controls ‘about 20 percent’ of Ukraine: Zelensky

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday Russian troops control about one-fifth of his country, including the annexed Crimean peninsula and territory in the east held by Moscow-based separatists since 2014.

Oklahoma gunman who killed four, targeted surgeon

A gunman, who fatally shot five people including himself at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical building after buying an assault-style rifle the same day, had gone to there to kill a doctor who he blamed for back pain he felt after surgery, authorities said on Thursday.

Platinum jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth ii begin

A beaming Queen Elizabeth waved to cheering crowds massed outside Buckingham Palace on Thursday as Britain kicked off four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.

Chinese yuan weakens to 6.7095 against dollar

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi or the yuan, weakened 444 pips to 6.7095 against the US dollar Thursday, according to China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

Shanghai lockdown lifted, but trauma lives on

Shanghai on Wednesday lifted its city-wide lockdown, however, the trauma of the lockdown of the past two months lives on.

Tobacco’s environmental effect is devastating: WHO

The tobacco industry is a far greater threat than many realise. It is one of the world’s biggest polluters, from leaving mountains of waste to driving global warming, the WHO said on Tuesday.

Russian forces advance in factory city

Russian forces on Wednesday pressed closer to the centre of an industrial city in a drive to grab a swathe of eastern Ukraine, while the United States said it would supply advanced rockets to Kyiv to help force Moscow to negotiate an end to the war.

EU not ready to agree Russian oil ban: Leaders

European Union leaders will fail to agree on a Russian oil ban at a summit on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels, leaders said as they arrived, adding that weeks of haggling over the matter were not over even if they were hopeful for a deal later.

Modi to launch scholarship for children orphaned by Covid

India’s federal government will provide educational scholarships, mental health counselling and health insurance to children who have been orphaned by the corona virus pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday.

Heavy fighting as Russia advances into Sievierodonetsk

Russian troops have entered the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, according to the regional governor, who described fierce fighting on Monday over the ruins of a city that has become the focus of Moscow’s offensive.

Russia putting ‘all its resources’ to capture Donbas city: Governor

Ukrainian forces endured heavy artillery barrages on Sunday as they held off Russian attempts to capture Sievierodonetsk, the largest city Kyiv still controls in the Luhansk region of the Donbas, Ukrainian officials said.

UN rights envoy defends contentious China visit

The UN rights envoy on Saturday said her contentious visit to China was “not an investigation”, and insisted she had unsupervised access during meetings in Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of widespread human rights abuses.