PM Johnson refuses to resign over lockdown parties

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday rejected opposition calls to resign for attending lockdown parties but accepted that a rule that ministers should lose their jobs if they had knowlingly misled parliament applied to him.

Russia launches new military drills as tensions rise over Ukraine

Russia on Tuesday launched new military exercises near Ukraine and in annexed Crimea as it accused the United States of ratcheting up tensions by putting several thousand of its own troops on alert.

British police launch investigation into Downing Street parties

British police said on Tuesday they had opened an investigation into possible COVID lockdown breaches at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street residence after receiving evidence from an internal government probe into a series of gatherings.

UK threatens Russia with sanctions if Ukraine ‘puppet regime’ installed

Russia will face severe economic sanctions if it installs a puppet regime in Ukraine, a senior UK minister said on Sunday after Britain accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leader there.

German navy leader quits after calling for ‘respect’ for Putin

The head of Germany’s navy has resigned amid furore about comments he made that Russian President Vladimir Putin deserves “respect” and that the Crimean Peninsula “will never come back” to Ukraine, the Defence Ministry confirmed on Saturday.

India reports over 300,000 new Covid cases in last 24 hours

India reported over 300,000 new COVID-19 infections for the fourth straight day even though the caseload over the last 24 hours was slightly lower than a day before, data released by the government on Sunday showed.

Tonga faces further eruptions and ‘unprecedented disaster’

New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry warned, Tuesday further eruptions of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano were likely, posing yet another tsunami risk for Tonga and New Zealand, CNN reported.

All homes on one of Tonga’s island destroyed, three dead

All the homes on one of Tonga’s small outer islands have been destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, with three people so far confirmed dead, the government said on Tuesday in its first update since the disaster struck.

3 killed in Abu Dhabi by Houthi drone attack

3 people were killed after 3 fuel trucks exploded and a fire broke out near Abu Dhabi airport on Monday in what Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said was an attack deep inside the United Arab Emirates, the region’s commercial and tourism hub.

Johnson’s office apologizes to Queen for party on eve of funeral

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office apologized to Queen Elizabeth on Friday after it emerged that staff had partied late into the night in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, at a time when mixing indoors was banned.

UK Johnson’s future uncertain after lockdown party apology

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s premiership was in the balance on Thursday as he faced calls from within his Conservative Party to resign after he admitted attending a party at his official residence during a coronavirus lockdown.

Ethiopia PM must end Tigray conflict: Nobel committee

The committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize appealed on Thursday to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the award in 2019, to halt the conflict unfolding in the country’s northern region of Tigray.

India’s cities could see COVID-19 cases peak next week

New COVID-19 infections in Indian cities such as capital New Delhi and Mumbai could peak next week after rising rapidly, experts said on Thursday, as the country reported the highest number of daily cases since late May.

Russian troops to quit Kazakhstan, says president, taking aim at the elite

Russian-led forces will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days’ time after stabilising the Central Asian nation following serious unrest, the president said on Tuesday, in a speech that took aim at wealthy associates of his predecessor.

Johnson under fire over ‘bring your own booze’ lockdown party

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under fire on Tuesday after it emerged his private secretary had invited over 100 people to a “bring your own booze” party in the garden of Downing Street during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Taiwan suspends F-16 training missions after jet crashes

Taiwan’s air force on Tuesday suspended combat training for its F-16 fleet after a recently upgraded model of the fighter jet crashed into the sea in the latest of a series of accidents.

At least 22 dead as heavy snow traps vehicles in Pakistan

Pakistan rescuers were working Sunday to clear routes to a locked-in hill town sheltering thousands of tourists after 22 people died in vehicles trapped by heavy snow.

Australia’s New South Wales marks its highest COVID-19 death count

Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 deaths on Saturday as the Omicron variant sweeps the country and lawmakers face pressure to close widening supply chain gaps.

164 people killed in week of unrest: Kazakhstan

A total of 164 people have been killed during the past week of protests in Kazakhstan, according to Health Ministry figures cited by state-run media.

Kazakh president issues shoot-to-kill order as violence continues

The president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, issued a shoot-to-kill order against the protesters threatening his authoritarian government’s survival on Friday.

Britain calls in military to help with hospital COVID staffing crunch

Britain’s Ministry of Defence on Friday said that it had begun the deployment of the military to support hospitals experiencing staff shortages and extreme pressures due to record COVID-19 cases in the country.

Japan, US vow more defence cooperation to counter Chinese threat

The United States and Japan on Friday voiced strong concern about China’s growing might in unambiguous terms and pledged to work together against attempts to destabilise the region.

Russia sends troops to Kazakhstan to put down deadly uprising

Russia sent paratroopers into Kazakhstan on Thursday to help put down a countrywide uprising after deadly violence spread across the tightly controlled former Soviet state.

We’re working on high-impact sanctions: Britain warns Russia

Britain warned Moscow on Thursday that it was working with Western partners on high-impact sanctions targetting Russia’s financial sector should it invade Ukraine.

Omicron spreads in India’s big cities but hospitalisations low

Indian megacities Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, although without a corresponding rise in hospitalisations, but fears are growing about a spread to rural areas in coming days.

Taiwan air force stages drill to intercept Chinese planes amid tensions

Taiwan air force jets screamed into the sky on Wednesday in a drill simulating a war scenario, showing its combat readiness amid heightened military tensions with China, which claims the island as its own.

India confirms first Omicron-related death as COVID-19 cases jump

A diabetic man who died in the western state of Rajasthan was India’s first fatality from the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the health ministry said on Wednesday, adding that overall infections had doubled to 58,097 over the past four days.

Uproar as Macron pledge to ’piss off’ unvaccinated

The government on Wednesday defended President Emmanuel Macron’s use of a coarse insult in a stepped-up campaign against France’s unvaccinated, after the phrase drew condemnation from the opposition and mixed reactions from voters.

Virus protesters warned after tens of thousands rally in Germany

The authorities in Germany’s south-western state of Baden-Württemberg are warning coronavirus protesters against going out onto the streets unless their rallies are authorized, after over 50,000 people on Monday demonstrated their opposition to anti-coronavirus restrictions.

NATO schedules special meeting with Russia amid Ukraine crisis

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has scheduled a special meeting of allied ambassadors and top Russian officials for next week as both sides seek dialogue to prevent open conflict over Ukraine, a NATO official said on Tuesday.