UN urged to probe sharing of Rohingya data

The UN improperly collected and shared data from more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, passing it on to Myanmar, the country they fled, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday, urging an investigation.

Biden, Putin upbeat as Geneva summit starts

US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin shook hands in Geneva on Wednesday at the start of their first summit, with both men striking an upbeat tone.

Massed plane incursion near Taiwan, a response to collusion

China does not tolerate foreign forces intervening in Taiwan issues and has to make strong responses to such acts of “collusion”, the government said on Wednesday after the island reported the largest incursion to date of Chinese aircraft.

Presidents to discuss Covid-19, Ukraine, hacking, climate change and ME

When Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden meet in Geneva on Wednesday for their summit, they will discuss a wide range of topics, including Coronavirus, the war in Donbass (Ukraine), and the fight against cybercrime.

NATO adopts tough line on China

NATO leaders warned on Monday that China presents “systemic challenges,” taking a forceful stance towards Beijing in a communique at Joe Biden’s first summit with an alliance that Donald Trump openly disparaged.

‘don’t need foreigners to investigate killings’

President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman says the Philippines won’t cooperate with a planned International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the thousands of deaths that took place during Duterte’s war on drugs.

Head of ‘world’s largest family’, dies in India

A 76-year-old man who had 39 wives and 94 children and was said to be the head of the world’s largest family has died in north east India, the chief minister of his home state said.

French nuclear firm assessing perceived leak at Chinese plant

A French nuclear firm said Monday it was working to resolve a “performance issue” at a plant it part-owns in China’s southern Guangdong province following a US media report of a potential leak there.

Junta trial of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to hear first testimony

The trial of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear its first testimony Monday, more than four months after a military coup ousted her government.

Indian village prays to ‘goddess corona’

Indian villagers have erected a shrine to “goddess corona” and are offering her prayers in the hope that divine intervention can banish the deadly virus.

Chinese market gas explosion kills 12

A gas blast at a market in central China has killed at least 12 and seriously injured another 37, China Central Television reported on Sunday.

Regime shelling kills 12 in northwest Syria: Monitor

Syrian regime shelling on the opposition-held Idlib enclave killed 12 people Thursday, one of the deadliest violations of a 15-month-old ceasefire, a war monitor said.

G7 summit: Focus on pandemic and climate change

Leaders of the Group of Major Industrialized Nations (G7) are meeting on Friday for a summit that is overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Malaysia to deport thousands of undocumented Indonesian migrants

Indonesia is preparing to receive thousands of deportees from Malaysia, a government official said on Friday, amid a crackdown there on undocumented workers and as the country suffers its most severe coronavirus outbreak so far.

Hardline Pakistani cleric detained for threatening Malala

A firebrand Pakistani scholar has been detained for making death threats against Nobel prize laureate Malala Yousafzai over her comments on marriage, officials said Friday.

Macron slapped during trip to southeast France

A bystander slapped French President Emmanuel Macron across the face during a trip to southeast France on Tuesday on the second stop of a nation-wide tour.

At least 15 dead in India sanitiser factory fire

At least 15 people have died after a blaze swept through a sanitiser factory in the western Indian city of Pune on Monday, police said.

Killing of Canadian Muslim family a hate crime - police

Four members of a Canadian Muslim family who were killed on Sunday when a pickup truck which jumped the curb deliberately ran them over. Canadian police said on Monday it was a targeted anti-Islamic hate crime, .

Taliban: Persons who worked with foreign forces safe in Afghanistan

People who worked for foreign forces in Afghanistan will be safe and should not leave the country as the foreign forces withdraw, Taliban forces assured in a statement on Monday.

Pakistani train smashes into derailed carriages; Over 36 killed

A train in Pakistan smashed into the derailed carriages of another train on Monday, killing at least 36 people, government officials said. It was the latest accident highlighting the perilous state of a more-than-165 year old railway system.

Amazon founder Bezos to fly into space

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced Monday he will fly into space next month on the first human flight launched by his Blue Origin rocket firm.

COVID-19 outbreak builds in Myanmar near Indian border

A new outbreak of COVID-19 is growing near Myanmar’s northwestern border with India, bringing the sharpest increase in cases since the military coup in February led to a collapse in health services and the testing programme.

Australia finds highly infectious Delta variant in virus outbreak

Australia’s Victoria state authorities said on Friday they had detected the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 virus variant for the first time in the latest outbreak in Melbourne, stoking concerns of a major spike in cases.

Organiser of HK Tiananmen Square massacre vigil arrested

An organiser of a vigil in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the brutal 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has been arrested, local media reported Friday.

India orders 300 mln COVID-19 shots before approval

India’s government signed its first purchase order for unapproved COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, a day after it faced criticism from the top judiciary about a bungled vaccine rollout that has left millions of people vulnerable.

Iran dampens hopes for early agreement in nuclear dispute

Iran has dampened hopes of an early agreement in its nuclear dispute with the United States.

China reports first possible human case of bird flu

A 41-year-old man from eastern China could be the world’s first human infection of the H10N3 strain of bird flu, according to the country’s health agency, adding that the risk of transmission was low.

US to hand Bagram base to Afghan forces in 20 days, says official

The US military will hand over its main Bagram Air Base to Afghan forces in about 20 days, an official said Tuesday, as Washington presses on with withdrawing the last of its troops from the country.

Biden halts oil drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday said it would suspend oil and gas leases that were handed out in an Alaska wildlife refuge during the final days of the Trump administration pending an environmental review.

Ugandan minister escapes assassination, daughter, driver killed

Gunmen opened fire at a car carrying a Ugandan government minister in an attempted assassination on Tuesday, wounding the former army commander and killing his daughter and driver, the military and local media said.