India suffers worst day for COVID-19 deaths, hospitals overwhelmed

India, the country currently being hit hardest by the pandemic, on Tuesday reported its worst daily death toll, with large parts of the country now under lockdown amid a fast-rising second wave of infections.

Doctors denied access to ‘very weak’ Navalny

Alexei Navalny’s doctors were again denied access Tuesday to the jailed Kremlin critic, as lawyers for the hunger-striking opposition figure said he was “very weak” and demanded he be transferred to a civilian hospital.

Delhi goes into lockdown amid Covid surge

India will lock down its capital New Delhi for a week from Monday night to try and control a raging coronavirus outbreak, as the hard-hit United States passed a hopeful milestone of giving at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose to half its adults.

NASA’s Mars helicopter succeeds in historic first flight

NASA successfully flew its tiny helicopter Ingenuity on Mars early Monday, the first powered flight on another planet and a feat a top engineer called “our Wright brothers’ moment.” At 3:34 am Eastern Time (0734 GMT), the four pound rotorcraft lifted off, hovered 10 feet above the Martian surface, then came back to rest after 39.1 seconds.

EU sanctions 10 Myanmar junta officials, two firms

The EU on Monday imposed sanctions on 10 Myanmar junta officials and two conglomerates linked to the military over the coup and bloody crackdown on protesters, European officials said.

India’s capital under siege from COVID-19

India’s capital New Delhi recorded 25,500 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, with about one in three people tested returning a positive result, its chief minister said, urging the federal government to provide more hospital beds to tackle the crisis.

Queen Elizabeth II lays to rest her husband Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday bid farewell to her late husband, Prince Philip, at a royal funeral like no other, restricted by coronavirus rules but reflecting his long life of military and public service.

Iran hit by 5.9-magnitude quake, five injured

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake Sunday hit Iran’s southwestern Bushehr province, which houses a nuclear power plant, injuring five people but causing no major damage, state media said.

Australia considers staggered reopening of borders

Australia will consider a staggered reopening of its international borders to allow residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel abroad first, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

Beijing skies turn yellow as sand, dust engulf Chinese capital

The skies above Beijing turned yellow and air pollution soared to severe levels as a giant cloud of sand and dust particles rolled into the city, propelled by strong winds from the north of China.

India extends record rise in COVID-19 cases, election rallies continue

India extended a record daily run of new COVID-19 infections on Friday, spurred by hundreds of positive tests at a major religious gathering, as politicians pushed ahead with election rallies against advice they could worsen the outbreak.

France advises citizens to leave Pakistan

France has advised French citizens to temporarily leave Pakistan and warned of serious threats to French interests in the country, two diplomatic sources said on Thursday, after violent clashes there this week.

Hospitals, crematoria struggle as India tops 200,000 Covid-19 cases

India on Thursday reported a single-day rise of over 200,000 Covid-19 cases for the first time, putting a severe strain on health care infrastructure as crematoria and graveyards struggled to keep up with the death toll.

US to withdraw unconditionally from Afghanistan

The US decision to leave Afghanistan without any conditions represents a political victory for those in the US government who sought an end to the nearly two-decade conflict in that nation.

Iran blames Israel for Natanz nuclear plant outage, vows revenge

Iran on Monday accused arch-foe Israel of sabotaging its key Natanz nuclear site and vowed revenge for an attack that appeared to be latest episode in a long-running covert war.

Protests erupt after police shoot Black man in Minneapolis

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as angry protests erupted in a Minneapolis suburb after a 20-year-old Black man was shot dead during a traffic stop.

One dead, one injured in Paris hospital shooting

An unidentified attacker shot dead a man and badly injured a woman outside a Paris hospital on Monday before fleeing the scene on a motorbike, police said.

World’s vaccine power-house is running out of stocks

Leading hospitals in India’s most coronavirus-hit state halted vaccinations Friday, citing shortages as infections across the country crossed 13 million and set a new daily record.

Israel refuses to co-operate with ICC on war crimes

Israel on Thursday said it has formally decided not to co-operate with an International Criminal Court war crimes investigation into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband dies aged 99

Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip, who recently spent more than a month in hospital and underwent a heart procedure, died on Friday, Buckingham Palace announced. He was 99.

Outcry as Myanmar military turns on London ambassador

Myanmar’s military leaders turned their sights on Thursday to the country’s ambassador to London and a famous actor as they continued to try to quell protests more than two months after claiming power in a coup.

US to blame for tensions over Taiwan: China

Beijing blamed the United States on Thursday for tensions over Taiwan after a U.S. warship sailed close to the Chinese-claimed island, asking rhetorically whether China would sail in the Gulf of Mexico as a “show of strength”.

Bangkok COVID-19 outbreak may take months to contain: Thailand

A coronavirus outbreak in Thailand’s capital may take more than two months to control, a health official said on Thursday, as authorities announced a broad ban on nightlife to tackle a new wave of infections and a highly contagious variant.

Brazil’s daily Covid-19 death toll passes 4,000 for first time

Brazil registered more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours for the first time Tuesday, the health ministry said, as the country reeled from a surge of infections that has made it the current epicenter of the pandemic.

Vienna talks open ‘new chapter’: Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that talks in Vienna on rescuing a troubled 2015 nuclear deal had opened a “new chapter”.

India posts record COVID-19 cases, 13-fold jump over two months

-India’s second wave of coronavirus infections continued to swell as it reported a record 115,736 new cases on Wednesday, a 13-fold increase in just over two months and raising pressure on the government to expand its vaccination campaign.The federal government has asked states to decide on local curbs to control the spread of the virus, but has so far refused to impose any national lockdown after the last one in 2020 devastated its economy and l

Indian capital imposes night curfew ahead of ‘critical’ four weeks in COVID-19 fight

The Indian capital of New Delhi on Tuesday imposed a night-time curfew until April 30 with much of the country struggling to contain a second surge in coronavirus infections that has eclipsed the first wave.

Biden to speed up eligibility for vaccine

President Joe Biden will announce on Tuesday that the US delivered 150 million vaccines since he took office and move up by nearly two weeks a deadline to make doses widely available, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Australia falls short 3 Million doses of Covid-19 vaccine

Australia is struggling to meet its Covid-19 vaccination targets, in part due to red tape involved with importing doses of the drug. Government officials have blamed Brussels for the shortfall.

Turkey detains 10 retired admirals over ‘evoking coup’

Turkey on Monday detained 10 retired admirals after a letter signed by more than 100 of them warned against a possible threat to a treaty governing the use of Turkey’s key waterways.