Thursday, Dec 07, 2023 | Last Update : 11:43 AM IST

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South Asia

Anti government protesters swim in a swimmingpool of the Sri lankan president's official residence after storming into it in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, July 9, 2022. (AP)

Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit after chased from home

Hundreds of thousands massed in Colombo demanding Rajapaksa take responsibility for shortages of medicines, food and fuel

Protestors burn an effigy of acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as they demand his resignation in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Voting begins to elect Sri Lanka's new president in three-cornered contest

A candidate has to cross the magical figure of 113 in the 225-member House to win the election

Afghan boys sit near their damaged house that was destroyed in an earthquake in the Spera District of the southwestern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan.  (AP Photo)

At least 1,000 killed in Afghanistan quake, with fear toll will rise

The 5.9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, where people already lead hardscrabble lives in the grip of a humanitarian crisis

A woman wearing a face mask walks past a mural in Beijing, Friday, April 22, 2022.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Beijing Covid spike prompts mass testing, panic buying

Queues snaked around malls and outside office complexes on Monday as people waited to be swabbed for samples by health workers

Sri Lankan university students march during a protest over the country's worst economic crisis in decades in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 24, 2022. Banner in Sinhalese reads, "lower taxes and prices" (AP/Eranga Jayawardena)

Poverty in Sri Lanka to spike this year, warns World Bank

The heightened fiscal and external risks as well as the challenging political situation pose significant uncertainty to the economic outlook

Asia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (AP)

Indonesia leader says Putin and Xi to attend G20 summit: Report

Jakarta has come under Western pressure to exclude Putin from the G20 gathering after announcing in April he had been invited

Pakistan's newly-appointed Army chief General Asim Munir  (Image credit: Twitter/@IntelDte)

Ready for war with India if attacked: Pakistan new Army chief Munir

Munir made the remarks during his first-ever visit to troops in the frontline areas in Rakhchikri Sector of the Line of Control (LoC)

Dark clouds hover in the sky as a fisherman folds his fishing net, ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Sitrang, in South 24 Parganas district. (PTI Photo)(

Cyclone Sitrang hits Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of people evacuated

At least five people had been killed in the districts of Barguna, Narail, Sirajganj and the island district of Bhola

A worker in protective overalls controls the line outside the fever clinic at a hospital in Beijing.  (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs

Beijing rolls back anti-virus controls that confined millions of people to their homes, crushed economic growth and set off protests

Middle East

Rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast on February 7, 2023. (Adem ALTAN / AFP)

Earthquake toll in Turkey, Syria rises to more than 4,300

The confirmed death toll across the two countries has soared above 4,300 after a swarm of strong tremors near the Turkey-Syria border

In this May 20, 2021, file photo, Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Photo: AP)

Zalmay Khalilzad resigns as special Afghan envoy, replaced by Thomas West

Thomas West had previously served as the Deputy Special Representative

Taliban fighters stand guard near the Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan military hospital in Kabul on November 2, 2021, after at least 19 people were killed and 50 others wounded in an attack on a military hospital. (Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)

Senior Taliban commander among dead in hospital attack

At least 19 people were killed on Tuesday in the attack claimed by the Taliban's hardline rivals, the Islamic State-Khorasan

 Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi (AP)

Iraqi prime minister survives assassination bid with drones

The attack was a major escalation amid tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept parliamentary election results

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the interim Taliban government. (Representational Photo: ANI)

Taliban expand interim cabinet, 27 new members named

In September, the Taliban announced a new list of 17 more ministers in the caretaker Afghanistan Cabinet

Africa

Japanese MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship that recently ran aground off the southeast coast of Mauritius, can be seen from the coast of Mauritius. The oil spill disaster turned deadly this week when a tugboat leaving the shipwreck collided with a barge and sank, killing at least three sailors, police said Tuesday Sept. 1, 2020. (AP)

Mauritius oil spill ship operator to pay $9.4 million

More than 1,000 tonnes of oil is believed to have leaked from the ship, with the rest siphoned out before it spilled

Without practicing social distancing, people queue for social grant payments at a post office in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. The African continent has surpassed 2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 as health officials warn of infections starting to creep up again into a second surge. (AP)

African continent hits 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases

African health officials also worry that the continent will suffer as richer countries buy up supplies

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaking during a televised announcement from Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas. (AFP)

Maduro announces arrest of 'American spy' near Venezuelan refineries

The arrest occurred after a 'plan to cause an explosion' was 'discovered and dismantled' at El Palito refinery, authorities say

The Biden administration has proposed a massive hike in immigration fees, including the much sought-after H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers.

Biden administration proposes massive hike in immigration fees including H-1B visas

The application for the H-1B visa increases from USD 460 to USD 780, and L-1 from USD 460 to USD 1,385

Europe

"Stand With Ukraine" is projected on the wall of UN headquarters. (Photo: AP)

UN gives $20 million to scale up Ukraine humanitarian aid

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said the $20 million will support emergency operations along the contact line

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, speaks during a meeting of the UN Security Council, Tuesday, April 5, 2022. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

UN chief to meet with Putin, Zelenskyy to press for peace

In both visits, Guterres aims to discuss steps that can be taken right now to stop the fighting and help people get to safety

A woman runs from a house that's on fire after shelling in Donetsk, on the territory which is under the Government of the Donetsk People's Republic control, eastern Ukraine, Friday, June 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

Russia may be in Ukraine to stay after 100 days of war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that enemy forces now control almost 20 per cent of the country's territory

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Photo: AP)

British PM Rishi Sunak reverses decision on COP27, says will attend climate summit

The Oppn described the reversed decision to attend as Sunak being

In this photo provided by UK Parliament, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, attends Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons in London, Wednesday, July 6, 2022. (AP)

Boris Johnson to resign, will stay UK PM until new leader elected

The move came after days of high drama and a steady stream of resignations from his Cabinet since Tuesday

Americas

An oil tanker is moored at the Sheskharis complex, part of Chernomortransneft JSC, a subsidiary of Transneft PJSC, in Novorossiysk, Russia, one of the largest facilities for oil and petroleum products in southern Russia.  (AP file photo)

G-7 joins EU on $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the pact will help restrict Putin's primary source of revenue for his illegal war in Ukraine

Demonstrators gather outside the United States embassy in Vauxhall to protest against the decision to scrap constitutional right to abortion, in London.  (Ashlee Ruggels/PA via AP)

US abortion ruling sparks global debate, polarizes activists

The U.N. agency dealing with sexual and reproductive health said that whether or not abortion is legal 'it happens all too often'

US President Joe Biden (AP)

Biden to decide on second term 'shortly' after new year: Top aide

At 80 he is already the oldest president in US history and if he served a second term he would be 86 by the time he stepped down

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price  (AP)

Not familiar with it, familiar with shared values with India: US on BBC documentary

Price said that there are numerous elements that bolster the US' global strategic partnership with India

Oceania

News

Indian student stabbed multiple times in Australia allegedly for cash

The incident took place on Oct 6 at about 10.30 pm, as Shubham Garg walked along the Pacific Highway, NSW Police Force said in a statement

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern walks to the COVID-19 update press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021.  (Mark Mitchell Pool photo via AP)

New Zealand extends Delta outbreak lockdown

PM Jacinda Ardern said the initial three-day lockdown, which would have expired overnight Friday, would be extended by another four days

The surge has already overwhelmed testing stations, prompted new vaccine mandates and caused at least one state to cut back on surgeries

Coronavirus cases surge across Australia as omicron explodes

The surge has already overwhelmed testing stations, prompted new vaccine mandates and caused at least one state to cut back on surgeries

This file photo taken on October 23, 2019 shows a giant digital sign at Facebook's corporate headquarters campus in Menlo Park, California. - Facebook said on February 23, 2021 it will lift a contentious ban on Australian news pages "in the coming days", after the government agreed to amend a world-first media law fiercely opposed by the tech giant. (Josh Edelson / AFP)

Facebook to restore Australia news pages as deal reached on media law

Prime Minister Scott Morrison had angrily accused Facebook of making a decision to 'unfriend' Australia

While arrivals from India had triggered the risk assessment, Prime Minister Ardern said the Government would be looking at risks posed by other COVID-19 hotspot countries. (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald via AP)

New Zealand temporarily suspends entry of travellers from India amid COVID-19 surge

The travel restriction comes after New Zealand recorded 23 new COVID-19 cases in managed isolation on Thursday, of which 17 came from India