As US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi headed to Taipei on Tuesday amid intensifying warnings from China, four US warships, including an aircraft carrier, were positioned in waters east of the island on “routine” deployments. The carrier USS Ronald Reagan had

Nuclear threats emanating from the war in Ukraine as well as in Asia and the Middle East have put the world “one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation”, the United Nations secretary-general said.  At the UN on Monday, Antonio Guterres issued the dire warning at

The US has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has confirmed. He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday. Mr Biden said Zawahiri had "carved a

New Zealand's borders are fully open for the first time since March 2020, when they shut in an effort to keep out Covid-19. Immigration authorities will now begin accepting visitors with visas and those on student visas again. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it an

Myanmar's military regime has extended its emergency rule until 2023 as the country remains riven by internal fighting following last year's coup. The junta seized power last year after overthrowing Aung Sung Suu Kyi's democratically-elected government. The military has

The first ship carrying grain has left a Ukrainian port under a landmark deal with Russia. Turkish and Ukrainian officials say the ship left the southern port of Odesa early on Monday morning local time. Russia has been blockading Ukrainian ports since February, but the two sides

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered all civilians still living in parts of eastern Donetsk region under Ukrainian control to evacuate. Speaking during a late-night address from Kyiv, Mr Zelensky warned of an intensification of fighting. "The more people leave

Across Russia, volunteer battalions are being formed to deploy to the war in Ukraine, joining the so-called "special military operation" declared by President Vladimir Putin in February. From Murmansk in the Arctic Circle to Perm in the Urals and Primorsky Krai in the Russian

Iran has stepped up the production of military-capable drones, delivering its technology to militant groups across the Middle East as well as to countries such as Venezuela and Sudan, the US has warned. The New York Times cited Iranian media outlets, satellite images and US defense

Russia's defence ministry says 40 Ukrainian prisoners-of-war have been killed by Ukrainian shelling of a prison in separatist-held Donetsk. Officials alleged that 75 others had been injured in a rocket strike on the prison camp in Olenivka. The BBC cannot independently verify this

Some Asian central banks must rapidly raise interest rates to prevent an “upward spiral” in inflation as the war in Ukraine drives surging fuel and food prices, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) official has said. While inflation in Asia remains “moderate”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned his US counterpart Joe Biden against “playing with fire” over Taiwan, as the pair held their fifth call as leaders at a time of simmering economic and geopolitical tensions. Chinese state media reported that Xi told Biden that the

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today removed Partha Chatterjee as a minister and from all party posts in the Trinamool Congress, five days after he was arrested for alleged corruption in recruitment of teachers. "Partha Chatterjee is being suspended from the party till

Russian forces have taken over Ukraine’s second-biggest power plant and are conducting a “massive redeployment” of troops to three southern regions, a Ukrainian presidential adviser has said, amid expectations of a Ukrainian counter-offensive. Russian-backed forces

In a speech to mark the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War, known as ‘Victory Day’ in North Korea, Kim Jong Un said the threat posed by the United States required Pyongyang to build up its defence. “Our armed forces are thoroughly prepared to respond to

Miners in Angola have unearthed a rare pure pink diamond that is believed to be the largest found in 300 years, the Australian site operator announced Wednesday. A 170 carat pink diamond -- dubbed The Lulo Rose -- was discovered at Lulo mine in the country's diamond-rich northeast

U.S. officials say they have little fear that China would attack Nancy Pelosi’s plane if she flies to Taiwan. But the U.S. House speaker would be entering one of the world’s hottest spots where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. So, the Pentagon

Despite damaging Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's economy appears to be weathering the storm better than expected as it benefits from high energy prices, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday (July 26). The

The latest Tory leadership debate between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss has been cancelled after the presenter fainted on air. The Sun and TalkTV debate, hosted by journalist Kate McCann, abruptly halted around halfway through after a loud crash was heard. TalkTV said McCann was

Last week's wildfires across London show that lessons learned tackling rural blazes must urgently be applied to built-up areas, fire chiefs say. The record-breaking heatwave, with 40C peaks, came during a prolonged spell of dry weather - and that dried out gardens, verges and green