US senators have been accused of falling asleep, playing games and breaking other rules during President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Jim Risch and Jim Inhofe are among members who have apparently nodded off during the lengthy hearings. Crossword puzzles, fidget spinners

Three US firefighters who died when their air tanker crashed while battling blazes in Australia have been identified. Captain Ian McBeth, 45, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 43, and flight engineer Rick A DeMorgan Jr, 44, were killed in New South Wales on Thursday. The cause of the

China is battling to contain a deadly coronavirus in Hubei province, as hundreds of millions of Chinese prepare to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Beijing and Hong Kong have cancelled some major festivities to prevent large crowds gathering. Wuhan and other cities in Hubei have seen

Extreme heat from the Mount Vesuvius eruption in Italy was so immense it turned one victim's brain into glass, a study has suggested. The volcano erupted in 79 AD, killing thousands and destroying Roman settlements near modern-day Naples. The town of Herculaneum was buried by

The International Court of Justice has ordered measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (formerly Burma). The decision comes despite de facto leader Aun San Suu Kyi defending her country against the accusations in person last month. Thousands of Rohingya died

A sense of anxiety is growing in Wuhan as the Chinese city goes into lockdown in an effort to control the spread of a new virus which has left 17 dead. The authorities have suspended planes and trains in and out of the city of 11 million people, as well as buses, subways and ferries.

Three US residents died in a firefighting aircraft crash in Australia, authorities have confirmed. The large air tanker and crew were reported missing in southern New South Wales shortly before 13:30 local time (02:30 GMT) on Thursday. The cause of the crash is not yet known. NSW

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Wednesday for the United Nations to help mediate between nuclear armed India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir. "This is a potential flashpoint," Khan said during a media briefing at the annual meeting of the World

China told the 11 million residents of Wuhan on Thursday that they would no longer be allowed to leave, as the authorities step up efforts to halt the spread of a new coronavirus that originated in the city in December and has now killed 17 people and infected 571. "Without a special

India's Supreme Court has sought government response to petitions filed against new citizenship legislation after it refused to stay the law that has sparked widespread opposition and protests across the country. The top court on Wednesday gave the government headed by Prime

Australian PM Scott Morrison has been accused of lacking leadership during the bushfire crisis - by the man he replaced after a party room coup. Malcolm Turnbull, who was deposed in 2018, told the BBC that Mr Morrison had misled the country by "downplaying" the influence of global

The United States has confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus on its territory. The Centers for Disease Control said the virus, which originated in China, had been diagnosed in a US resident who arrived in Seattle from China. The virus, which spread from the Chinese city of

India's Supreme Court is set to hear appeals filed against a new citizenship law that has sparked widespread opposition and protests across the country. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will hear over 140 petitions on Wednesday, which seek to examine

China's National Health Commission said on Wednesday that nine people had died from a new coronavirus and 440 people across 13 Chinese provinces had been confirmed to be infected and warned that the still-unidentified virus could mutate. The number of cases of the infection, known

Asian countries have ramped up measures to block the spread of a new virus as the death toll in China rose to six and the number of cases jumped to almost 300, raising concerns in the middle of a major holiday travel rush. From Australia to Thailand and as far as Nepal, nations stepped

A commission set up to investigate the 2017 crackdown in Rakhine that led hundreds of thousands of mostly Muslim Rohingya to flee Myanmar, has concluded that while some soldiers probably committed war crimes there was no genocide. The Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) released

For only the third time in history, an American president is facing an impeachment trial, with hearings set to start on Tuesday at 13:00 (18:00 GMT). Such a trial could, in theory, lead to President Donald Trump being removed from office. That outcome would be a huge shock - we'll

A fourth person in China has died from a new virus that has spread rapidly across the country, as authorities confirmed that it can be passed from person-to-person. A 89-year-old man was the latest victim of the new strain of coronavirus, which causes a type of pneumonia. He lived

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated JP Nadda on his election as the BJP president and said he was sure that the party will scale newer heights during his presidency. Modi, who felicitated Nadda at the BJP headquarters here, also praised Amit Shah for his

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit a remote area of northwest China's Xinjiang region late Sunday, the US Geological Survey said. The shallow quake struck at 9:27 pm (local time) around 100 kilometres (60 miles) east-northeast of the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. In its initial