India's Supreme Court has put a controversial colonial-era sedition law on hold that critics say is used to stifle dissent. The judges asked the government to refrain from registering any new cases which invoke sedition until it finishes hearing petitions challenging it. The

The Indian High Commission on Wednesday "categorically" denied media reports about New Delhi sending its troops to Colombo, stating that the country is fully supportive of Sri Lanka's democracy, stability and economic recovery. Sri Lanka is struggling with acute food and

The US House of Representatives has approved a fresh $40bn aid package for Ukraine, after President Joe Biden called for more funds to help Kyiv thwart Russia’s three-month-old invasion. Legislators passed the Ukraine bill by 368 to 57 votes on Tuesday, providing $7bn more than

Israeli forces shot Shireen Abu Akleh in the head while she was on assignment in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have shot dead Al Jazeera’s journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. She was hit by a

Sri Lanka has granted its military and police emergency powers to arrest people without warrants after a day of violence that killed seven people and injured more than 200 and resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the older brother of sitting President Gotabaya

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, son of a former Philippines' dictator, is headed for a landslide win in the country's presidential race, according to partial and preliminary results. The 64-year-old senator has so far won 56% of the vote, compared to 28% for rival

Angry mobs in Sri Lanka have burned down several homes belonging to the ruling Rajapaksas and MPs, after they were attacked by government supporters. The violence capped a day of unrest that saw PM Mahinda Rajapaksa quit amid mass protests at his government's handling of the

The New York Times won three Pulitzer Prizes and was named as a finalist five more times on Monday, while its rival the Washington Post took the public service award and Reuters claimed the prize for feature photography. The journalists of Ukraine were also awarded a special citation

Any peace deal with Russia would depend on Russian forces pulling back to their pre-invasion positions, Ukraine's president says. Speaking to a London think tank, Volodymyr Zelensky said that was the minimum that his country could accept. He said he was the leader of

Police and fire rescuers are combing through rubble for survivors after an explosion late Friday morning destroyed a hotel in Havana, Cuba, killing at least 22 people and injuring at least 64. A gas leak is thought to be the cause of the explosion at Hotel Saratoga, according to the

Expressing “serious concern” over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, India and France have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to bring parties together to promote dialogue and diplomacy for finding an immediate end to the suffering of the people.  The two

New ways of putting pressure on Russia will be on the agenda when Boris Johnson meets with his Japanese counterpart on Thursday. The UK prime minister and Fumio Kishida are also set to agree a new defence partnership between the two countries. The reciprocal access agreement will

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for a prolonged truce to rescue the approximately 200 civilians and fighters sheltering in the bunkers of the Azovstal steel plant. Russia says its forces will halt hostilities at Azovstal and open a humanitarian corridor for three days.

The European Union’s top official on Wednesday called on the 27-nation bloc to ban oil imports from Russia in a sixth package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its war in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also proposed that Sberbank, Russia’s

The United States agrees with Russia that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a regular briefing on Monday. "I would say that the Russians themselves have, over time, including as recently as last year, made clear that no nuclear

Summary UK PM Boris Johnson will describe Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion as the country's "finest hour", in a virtual address to its parliament on Tuesday He will also give details of £300m in extra military support from the UK for Ukraine,

The US Supreme Court could be about to overturn the nationwide legal right to abortion, according to an unprecedented leaked draft of a court document. In a 98-page draft opinion, Justice Samuel Alito writes that the 1973 Roe v Wade decision legalising abortion across the US is

Hundreds of Muslims gathered in Makkah and Madinah to perform the Eid Al-Fitr prayers in the early hours of Monday morning, the Saudi Press Agency reported. In Makkah’s Grand Mosque, Imam Sheikh Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid led the prayer.  The Eid prayer at the

Dozens of civilians have been evacuated from Mariupol to both Russia-controlled and Ukraine-controlled territory after weeks under siege. Some have left the Azovstal steelworks, the last hold-out of Ukrainian troops in the strategically significant city. Russia said dozens of

Russia’s foreign minister has again urged the United States and NATO to stop supplying Kyiv with arms if they are “really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis”, Chinese state media has reported. “If the US and NATO are really interested in resolving the