In the past two weeks, three influential Pakistani militants based in Afghanistan have been assassinated, whilst another Pakistani militant group has been targeted in a deadly raid by Afghan Special Forces. The apparent crackdown comes as negotiations between US and Afghan Taliban

A Chinese tourist has died in France after contracting the new coronavirus - the first fatality from the disease outside Asia. The victim was an 80-year-old man from China's Hubei province, according to French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn. He arrived in France on 16 January and

Beijing has ordered everyone returning to the city to go into quarantine for 14 days or risk punishment in the latest attempt to contain the deadly new coronavirus, state media report. Residents were told to "self-quarantine or go to designated venues to quarantine" after returning to

In 2019 global defence spending rose by some 4% over 2018 - the highest year-on-year increase in a decade. The figures are included in this year's Military Balance - the annual publication of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which is to be launched later

US Attorney General William Barr has said that President Donald Trump "undercuts" him by tweeting, making it "impossible for me to do my job". His criticism of Mr Trump comes amid intense scrutiny of the Justice Department over the handling of a case involving Roger Stone - a convicted

Coronavirus cases are not rising dramatically outside China despite a spike in Hubei province, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The only exception was on a cruise liner docked in Japan, where 44 new cases were reported, bringing the total there to 218. There was also no

Two Bangladeshis who have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus were working at a site to expand aerospace manufacturer Bombardier Aviation's facilities. The works at the site are to extend the company's service centre at 7 and 8 Seletar Aerospace Heights, a

Senior ministers are bracing themselves for Boris Johnson's first major cabinet reshuffle since the Conservatives' general election victory. The PM will make a number of changes over the next 24 hours although it is unclear how wide-ranging they will be. Attorney General

A cruise ship that was stranded at sea, because ports were worried about passengers bringing coronavirus, has been allowed to dock in Cambodia. The MS Westerdam had been turned away by five places in Asia in recent days. Another cruise ship in quarantine in Japan has more than 200

Ahead of US President Donald Trump's India visit later this month, four top US senators have written to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressing concern about the internet curbs in Kashmir more than six months after Jammu and Kashmir's  special status was scrapped under

Health officials in China's hard-hit central province of Hubei reported on Thursday that 242 more people died from the coronavirus COVID-19 as of Wednesday - the highest in a single day and more than twice the previous record high - pushing the death toll across the country to 1,355.

Pope Francis has ruled against ordaining married men in the Amazon region as a means of addressing the shortage of Catholic priests. Bishops backed the measure last year, but the decision needed the Pope's approval to be implemented. Catholic priests are required to abide by the

Around 300 employees have been evacuated from Singapore's biggest bank, DBS, after one person fell ill with the new coronavirus. All 300 had been working on the same floor, the 43rd, and were sent home on Wednesday. Singapore had previously reported 47 cases of the new virus -

Bernie Sanders has won the New Hampshire Democratic primary contest, on a terrible night for former vice-president Joe Biden. The left-wing senator took a tight victory over centrist former mayor Pete Buttigieg, who offered a different Democratic vision in the race to take on President

A further 94 deaths were reported on Wednesday in the hardest-hit province of Hubei, the central region where about 56 million people are living under increasingly severe restrictions with three more elsewhere in the country, the National Health Commission said. Deaths in mainland

The World Health Organization says the official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus is Covid-19. "We now have a name for the disease and it's Covid-19," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. It comes after the death toll from the virus

Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday thanked the people of Delhi for keeping their faith in their son and the tremendous support for his Aam Aadmi Party as it looked set to sweep the assembly elections for the third time. “The people of Delhi, you have done an awesome job. I love you,” he

China has "removed" several senior officials over their handling of the coronavirus outbreak - as the death toll passed 1,000. The party secretary for the Hubei Health Commission, and the head of the commission, were among those who lost their jobs. They are the most senior

An advance team of international experts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) has left for Beijing to help investigate China's coronavirus epidemic, which authorities said on Monday had now claimed 908 lives on the mainland. The outbreak has caused huge disruptions in China

Thousands of people stuck on a cruise ship in Hong Kong for five days have been allowed to disembark after tests for coronavirus came back negative. Some 3,600 passengers and crew on the World Dream ship were quarantined amid fears some staff could have contracted the virus on a