Fourteen Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were found guilty and two were acquitted on Thursday in a landmark subversion trial that critics say could deal another blow to the city's rule of law and its reputation as a global financial hub. The verdicts in Hong Kong's biggest

The Palestinian death toll from Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has surged to 36,171 since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Wednesday. At least 81,420 people have also been injured in the assault, the ministry added in a statement.

Pope Francis has apologised following reports that he used extremely derogatory language towards gay men. A statement from the Vatican said the Pope did not mean to offend anyone and apologised to those who were "hurt by the use of a word". At the Italian Bishops'

The US does not believe Israel has launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, White House spokesman John Kirby has said. He spoke hours after Israeli forces reached the centre of the city and reportedly seized a strategically important hill overlooking the nearby border

Israeli forces shelled a tent camp located in a designated "safe zone" west of Rafah, resulting in the deaths of at least 21 Palestinian civilians, including 13 women and girls.  This incident marks the latest in a series of mass killings of Palestinian civilians amidst

Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday in a coordinated effort by the three western European nations to add international pressure on Israel to soften its devastating response to last year’s Hamas-led attack.  Tel Aviv slammed the

The United Nations Security Council was set to convene an emergency meeting on Tuesday (May 28) over an Israeli strike that killed dozens in a displaced persons camp in Rafah, as three European countries were slated to formally recognise a Palestinian state. AFP journalists on the

Temperatures rose above 52 degrees Celsius in Sindh, the highest reading of the summer and close to Pakistan’s record high amid an ongoing heatwave, the Met office said on Monday. Extreme temperatures throughout Asia over the past month were made worse most likely as a result of

Security forces have conducted a series of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province from May 26 to 27 and neutralised 23 terrorists, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Monday. On May 26, an IBO was conducted in the

Spain has pledged 1 billion euros ($1.1bn) in military aid to Ukraine as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a security deal in Madrid. The deal “includes a commitment for 1 billion euros in military aid for 2024”, Sanchez said at

Russia will build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, the first such project in post-Soviet Central Asia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said as he met visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said on Monday that Russia would put $400m into a joint investment

At least 21 people have been killed in a series of powerful storms that swept across the central and southern United States, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation. The storms caused deaths in the US states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky, just north of an oppressive,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Hamas amid international condemnation of an air strike that killed scores of Palestinians in Rafah on Sunday. At least 45 people were killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, while hundreds more

The FBI is investigating the sale to US buyers of what are suspected to be hundreds of treasures from the British Museum. The BBC understands the US law enforcement agency has also assisted with the return of 268 items, which the museum claims belong to it, that were sold to a

Powerful storms in the United States have killed at least 11 people including two children, and left a wide trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where drivers took shelter. Seven deaths were reported in Cooke

North Korea has notified Japan of plans to launch a satellite between May 27 and June 4, after putting its first spy satellite into orbit at the third attempt last November. The Japanese Coastguard said the eight-day launch window began at midnight on Sunday into Monday, with North

There are fears the number of missing following a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea could stretch into the thousands, a government agency has said. The acting director of the nation's National Disaster Centre said in a letter it was feared more than 2,000 people were buried

Dozens of people have been killed or injured in a blast at a refugee camp in the Rafah area, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said. Videos from the scene in the southern Gaza Strip showed a large explosion and intense fires burning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it

Dozens of civilians and soldiers were killed in the latest bout of violence in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher on Friday, the local governor has said, as fighting in the country shows no sign of abating more than one year after the start of the conflict. At least 30 civilians and 17

Twenty-seven people, including nine children, have died in a massive fire that broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat's Rajkot on Saturday evening, said officials.  "The bodies are completely charred and it is difficult to identify them," Assistant Commissioner of