The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened new year festivities around much of the world with Paris cancelling its fireworks show, London relegating its to television and New York City scaling down its famous ball drop celebration in Times Square. The illuminated ball made of Waterford

Twelve pilgrims have died and over a dozen injured in a stampede at Jammu and Kashmir's Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The stampede was triggered by a "minor altercation among some young boys" amid a massive rush of devotees on New Year, officials said today. Prime Minister

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to immediately release staff members of the pro-democracy media outlet Stand News who were arrested after a police raid. “We call on PRC and Hong Kong authorities to cease

A powerful 7.3 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Maluku province in the early hours of Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of tsunami warnings, nor casualties or damage. The offshore quake took

International charity Save the Children has confirmed two of its staff members in Myanmar were killed in an attack it blames on the military. More than 35 bodies, including those of women and children, were found in eastern Kayah state, the charity says. It said troops had forced

Dozens of Rohingya refugees intercepted after their boat ran into trouble off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province were being sent into Malaysian waters, authorities said on Tuesday. At least 100 mostly women and children aboard a wooden vessel said to be taking on water were

An Israeli air raid has struck Syria’s Mediterranean port of Latakia for the second time this month, causing “significant material damage”, according to Syrian state media. “At around 3:21am (05:21 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression with

Weather events, linked to a changing climate, brought misery to millions around the world in 2021 according to a new report. The study, from the charity Christian Aid, identified 10 extreme events that each caused more than $1.5bn of damage. The biggest financial impacts were from

At least 388 people were killed and 60 are still missing in the Philippines due to Typhoon Rai, according to official data on Monday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, which verifies and corroborates the data of the various agencies on the ground, also said

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace prize laureate who helped end apartheid in South Africa, has died aged 90. President Cyril Ramaphosa said the churchman's death marked "another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell to a generation of outstanding South

More than 30 people, including women and children, have been killed and their bodies burned in Myanmar’s conflict-torn Kayah state, according to a local human rights group, media reports and a resident. Karenni Human Rights Group said it found the burned bodies of internally

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say at least six people have died in a suicide bomb attack on a crowded restaurant in the eastern city of Beni. Police prevented the bomber from entering the building, but he blew himself up at the entrance killing himself and five other

Holiday travel plans around the world continue to be disrupted with thousands of flights cancelled for the Christmas weekend as Covid infections surge. Airlines have blamed shortages of healthy staff for the cancellations of nearly 2,400 flights on Friday and more than 2,300 on

A monument at Hong Kong university that commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre was removed by workers early on Thursday despite objections by its creator from Denmark. The 8 metre (26 foot) tall Pillar of Shame, which depicts 50 torn and twisted bodies piled on top of each

At least 14 people have died and tens of thousands are displaced following some of the worst floods Malaysia has seen in decades. Three days of torrential rain over the weekend caused severe flooding in eight states, partially submerging a number of towns and villages. The

At least 375 people are now known to have died after a powerful storm struck the Philippines on Thursday, police say. Super Typhoon Rai - with winds of about 195km/h (120mph) - sent some 400,000 people running for safety when it hit the country's south-eastern islands. At least

Leftist candidate Gabriel Boric has won Chile's presidential election to become the country's youngest ever leader. In what was expected to be a tight race, the 35-year-old former protest leader defeated his far-right rival Antonio Kast by more than 10 points. Mr Boric told

The Myanmar military carried out a series of mass killings of civilians in July that resulted in the deaths of at least 40 men, according to a BBC investigation. Eyewitnesses and survivors said that soldiers, some as young as 17, rounded up villagers before separating the men and

Four people including two children died on Sunday after a light aircraft crashed into the sea near the coast of Australia’s Queensland state. Police said the aircraft, a four-seater Rockwell, crashed off the end of a runway at Redcliffe, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast

Hong Kong is holding its first legislative council election since China introduced sweeping changes that have altered the city's political landscape. The government says the revamped electoral system will ensure only "patriots" will be allowed to stand for election and