Tokyo residents vote Sunday (July 7) to elect a new governor for the Japanese capital with incumbent Yuriko Koike challenged by opposition figure Renho, two prominent women in the country's male-dominated political sphere. Japan has never had a woman prime minister and a large

Myanmar ethnic minority fighters were battling their way into a town housing a regional military command, one of their leaders said. Soldiers were "surrounding" the northern Shan state town of Lashio, home to the junta's northeastern command, General Tar Bhone Kyaw of the

Five terrorists were killed in two separate encounters in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.  The encounters, which began on Saturday, also claimed the lives of two soldiers, including a para-trooper, while another soldier sustained injuries, according to local police

President Joe Biden's Friday night TV interview does not seem to have quelled an uprising within his own party to end his re-election campaign after a halting debate performance against Donald Trump. A fifth House Democrat, Angie Craig of Minnesota, on Saturday joined colleagues in

At least 16 people have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a school in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials have said. Dozens more have been injured. The building was sheltering thousands of displaced people at Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Hamas-run

France votes in one of its most significant elections in years on Sunday, with the far right hoping for a historic victory, but political stalemate the more likely result. This is the first time the anti-immigration National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has had a

France’s rushed and sometimes violent election campaign is over, brought to an end with stark appeals from political leaders ahead of Sunday’s pivotal vote. Centrist Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Friday night that a far-right government would “unleash hatred

The Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis is at “breaking point” and risks being overwhelmed amid a surge in Israeli attacks, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said. The “continuous cycle” of mass displacement of civilians in Gaza and people being in

New Prime Minister Keir Starmer named Rachel Reeves as Britain’s first female finance minister and Angela Rayner as his deputy on Friday as he began putting together the team that will help him try to deliver on a promise rebuild the country. Reeves, 45, a former Bank of England

United States President Joe Biden used a much-anticipated interview with ABC News to reiterate that he is the candidate to beat Donald Trump in November’s presidential election and again called his recent disastrous debate against Trump “a bad episode”. Biden, 81,

Reformist Massoud Pezeshkian has been elected Iran's new president, beating his hardline conservative rival Saeed Jalili. The vote was declared in Dr Pezeshkian's favour after he secured 53.3% of the more than 30 million votes counted. Mr Jalili polled 44.3%. The run-off

Nearly 90 migrants bound for Europe died and dozens more are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania earlier this week, the state news agency and a local official said on Thursday, “The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies of 89 people aboard a large

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded India’s highest-ever growth registered in 2023-24 in defence production which rose to Rs 1,26,887 crore, a 16.8% increase compared to the value of production of the previous financial year. Sharing a post on ‘X’ by Defence

Sir Keir Starmer has officially become the UK's new prime minister after a meeting with the King. The Labour leader had his meeting in Buckingham Palace after Rishi Sunak stepped down following the worst ever general election result for the Conservatives. Sir Keir now takes over

Polls opened across Iran early Friday for the first presidential runoff vote in over 19 years as reformists look to regain power. Two candidates -- Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist lawmaker and former health minister, and Saeed Jalili, a conservative former lead nuclear negotiator and

Indian police said on Thursday they had arrested six people over a stampede at a Hindu religious event in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh this week in which 121 people were killed. The incident occurred on Tuesday in the village of Phulrai Mughal Garhi in Hathras district where

The UK's Labour Party swept to power early on Friday after winning the country's general election, crossing the 326-seat threshold for a working majority in the House of Commons. "A mandate like this comes with a great responsibility," Labour leader Keir Starmer told

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said a multipolar world has become a reality, with international structures like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the economic bloc BRICS serving as its main pillars. Speaking at a meeting of the SCO Council of Heads in Astana,

The oldest example of figurative cave art has been discovered in the Indonesian Island of South Sulawesi by Australian and Indonesian scientists. The painting of a wild pig and three human-like figures is at least 51,200 years old, more than 5,000 years older than the previous oldest

A powerful hurricane has hit Jamaica with heavy winds and rain, damaging buildings and felling trees on the Caribbean island. Beryl - a category four storm with winds of up to 130mph (215km/h) - struck the island's southern coast. Photos on social media show flooded streets and