NEW DELHI: China held a meeting last week with 19 countries from the Indian Ocean region minus India, which brought lots of criticism and suspicion about Beijing's intentions in the region.

KHARTOUM: Sudan's military and civilian leaders have signed a political framework agreement to end the political impasse and institute a two-year transitional authority.

NEW DELHI: As delegates of 196 nations gather over the next two weeks for the UN biodiversity summit, referred to as COP15, beginning in Montreal, Canada, to agree, amongst other things, on a new biodiversity framework -- a crucial moment as the world needs set of goals and targets that will guide action on nature through 2030 with over a million species of animals and plants face extinction because of human activity.

ANKARA: Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has killed a senior member of the outlawed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria.

COPENHAGEN: A total of 331 companies filed for bankruptcy in Denmark in November, the highest number in 13 years, according to a new report.

CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19.

KIEV: The head of US intelligence has said Russian President Vladimir Putin has "become better informed" about the difficulties facing his invading forces in Ukraine, as the Kremlin suggested the Russian president could visit the occupied Donbas region at a future unspecified date.

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Monday that the country's reserves have increased to $48 billion during the tenure of her government .

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a committee to work with Indias National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to develop the island nation's dairy industry.

SINGAPORE: A six-year-old Indian-origin boy has become the youngest Singaporean to have trekked to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal at an altitude of 5,364 metres.

PHNOM PENH: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched a regional plan of action on women's peace and security on Monday in partnership with UN Women.

DHAKA: A 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Dhaka on Monday, according to athe Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

ROME: Italy hosts the highest number of unofficial Chinese "police stations" out of a network of more than 100 around the world, a report by a Spanish civil rights group has claimed.

DAMASCUS: A group of Syrian protesters carried out sabotage acts and attacked a government building in the southern city of Sweida, the Interior Ministry said.

TORONTO: In a "targeted" killing, a 21 year-old Canadian-Sikh woman died after being shot multiple times outside a gas station in Mississauga, police said.

RAMALLAH: Palestine will attend a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) scheduled for Monday in The Hague, a senior official announced here.

LIMA: Peruvian President Pedro Castillo said Sunday that an impeachment motion approved by the opposition-led Congress "is part of the political game" against him.

LONDON: Iran's morality police, which is tasked with enforcing the country's Islamic dress code, is being disbanded, the country's attorney general said, according to a media report.

KABUL: Suspect involved in the assassination attempt on Pakistan's Head of Mission to Kabul, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, was arrested on Saturday, local media reported.

KARACHI: Pakistan successfully made a repayment of $1 billion against a matured international Sukuk (Shariah-compliant bond), three days ahead of schedule on Friday, dismissing the perception of its default on the payment, local media reported.

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, has warned India of strict action in case of any 'misadventure', the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, according to a media report.

ISLAMABAD: At a time when Pakistan, under the current coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is facing a towering challenge of reviving its economic and financial conditions and prevent from moving towards a complete meltdown, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has expressed his displeasure over the delay in the ninth International Monetary Fund (IMF) review, saying that he will not bow down to what he termed as "dictation" of the IMF.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Head of Mission to Kabul, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani has survived an assassination bid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed.

BERLIN: The German Bundestag, or lower house of Parliament, has adopted a new law that will enable foreigners with a short-term "tolerated stay" permit to obtain a permanent residence permit.

BRUSSELS: The European Commission has proposed making the circumvention of the European Union's (EU) sanctions against Russia a criminal offence.

NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has designated Pakistan, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia as religious freedom violators labelling them as "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPC).

TORONTO: Indo-Canadian TikToker Megha Thakur, known for spreading messages of body positivity and self-confidence, passed away "suddenly" and "unexpectedly" last week, an Instagram post by her parents said.

COPENHAGEN: Due to soaring energy prices and the highest inflation in 40 years in Denmark, nearly 20,000 Danish families with children have asked the Red Cross for financial assistance this Christmas.

LIMA: Peruvian President Pedro Castillo said "nothing will prevent" him from serving his full term in office, a day after Peru's Congress voted to start impeachment proceedings against him for alleged "moral incompetence".

WASINGTON: The Railroad Workers United (RWU) in the US has expressed anger at both the Democratic and Republican Parties.

LONDON: Vladimir Putin has fallen down the stairs at his official residence and soiled himself while continuing to suffer from cancer, a Telegram
channel which claims links to his bodyguards has suggested, Daily Mail reported.

TORONTO: Toronto Police have arrested a 60-year-old driver in connection with the death of an Indian student from Karnal on November 23.

TORONTO: An opposition party in Canada has called on the government to boycott G20 activities in India over its alleged treatment of religious minorities and human rights record.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan may get arrested before the next general elections in the Toshakhana case, former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed, local media reported.

DHAKA: The World Bank has approved $250 million in financing to help Bangladesh strengthen environmental management and promote private sector participation in green investment.