Jan 26: Scientists and health officials around the world are keeping their eyes on a descendant of the omicron variant that has been found in at least 40 countries, including the United States.

WASHINGTON, Jan 24: As winter deepens, a grim situation in Afghanistan is getting worse. Freezing temperatures are compounding misery from the downward spiral that has come with the fall of the U.S.-backed government and the Taliban takeover.

Dec 27: Newly infected COVID-19 patients have two new treatment options that can be taken at home.

CHICAGO, Dec 10: Laboratory studies released this week suggest that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus will blunt the power of Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech's vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infection after two doses, although a third dose may restore that protection.

NEW DELHI, April 30: India has recorded the world’s sharpest spike in coronavirus infections this month, with political and financial capitals New Delhi and Mumbai running out of hospital beds, oxygen and medicines.

NEW DELHI, April 23: The world’s fastest pace of spreading infections and the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases are pushing India further into a deepening and deadly health care crisis.

The floods that slammed into two hydroelectric plants and damaged villages in northern India were set off by a break on a Himalayan glacier upstream. Here’s a look at how glaciers and glacial lakes form and why they may sometimes break:

MYANMAR, Feb 1: Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party were detained in an early morning raid on Monday, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy said.

WASHINGTON, Jan 9: When some Democrats were pushing for President Donald Trump’s impeachment in early 2019, it took around five months for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to back the idea.

LONDON, Jan 3: India on Friday became the fourth country to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, authorising the vaccine’s rollout in coming weeks in the country with the second highest number of infections.

WASHINGTON, Nov 4: There’s a fair chance Americans won’t know the winner of Tuesday’s presidential election while it’s still Tuesday — or maybe even Wednesday.

LONDON, Oct 23: President Donald Trump has claimed without evidence that unprecendented numbers of mail-in ballots will lead to widespread fraud by Democrats in the Nov. 3 presidential election. The president has also repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if the vote counts indicate he has lost to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

KABUL, Sept 12: Talks seeking to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan started this weekend, with an opening ceremony on Saturday. Negotiators representing the Kabul government and Taliban insurgents are scheduled to sit face to face in the Qatari capital of Doha from Sunday.

NEW YORK, June 17:  Americans have started returning to more normal lifestyles with the end of coronavirus lockdowns. But what activities are safe?

MUMBAI, Dec 23:  Thousands of Indians have been protesting against a new citizenship law as well as possible plans for a National Register of Citizens (NRC), alleging the measures are an attack on a secular constitution and against minority Muslims.

SEOUL, Nov 22 : The animosity between Japan and South Korea is entwined with the history of Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean peninsula, the mobilisation of forced labour at companies, of women in wartime brothels, and a row over the ownership of islets in the sea between the two nations.