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The spike in infections is India’s biggest crisis since Modi took office in 2014. It remains to be seen how his handling of it might affect Modi or his party politically. The warning about the new variant in early March was issued by the Indian Sars-CoV-2 genetics consortium, or Insacog. It was conveyed to a top official who reports directly to the prime minister, according to one of the scientists, the director of a research centre in northern India who spoke on condition of anonymity.

India reported another world record 401,993 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, while deaths from Covid-19 jumped by 3,523 over the past 24 hours. Experts believe the real figures are far higher. Compounding the misery, a fire broke out in a Covid-19 hospital ward in western India early Saturday, killing 18 patients. The fire, which broke out at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, a town in Gujarat state, was extinguished within an hour, police said. The cause was being investigated.

Alexei Navalny has appeared in court from prison, head close-shaven and face gaunt, and accused Vladimir Putin of attempting to rule Russia "forever" and caring only about "clinging to power". It is the opposition politician's first public appearance since starting a 2.5-year jail term, seen as punishment for his fierce criticism of the Kremlin. Navalny spoke via videolink, his prison kit hanging loosely after a recent 24-day hunger strike over his treatment.

A panel of Indian scientists warned officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, it has emerged. Despite the warning, four of the scientists said the federal government did not seek to impose major restrictions to stop the spread of the virus, Reuters reported on Saturday. Millions of largely unmasked people attended religious festivals and political rallies that were held by prime minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party and opposition politicians.

Officials have downplayed reports Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is set to be released from Iran after state TV suggested Britain would pay a £400m debt to secure her release. Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of the British-Iranian charity worker, said the family had not been updated but welcomed the signals from Tehran over the long-running dispute as "a good sign".

The United States has told its citizens to leave India as soon as possible as the country battles a devastating coronavirus wave. India reported 379,257 new infections on Thursday, the world's highest single-day total. The US embassy warned that "access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited". The Level 4 "do not travel" advisory is the highest of its kind issued by the Department of State. The overall death toll in India officially surpassed 200,000 on Wednesday, though experts believe the actual number could be much higher.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been sentenced to another year in prison in Iran, her lawyer has said. The British-Iranian woman is also banned from leaving the country for one year. Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani told Emtedad news website on Monday, April 26, 2021: "Nazanin Zaghari was sentenced to one year in prison and one year ban from leaving the country on charges of propaganda against the Islamic Republic."

Boris Johnson said he is "deeply troubled" by failures to properly commemorate black and Asian troops who died fighting for the British Empire during World War One. Some troops were commemorated collectively or their names were recorded in registers, while their white counterparts had headstones. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace apologised in the Commons after a report blamed "pervasive racism". Mr Wallace pledged to "take action".

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband," the Palace said. Speaking at Downing Street, the prime minister said that the duke had "earned the affection of generations here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth, and around the world". Meanwhile, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said he "consistently put the interests of others ahead of his own and, in so doing, provided an outstanding example of Christian service".

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace has announced. A statement issued by the palace just after midday spoke of the Queen's "deep sorrow" following his death at Windsor Castle on Friday morning. The Duke of Edinburgh, the longest-serving royal consort in British history, was at the Queen's side for more than her six decades of reign. Boris Johnson said he "inspired the lives of countless young people".

Mozambique is sending a medical team to identify the bodies of 12 people beheaded during an ISIL (ISIS)-affiliated attack last month on the northern gas exploration hub of Palma, an army spokesman said. A police official and an army spokesman said the victims appeared to be foreigners, although this has not been confirmed.

The Northern Ireland policing board said the attacks on officers were “truly shocking” while the Northern Ireland executive in a joint statement after an emergency debate described the events as “deplorable”. Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist party leader and first minister, condemned the firebombing of a moving bus and said the latest disturbances were an “embarrassment to society”. She tweeted: “This is not protest. This is vandalism and attempted murder. These actions do not represent unionism or loyalism.”

Iraq and the United States have agreed on the withdrawal of all remaining US and coalition combat troops deployed to fight ISIL (ISIS) in the Middle Eastern country – but they did not provide a timeline and said the foreign forces would still provide training to the Iraqi army. After a first “strategic dialogue” under President Joe Biden’s administration, the two countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the Iraqi military had made substantial improvements.

Brazil has the second highest death toll in the world from Covid, and experts are warning that a current surge in cases may not peak for several weeks. The rapid spread of a coronavirus variant first discovered in Brazil has been a major cause for concern around the world. President Jair Bolsonaro has consistently played down the severity of the virus, but he is now turning his focus to the nationwide vaccination drive which his critics say has come far too late.

The Egyptian president has warned of "severe regional consequences" if his country’s water supply is impacted by a giant hydropower dam under construction in Ethiopia. “I say once again no one can take a drop from Egypt’s water and if it happens there will be inconceivable instability in the region,” said President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. “I’m not threatening anyone here, our dialogue is always reasonable and rational,” he added. Speaking at the Suez Canal on Tuesday, President Sisi said Egypt would continue insisting on talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to resolve a decades-long dispute over the $5bn (£3.6bn) hydropower project that has strained relations between the countries.

The BBC interviewed Dr Halima Begum of the Runnymede Trust today, the day after the Conviction of Derek Chavin for the ‘Murder’ of George Floyd.

The United States and Iran are in a staring contest, and neither wants to blink first. Since president Joe Biden took office on 20 January, the countries have been locked in a stalemate over the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), which the Donald Trump administration withdrew from in May 2018, reimposing sanctions on Iran – despite the country not having violating the multilateral accord. These actions prompted Iran to speed up its nuclear programme after May 2019 by incrementally breaching aspects of the JCPOA.

Jurors in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd will start their first full day of deliberations this morning, after closing arguments were made yesterday. Floyd died after Chauvin kept his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes. Chauvin’s defence team argued that his force was reasonable because Floyd had refused to get into the car, and that the jury should not dismiss Floyd’s heart condition and drug use as a cause of death. Chauvin denies all charges. This crap is coming to us in the UK. This man was a clear and present danger to the police, the problem they had to deal with amongst all the rest, was particularly the danger they were walking into, which is their job, the biggest danger they ended up walking into was the differential of skin colour!! Crazy World.

The EU's legal battle with AstraZeneca will fuel distrust and make the bloc's jabs shambles even worse, diplomats have reportedly warned. Brussels has launched legal action against what it claims is the company's "complete failure" to meet delivery and contractual agreements - despite months of its own indecision over vaccine rollout.

You know, I try and stay sensible when I hear a lot of this shit, but okay the guy has been found Guilty, I’ve watched a lot and it was obvious the guy had to be found Guilty, the US would have went up in Fire otherwise, the guy was at the wrong place and at the wrong time? This is a wee bit of footage to show the Race Baiting not just of the interviewer, but of the Interviewee! We could argue that the individual who is asking the questions, Sorry; this is all about Truth and who is saying it. Sky News on this account caught Race Baiting! Sad how there is Encouragement to move the Civil Unrest that is undoubtedly happening in America, but why does it get moved to the UK????

Jail staff are threatening to force-feed Putin critic Alexei Navalny, who has lost 15kg (33lbs) in weight since he was taken to the prison last month, according to his allies. The Russian opposition leader, 44, began a hunger strike at penal colony number 2 in Pokrov at the end of March to highlight what he said was the authorities' refusal to give him proper treatment for his back and leg pain.

Serious unrest has spilled on to the streets since Good Friday in pockets of unionist areas in Londonderry, Belfast and other towns in County Antrim. Cars have been set on fire and petrol bombs and masonry have been thrown at police, leaving 48 officers injured, including seven on Wednesday night during the worst disturbances so far in Belfast.

April 2021. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court today at his corruption trial to hear prosecutors make their allegations against him. Prosecutors say Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister used his political influence as 'currency' to buy favours from media executives and wealthy businessmen. The evidentiary phase of the trial was beginning as Israel's political parties were meeting the country's president to weigh in on whether Netanyahu should form the next government after a close election or step down to focus on his legal woes.

April 2021. Police searching for missing 19-year-old student Richard Okorogheye have said a body has been found in Epping Forest. On Monday, the Metropolitan Police said they were informed by Essex Police that the body of a man was found in a pond in the woodland. Inquiries are under way to identify the body.

April 2021. “Any internal instability and tension in the West Asia region will benefit the Zionist regime [Israel],” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement. He emphasized the significance of peace and stability in Jordan. “This regime's fingerprint can always be found in any sedition in Islamic countries,” Khatibzadeh noted.