The Indian Army has been mobilised to help with the clean-up after a devastating cyclone hit the eastern city of Kolkata, as thousands again protested yesterday again over power and water shortages.

As the weather warms up and restrictions to contain the novel coronavirus are lifted, Italy’s politicians advised citizens to take care and maintain health precautions, warning that otherwise they could risk another wave of infections.

Residents of Madrid and Barcelona are eagerly anticipating the opening of parks, museums, churches and outdoor seating at bars this week, as Spain prepares to ease some of the strictest lockdown measures in Europe.

Dubbed the Muslim Game of Thrones, a drama about the makings of the Ottoman Empire sent Pakistan wild during Ramadan this year, smashing television records but exposing the country’s lack of original content.

The public returned to St Peter’s Square yesterday to receive Pope Francis’s blessing from his window for the first time in nearly three months as he convoked a year of reflection on the environment.

An alligator that survived a bombing raid on the Berlin zoo in 1943 and found itself east of the iron curtain after World War II, has died of old age at 84, the Moscow Zoo has announced.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday backed his senior adviser Dominic Cummings despite calls from within his own Conservative Party for the aide to resign for travelling 400kms during the coronavirus lockdown.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro yesterday hailed supporters rallying in the country’s capital to back his administration as an unfolding political scandal adds to the public health crisis driven by the coronavirus outbreak.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hosted a meeting to discuss the country’s nuclear capabilities, state media said yesterday, marking his first appearance in three weeks after a previous absence sparked global speculation about his health.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters who gathered yesterday against a controversial security law proposed by China, in the most intense clashes for months.

In the beginning, everyone was sceptical. But Elon Musk’s SpaceX defied expectations — and on Wednesday hopes to make history by ferrying two Nasa astronauts into space, the first crewed flight from US soil in nine long years.

Americans sunbathed on beaches, fished from boats and strolled on boardwalks this holiday weekend, but the occasional person wearing a mask was a constant reminder that the world is still battling the coronavirus pandemic.