Biden-Xi talks: China warns US about 'playing with fire' on Taiwan
Chinese President Xi Jinping has used a virtual summit with US counterpart Joe Biden to warn that encouraging Taiwanese independence would be "playing with fire".
The talks are the most substantial since Mr Biden took office in January.
Both sides emphasised the two men's personal relationship and the summit was an attempt to ease tensions.
But they could not escape one of the most sensitive topics: the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Soaring pollution has Delhi considering full weekend lockdown
Thick smog envelops Indian capital with pollution levels 20 times higher than deemed healthy by WHO
India’s capital, Delhi, and several surrounding states have shut schools, imposed work-from-home orders and a full weekend lockdown of the city is being contemplated in an attempt to tackle the deadly levels of pollution that have yet again enveloped the region.
Over the past weeks, in what has become a dreaded seasonal occurrence, Delhi has suffered pollution levels 20 times higher than the levels deemed healthy by the World Health Organization and a thick brown smog settled over the city.
The causes of the severe pollution that have made Delhi the most polluted capital in the world are a combination of factors including car exhaust fumes, stubble-burning by farmers in nearby states, industrial pollution, waste burning and construction work.
German agency suspends certification for Nord Stream 2 pipeline
The controversial gas pipeline connecting Germany and Russia has been completed — but German officials have now blocked its certification process.
Germany's network regulator suspended its ongoing process to certify the Nord Stream 2 pipeline after ruling that its operator within Germany does not comply with conditions set by German law.
The decision could amount to another setback for the controversial pipeline that has been waiting to become operational for almost a year.
Germany's Federal Network Agency said the operating company did not meet conditions to be an "independent transmissions operator," and it could be certified only "if that operator was organized in a legal form under German law."
Poland turns water cannon, tear gas on migrants at Belarus border
Polish forces fired tear gas and deployed water cannons against stone-throwing migrants trying to cross the Belarusian border on Tuesday, sparking accusations from Belarus that Poland was trying to escalate the crisis.
Polish border guards estimate up to 4,000 migrants are currently camped out along the border between Poland and Belarus in increasingly dire conditions and freezing temperatures.
Western powers accuse Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating the crisis, possibly with the backing of Russia, by luring migrants to the border to sow division in the EU – claims denied by Minsk and Moscow.
Uganda’s capital Kampala hit by twin suicide bombings: Police
Police in Kampala say at least three people killed and 33 others injured in twin suicide bombings in the capital city.
At least three people have been killed and 33 others injured in twin suicide bombings in Uganda’s capital Kampala, police said, the latest in a string of attacks over the past month.
“So far 33 are injured and five are critically injured,” police spokesman Fred Enanga told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the attacks were carried out by three suicide bombers.
The explosions – one very close to parliament and one near the central police station – sent bloodied office workers scrambling for cover over shards of broken glass as a plume of white smoke rose above the downtown area.
The women of Iran's underground metal scene
Iran might seem an unlikely hotbed of heavy metal music, especially as western pop has been officially banned there since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Yet despite the risk of floggings and long jail terms, the genre continues to thrive in secret underground venues.
Some of the biggest names in the country’s heavy metal scene are women, despite the fact that they’re forbidden from singing publicly, except in choirs or female-only company. A new short film entitled Forbidden to See Us Scream in Tehran highlights the danger they face.
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