Protesters in the Solomon Islands called on the prime minister to resign as riots took place for a second day. Australia said it would send a peacekeeping force to the Pacific nation seized by inter-island tension.

The new year began in Kazakhstan with the government lifting its price cap on fuel, virtually doubling the cost for people to fill up their cars. Protests spread across the nation of 19 million inhabitants and soon transformed into violent unrest and a bloody crackdown. Over 100 people were killed and thousands were arrested. At the request of Kazakhstan's president, Russia sent paratroopers to help "stabilise" the country. We take a closer look at the former Soviet republic.

A panel of experts has said some of the blame for days of looting and arson last year, in which more than 300 people died, lies with the country's leadership.

A leaked document suggests the Chinese military could establish a presence on the Solomon Islands under a new security pact. Australia and New Zealand have reacted to the plan with unease.

The Solomon Islands in the South Pacific is planning a security agreement with China. But the prospect of Chinese warships based less than 2,000 kilometers off the Australian coast has set alarm bells ringing in the region.

As protesters tried to enter Mahinda Rajapaksa's residence overnight, police escorted him out on Tuesday morning. The flare up of violence has left at least five people dead and scores injured.

The president has warned against "racial and religious disharmony." Police have received orders to use live ammunition against protesters deemed to be participating in violence.

In a UN Security Council briefing, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the streets in Iraq could "boil over" if political leaders were unable to end a political stalemate that has gripped the country for over seven months.

German officials have expressed fears that a worst-case winter of energy problems could prompt an extremist backlash. How bad things get may depend on how well they manage the crisis – in policy and perception.

A leaked draft of a newly inked security deal between the Solomon Islands and China suggests China could deploy troops to the islands or even build a military base there. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called that a 'red line.'

Australia offered to pay for the island country's election, which will likely be delayed due to supposed budgetary concerns. The Solomon Islands now says this offer is "inappropriate" amid deepening ties with Beijing.

Iran has come under pressure since the 22-year-old woman died in police custody. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, meanwhile, decried the West's "double standards" on women's rights.