Is flying in India safe amid surge in COVID-19 cases?

New data shows China's economy cooled sharply in April, as many cities including Shanghai suffered Covid-19 lockdowns. Industrial output dropped nearly 3 percent compared to a year before, while retail sales slumped 11 percent. Meanwhile, global wheat prices jump after India announces a ban on exporting the grain due to damage from a heatwave. Finally, we see how tourists are returning to Barcelona. The development is good news for local businesses but could revive tensions over mass tourism.

Since North Korea reported its first official coronavirus case last week, the WHO has warned it might spread rapidly in the unvaccinated country. Ruler Kim Jong Un wants the military to turn the tide.

Japan's GDP fell at an annualised rate of 1 percent in the first three months of this year as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus hampered consumer spending. Rising commodity prices also weighed on businesses in the world's third-largest economy. Plus, as unemployment remains stable in France at 7.3 percent, a steelworks factory in the northern city of Dunkirk is offering a cash bonus to employees to encourage them to recruit family members.

At least 11 people have died in floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains in India’s remote northeast region, officials said Tuesday.

Mohammed Yasin Malik told the court that the charges of terrorism against him were "concocted, fabricated and politically motivated."

Popular Punjabi rapper and politician Sidhu Moose Wala was gunned down over the weekend after his security was reduced. Police said gang feuds might be behind the killing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party has come under fire for incendiary comments about the Prophet Muhammad. Muslim countries have lodged protests amid calls for a boycott of Indian goods.

As many as 54 couples with disabilities tied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony in India's western Vadodara city on Tuesday.

India's government is renewing a plan to create a uniform legal system that would replace a patchwork of religious codes. However, there is concern the UCC will be used to further entrench policies favoring Hindus.

Two protesters died of gunshot wounds in the eastern city of Ranchi, where rallies against remarks by BJP officials on Prophet Muhammad turned violent Friday evening. Several people were also arrested nationwide.

In India, derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed made two officials from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have sparked a mixture of deadly protests and diplomatic spats. Countries like Oman, Qatar, Malaysia and Indonesia have lodged complaints with India's ambassadors. We take a closer look and get analysis from Subir Sinha, a lecturer in development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London.

Authorities in New Delhi are being criticized for a heavy-handed response to violent protests by Indian Muslims after senior government officials made remarks allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad.