Sri Lanka's national medical association warned Thursday that hospitals will be unable to provide even emergency services in coming weeks because of critical shortages of drugs and medical equipment caused by the country's economic crisis, leading to a catastrophic number of deaths if supplies aren't replenished.

Islamabad: In a body blow to Imran Khan, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously struck down a controversial ruling by the deputy speaker on the rejection of a no-confidence motion against him and ordered restoration of the National Assembly, saying the prime minister's move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was "unconstitutional"

United Nations: The UN General Assembly voted Thursday to suspend Russia from the world organisation's leading human rights body over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which the United States and Ukraine have called tantamount to war crimes.

Beijing: Shanghai, the global financial hub and China's biggest city, has become the epicentre of COVID-19 cases in the country as it set a record of six-straight days of logging around 20,000 cases, as the city ramped up mass testing to tackle the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

Istanbul: A Turkish court ruled Thursday to suspend the trial in absentia of 26 Saudis accused in the gruesome killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and for the case to be transferred to Saudi Arabia.

Washington: The United States has advised its citizens against travelling to Sri Lanka, pointing to the fuel and medicine shortages, as well as the COVID-19 and terror threats in the Island nation where the worst-ever economic crisis has triggered political unrest.

United Nations: The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday on whether to suspend Russia from the UN's premier human rights body.

Jerusalem: Israel's fragile government on Wednesday was reduced to a minority in the 120-member House with the ruling coalition's whip quitting on religious grounds, raising the possibility of elections in the Jewish nation in less than a year after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took charge.