News brief: Big stories of the day

China on Monday said "unilateral bullying" by the United States was the cause behind the escalating Iran nuclear crisis, after Tehran announced it was set to breach its uranium enrichment cap.

Iran's uranium enrichment level passed 4.5 per cent on Monday, exceeding the 2015 nuclear deal cap, Iranian atomic energy organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said.

BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asserted that the Saffron Party has nothing to do with the ongoing crisis in Karnataka.

Indian markets fell sharply on Monday, disappointed by some Budget proposals in the Union Budget. Weak global markets also hurt sentiment.

Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong began circulating plans on Monday to "stress test" the Bank of China in their bid to keep the pressure on the city's pro-Beijing leaders after five people were arrested in the latest clashes with police.