Top 10 world news today: Hagia Sophia's musuem status revoked, China to hit US with 'reciprocal measures' and more
Hagia Sophia
A top Turkish court on Friday revoked the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia's status as a museum, clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque, according to reports. Read more
China said Friday it will impose tit-for-tat measures on US institutions and individuals who "behave badly" on Xinjiang-related issues after Washington slapped sanctions on Chinese officials over a crackdown on Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in the region. Read more
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Friday that the country will likely extend the July 31 deadline of the state of emergency imposed due to coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Top United States General Mark Milleypledged Thursday to "take action" if the US military could corroborate intelligence suggesting Moscow paid militants linked to the Taliban to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan. Read more
The United States has approved a possible $620 million upgrade package for Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Taiwan, the State Department said, the latest purchase from the United States to deal with a rising threat from China. Read more
The mayor of Seoul, a contender to be South Korea's next president and a former human rights lawyer, died by suicide a day after he was accused of sexual harassment. Read more
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has tested positive for COVID-19, said on Facebook Thursday that he was "very well" and again advocated the use of the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine.Read more
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said there was "no need" for another summit with the United States unless Washington offered a "decisive change" in approach. Read more
Kazakhstan has dismissed the warning by China's embassy for its citizens that advised to guard themselves against an outbreak of pneumonia in the central Asian nation. China described the pneumonia as being more lethal than COVID-19, the disease caused due to the novel coronavirus. Read more
The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 12 million people, with 5.54 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019. Read more