Putin vows to 'firmly' defend Russian interests on Victory Day

Russia has marked the 76th anniversary of victory in World War II with a military parade in Moscow's Red Square.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech saying the country will firmly defend its national interests and denounced racial and national superiority.

This year's parade comes under strained relations between Moscow and Western countries. The United States and Russia have expelled each other's diplomats in recent months in a series of retaliatory moves.

Scottish National Party wins vote to set up independence clash

Scotland is headed for a protracted showdown with the U.K. government over the right to an independence referendum after the Scottish National Party scored a decisive election victory.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon had vowed to push for a second independence referendum by the end of 2023 if her party gets enough seats.

Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom in 2014.

But the U.K.-wide decision in 2016 to leave the European Union ran against the wishes of most Scots. 62 percent of the voters were in favor of staying within the bloc.

COVID-19 death toll projected to reach 1 million in India by August: The Lancet

An article published in The Lancet projects that the cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths in India could reached 1 million by Aug 1.

It suggests that India readjust its measures and called on the government to adopt a "two-pronged" strategy by speeding up vaccination and reducing transmission.

Doctor Vikas Bajpai from Jawaharlal Nehru University says he is disappointed about the country's pandemic response.

Saturday figures saw India's daily COVID-19 deaths exceed 4,000 for the first time as the country is still seeing over 400,000 new daily cases.

Asian Development Bank to stop financing coal plants

The Asian Development Bank will stop financing new coal power plants under a newly-released draft energy policy.

The ADB will instead provide funds for natural gas projects and "hybrid electricity solutions" involving fossil fuels as backup systems based on certain criteria.

Between 2009 and 2019, the ADB awarded 42.5 billion U.S. dollars to energy sector projects in Asia, where around 60 percent of electricity is generated by coal.

Family of George Floyd welcomes federal indictment of former police officers

The family of George Floyd has welcomed the indictment of four former Minneapolis police officers for their role in the arrest and murder of the Black man.

A federal grand jury in Minneapolis earlier issued a three-count indictment charging Derek Chauvin and three fellow former officers of violating Floyd's constitutional rights.

A 12-member Minneapolis jury last month convicted Chauvin of second- and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.

Chauvin's sentencing is set for June 25.

Remnants of China's Long March-5B rocket re-enters the Earth's atmosphere

The remnants of China's Long March-5B rocket reentered the Earth's atmosphere at 10:24 on Sunday morning.

The debris fell into a sea area located at longitude 72.47 degrees east and latitude 2.65 degrees north.

Authorities say that most parts of the rocket had burnt up during reentry.

The rocket was launched late last month to send the core module of China's new space station into orbit.

Zhang Yimou's "Cliff Walkers" tops 700 mln yuan at China's box office

The cumulative box office revenue of Zhang Yimou's "Cliff Walkers" has topped 700 million yuan, or about 108 million U.S. dollars as of Sunday morning.

The first foray into the spy genre by the renowned Chinese director has dominated China's daily box office for 6 straight days.

"Cliff Walkers" is set in the 1930s in Harbin. It follows Communist Party special agents as they test their wits against their enemies to complete a secret mission.

Box office tracker Maoyan predicts "Cliff Walkers" will complete its run with a total revenue of approximately 1 billion yuan.