Islamabad / AFP British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for an end to violence in Kashmir during a visit to Islamabad on Thursday, warning tensions between India and Pakistan are holding the region back from becoming an “incredible boomzone”. Johnson, who said he was visiting Pakistan for the first time, spoke a day after at least nine people were killed ...

  Brussels / AFP Germany’s Martin Schulz said on Thursday he would step down as head of the European Parliament and return to national politics, where analysts say he could emerge as a rival to Angela Merkel. The outspoken former bookseller from Aachen will quit after four years in office, during which he became one of the European Union’s most high-profile ...

  Sydney / AFP An unprecedented “thunderstorm asthma” event has left four people dead and three fighting for their lives in Australia, with authorities on Thursday scrambling to review their procedures after emergency services were overwhelmed. Some 8,500 people have presented to hospital emergency departments, mostly in Melbourne, since a thunderstorm coincided with a high pollen count on Monday, causing ...