The missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 belonged to a Russian brigade, international investigators say, According to the BBC.

For the first time, the Dutch-led team said the missile had come from a unit based in western Russia.

All 298 people on board the Boeing 777 died when it broke apart in mid-air flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany and China will stand by the existing nuclear accord with Iran, even as the US has withdrawn and expects its European allies to follow suit. Merkel made the statement during a joint news conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Beijing’s Great Hall of the people during a two-day visit to China, Reuters has reported.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has condemned the US for vowing to impose what it said would be the “strongest sanctions in history” on his country. He said measures outlined by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, showed the US was a prisoner of its “failed policies” and it would suffer the consequences.

Pyongyang has dismantled its nuclear testing site deep in the mountains of the country's northeast. While foreign journalists were on hand, international inspectors were not invited to witness the event.  North Korea closed and rendered unusable its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where the country conducted all six of its nuclear weapons tests, according to international journalists who witnessed the event.

Malaysia has slashed salaries of ministers by 10 per cent and also cut public spending. The decision was taken to control spending as the new government deals with high-level debt, the 92-year-old leader said exceeded more than one trillion ringgit (251.5 billion U.S. dollars). Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday the measures at the first cabinet meeting which was attended by more than a dozen of the newly sworn-in ministers.

Police on Monday said 13 people died after consuming toxic alcohol in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state.

Senior Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Kumar said five people died on Saturday and eight on Sunday after consuming the locally-brewed alcohol in Kanpur district.

Kumar said 10 others are being treated at various hospitals and the death toll could rise.