Stephen McGowan, a South African hostage has been released by Al-Qaeda’s Mali branch after he was abducted by the al-Qaeda militants in 2011, at a Hotel in Timbuktu, along with a Swedish national, Johan Gustafson. Gift of the Givers, which had been negotiating for his release for six years confirmed he has been freed.

President Vladimir Putin said the United States would have to cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 people and that he could consider additional punitive measures against the United States against US Congress backed sanctions over Russia’s meddling in US elections. Moscow ordered the United States on Friday to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff and said it would seize two U.S. diplomatic properties after the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate overwhelmingly approved new sanctions on Russia.

Pakistan's ruling party has decided Saturday to name Shehbaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab province, as the country's new Prime Minister (PM). The decision was announced by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after a meeting of the parliamentarians from the ruling party. The Federal Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will be appointed as the interim prime minister until Shahbaz resigns from his regional post and contest a National Assembly (NA) seat to become eligible to take over.

Indian Coast Guard on Sunday seized over 3, 000 pounds of heroin in what the country described as the largest drug bust in history. The illicit substance which was discovered aboard a merchant ship off the Coast of the Western State of Gujara is believed to be worth over $545 million.

North Korea has threatened to take firm military action against the United States if it continues to pursue additional sanction. The warning is coming two days after North Korea launched a long range intercontinental ballistic missile believed to have the capacity to hit mainland United States.

North Korea is said to have conducted another missile test, officials from Japan and South Korea say. The missile launched from North Korea’s northern Jangang province landed in the sea, possibly in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, they added. The test was the latest in a series of test conducted in defiance to UN sanctions.