WORLD

Taliban authorities were told women must be included in public life, UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said on Monday as she defended a decision to sideline civil society groups at official talks in Doha.

Hurricane Beryl was Tuesday hurtling towards Jamaica as it strengthened into a record top-level Category 5 storm after sweeping across several islands in the southeastern Caribbean.

The US Supreme Court on Monday sidestepped a ruling on the constitutional validity of a pair of Republican-backed laws that imposed restrictions on social media content moderation, sending legal challenges backed by tech platforms to lower courts for review.

President Joe Biden warned Monday that the US Supreme Court's landmark ruling on presidential immunity sets a "dangerous precedent" that Donald Trump would exploit if elected in November.

Israeli forces struck southern Gaza's main city Monday after a rocket barrage claimed by militant group Islamic Jihad, and as shelling and fighting raged on across the besieged Palestinian territory.

Hungary takes over the EU's rotating presidency on Monday, promising to be an "honest broker" despite widespread concerns over what critics see as an authoritarian, Russia-friendly government.

Eight years after Britain voted for Brexit, businesses still lament economic fallout caused by the country's departure from the European Union, with little prospect of change after this week's election.

The US Supreme Court is expected to rule Monday on the most highly anticipated decision of its term -- a ruling "for the ages" on whether Donald Trump, as a former president, is immune from prosecution.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his allies were on Monday beginning a week of intense campaigning ahead of the second round of legislative elections to prevent the far right from taking an absolute majority and control of government in a historic first.

Ferocious storms and torrential rains that lashed France, Switzerland and Italy this weekend have left at least seven people dead, local authorities said on Sunday.

Passengers and crew of a British Airways flight who were taken hostage in Kuwait in 1990 have launched legal action against the UK government and the airline, a law firm said Monday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his new government on Sunday with the former opposition parties getting 12 out of 32 portfolios after the ruling ANC lost its outright parliamentary majority.

Mount Fuji's summer climbing season began on Monday with new crowd control measures to combat overtourism on the Japanese volcano's most popular trail.

Democratic leaders rallied Sunday behind US President Joe Biden following his poor debate performance last week, as the White House denied a report he was meeting with family to assess his candidacy.

Hurricane Beryl plowed toward the southeast Caribbean early Monday as officials warned residents to seek shelter ahead of powerful winds and swells expected from the Category 3 storm.

A bombastic Trump lashed out at his successor, calling him a failure on the economy and the world stage. Biden looked to hit back, but his delivery was faltering as he spoke rapidly in a raspy, trailing-off voice, stumbled on his words and stared open-mouthed.

Russia warned the United States on Friday its reconnaissance drone flights over the Black Sea raised the risk of "direct confrontation" between Moscow and NATO, days after the Kremlin blamed Washington for a deadly missile strike on Crimea.

Iranians cast their ballots Friday in a presidential election marked by a lone reformist's bid to break through against a divided conservative field.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday the ruling Communist Party was planning and implementing "major" reforms, ahead of a closely watched political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda.

President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump squared off Thursday in a debate watched by millions, and what voters saw may have sparked more questions than answers.

Donald Trump accused Joe Biden on Thursday of doing a "poor job" on the US economy and of presiding over a disastrous rise in inflation -- reflecting how rising prices and the cost of living have become key issues ahead of November's presidential election.

A former school district police chief in the US state of Texas has been charged and arrested over the response to a 2022 elementary school shooting that left 21 people dead, including 19 children, US media reported Thursday.

The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Purdue Pharma's $6 billion opioids settlement immunizing the Sackler family, which controlled the drugmaker, from future litigation.

Ursula von der Leyen has navigated back-to-back crises from Covid to the Ukraine war as head of the European Commission, and stands on the verge of a no-less tumultuous second term, provided she can lock in support from EU lawmakers.

The IMF said Thursday it expects the US economy to grow a bit more slowly than previously forecast, while praising the way it has remained "robust, dynamic, and adaptable to changing global conditions."

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said the "resilient" military alliance can ride out any political changes in major powers ahead of crunch elections in the United States and France.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed a 10-year security pact with the European Union in Brussels, the latest deal aimed at shoring up long-term support for Kyiv in its fight with Russia.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump square off for a historic US presidential debate Thursday, with the stage set for what could be an inflection point in the 2024 race as millions of voters tune in to the clash of rivals.

Israel said it does not want war in Lebanon but could send its neighbour "back to the Stone Age", as the UN's humanitarian chief warned such a conflict would be "potentially apocalyptic".