The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on the Taliban to reverse policies targeting women and girls in Afghanistan, expressing alarm at the "increasing erosion" of human rights in the country. In the latest blow to women's rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest the “unacceptable” response to women-led protests in the Islamic republic, his office said Tuesday. Ambassador designate Mohammad Reza Sabouri has been called in to a meeting on

US emergency crews counted the grim costs of a colossal winter storm that brought Christmas chaos to millions, especially in hard-hit western New York, where the death toll reached 25 on Monday in what authorities described as a “war with mother nature.” Blizzard conditions

Six members of Kurdish-led security forces and two militants were killed on Monday in an attack by Daesh aimed at freeing extremists from a jail in northern Syria. The assault targeted a Kurdish security complex in Raqqa, the group’s former de facto capital in Syria, which

Heavy snowfall across large parts of Japan has killed 17 people over the past 10 days, with thousands of homes suffering power outages, officials said Monday. Much of the country’s west coast as well as Hokkaido have seen persistent heavy snow in recent days. Some areas have

Dozens of Rohingya refugees - all men - have drifted on to a beach in western Indonesia in a wooden boat with a broken engine, local officials say. They are described as hungry and weak after spending a month at sea. At least three men were taken to hospital. It is not clear if they

At least 38 deaths have now been linked to a severe Arctic freeze that continues to pummel the US and Canada. Officials say 34 people died across the US, with the worst-hit area being the city of Buffalo, in New York state. Four fatalities occurred in Canada when a bus rolled over

A Ukrainian drone attack on Engels bomber base in south Russia has left three people dead, Moscow says. Air defences reportedly shot down the drone but falling debris caused the casualties in the overnight attack. Russia accuses Ukraine of carrying out a similar attack on the

Pope Francis has said the world is suffering from a "famine of peace", in his annual Christmas Day message from the Vatican. He called for a end to the "senseless war" in Ukraine, condemning what he said was the use of "food as a weapon" of war. Ukraine

More than one million Americans and Canadians are facing Christmas Day without power as a massive winter storm continues to pummel North America. A bomb cyclone, when atmospheric pressure plummets, has brought snow, strong winds and freezing temperatures. Nearly 250 million are

A gunman has opened fire in central Paris, killing three people and wounding three others. The attacker targeted a Kurdish cultural centre and shot members of the local community. A possible racist motive is being investigated. A suspect, aged 69, was quickly arrested and it soon

At least 20 people have been killed after a blaze swept through a home for the elderly in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, Russian officials say. Another six people were injured. The entire top floor of the the two-storey wooden building was gutted by the overnight fire. Initial

King Charles is set to include a tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his first Christmas message as monarch. An image of Charles delivering his speech, which is due to be broadcast on Christmas Day at 15:00 GMT, shows the King in St George's Chapel, Windsor. In her

Some 200 million Americans are feeling the icy grip of a massive winter storm that has been linked to at least 12 deaths ahead of the holiday weekend. More than 1.5 million people lost power and thousands of flights were cancelled on Friday. The vast storm extends more than 2,000

North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast on Friday, the South Korean military and Japanese coast guard said. The launch was the latest in an unprecedented number of missile tests by the North this year. The isolated country fired two mid-range

The United States has accused North Korea of supplying battlefield missiles and rockets to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for use in Ukraine. The White House said the shipment violated UN Security Council resolutions and that it would announce further sanctions on Wagner. Both

The Kremlin on Thursday accused Kyiv and Washington of turning a deaf ear to its concerns and charged the United States was using Ukraine as a battleground to weaken Russia. It came as President Vladimir Putin insisted Russia was aiming for a speedy end to the fighting. "Our

The United Nations Security Council has adopted its first resolution on Myanmar in 74 years, which demands an end to violence and calls on the country’s military rulers to release all political prisoners, including democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s

Benjamin Netanyahu has officially informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he has successfully formed a government, his Likud party said Wednesday. In what was a last minute announcement, Netanyahu tweeted 10 minutes before the deadline expired, “I have managed.”

Charles Sobhraj, a serial killer known as “The Serpent”, who police say is responsible for a string of murders in the 1970s and 1980s, is to be released from prison in Nepal, the Himalayan country’s Supreme Court has ruled. The 78-year-old French national has served