POLITICS & POLICY

Rescue teams struggled Wednesday to reach survivors as night approached days after a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as access to remote areas remained obstructed.

A gut-wrenching film premiering at the Venice Film Festival Wednesday about a five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last year gives a "voice" to Palestinian victims of the war, its director said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin are expected to flank President Xi Jinping at a massive parade in Beijing on Wednesday morning, in a historic moment capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding against the West.

A fresh 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit the east of Afghanistan on Tuesday, jolting a region still struggling with the aftermath of a powerful quake at the weekend that killed 1,400 people.

Israel intensified its military build-up on Tuesday as reservists began responding to call-up orders ahead of a planned offensive to capture Gaza City, nearly two years into a devastating war.

Premier League clubs demonstrated their awesome financial power during the summer transfer window, spending more than GBP3 billion ($4 billion) on new signings.

Government gestures to calm deadly protests in Indonesia have done little to address the economic inequality and hardship fuelling the unrest, leaving deep resentment to linger and flare up again, experts say.

Thousands rallied across Indonesia Monday as the military was deployed in the capital after six people were killed in nationwide protests sparked by anger over lavish perks for lawmakers.

A gunman on the run in the bush in Australia after being accused of killing two officers was being aided by locals, police said Monday, as the manhunt entered its seventh day.

Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin took turns Monday to swipe at the West during a gathering of Eurasian leaders for a showpiece summit aimed at putting Beijing front and centre of regional relations.

Israel said Sunday its forces had killed the spokesman of Hamas's armed wing in a strike on Gaza a day earlier, the latest fatality in the group's senior ranks in the nearly two-year war.

Indonesia cut financial perks for lawmakers on Sunday, after at least five people were killed in protests against economic hardship that have escalated into anger against police.

Britain's energy operator is betting on an age-old technology to future-proof its grid, as the power plants that traditionally helped stabilise it are closed and replaced by renewable energy systems.

Through the vast interior of Guyana, a historic red dirt road known as "The Trail" winds through rainforest, plains and hills, linking the capital Georgetown to Lethem in the south on the border with Brazil.

Bruno Fernandes eased the pressure on Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim as his last-gasp penalty sealed a 3-2 win over Burnley, while Thomas Frank suffered his first Premier League defeat as Tottenham manager on Saturday.

The Red Cross warned on Saturday that any Israeli attempt to evacuate Gaza City would put residents at risk, as Israel's military tightened its siege on the area ahead of a planned offensive.

A fire started by protesters at a council building in eastern Indonesia killed at least three people, a local official said on Saturday, after the death of a man hit by a police vehicle sparked widespread demonstrations.

The Israeli military declared Gaza City "a dangerous combat zone" on Friday ahead of a looming offensive to conquer the Palestinian territory's largest city after almost two years of devastating war.

Julia Roberts hopes to "stir it all up" for viewers of her new film about a university professor grappling with fraught US campus politics, as the Hollywood star made her debut at the Venice Film Festival on Friday.

Reigning men's champion Jannik Sinner charged into the third round of the US Open on Thursday as Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek battled to keep their title bids intact.

France, Britain and Germany on Thursday triggered a mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with commitments over its nuclear programme it agreed to a decade ago.

Russian missiles and drones ripped through apartment blocks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least 17 people, including four children, in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky said highlighted Moscow's rejection of peace moves.

Russian missiles and drones ripped through apartment blocks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least 15 people, including four children, an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky said showed Moscow's rejection of peace negotiations.

From a gold-plated White House to a grandiose revamp for the capital Washington, Donald Trump is trying to leave an architectural mark like no American president has attempted for decades.

When veteran fisherman Brian Tapper checked his 1,200 crab pots in waters off southwest England during this year's crabbing season, he got a series of unwelcome surprises.

The Israeli military pressed operations around Gaza City on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump prepared to host a White House meeting on post-war plans for the shattered Palestinian territory.

The Venice Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday with the return of Hollywood royalty to Italy's swanky movie showcase, where 21 films from around the globe will vie for the prestigious Golden Lion award.

An elderly Chinese war veteran's shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he suffered when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui's scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people.

Thousands of demonstrators massed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, seeking to pour pressure on the government to end the war in Gaza and strike a deal to return hostages, as the security cabinet convened.