POLITICS & POLICY

The head of the British Museum said Wednesday any deal with Greece to loan the prized Parthenon Marbles to Athens was "still some distance" away, as Greek authorities insist on their permanent return.

Lawyers of three men who repeatedly visited a French home to rape a woman while unconscious Wednesday pleaded for leniency, with one arguing that her "wolf" of a husband had manipulated his client.

French lawmakers on Wednesday voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, a historic move which plunged the country further into political chaos.

Iranian authorities on Wednesday freed Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi from prison for three weeks on medical grounds, a move supporters decried as "too little too late" and the UN said needed to be transformed into an unconditional freedom.

Georgian police raided the offices of opposition parties on Wednesday after the government vowed to crack down on those organising pro-EU protests, deepening a political crisis engulfing the Black Sea nation.

Namibia's ruling SWAPO party was declared winner Tuesday of last week's disputed elections, ushering in the southern African country's first woman president after a disputed vote that the main opposition has already said it does not recognise.

Months of fighting on the Ukrainian front have not taken away Kostya's sense of humour -- even when it comes to the topic of Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden will make the case on Wednesday in Angola that the United States must do better rather than more than China to regain influence in Africa.

France's government on Wednesday faced no-confidence votes that could spell the end of the administration of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, plunging the country into uncharted waters of political chaos.

Syrian government forces launched a counterattack against Islamist-led rebels around the key city of Hama on Wednesday after suffering a string of staggering losses, a war monitor said.

Parliamentary staffers used sofas and fire extinguishers to block soldiers armed with assault rifles and night-vision goggles from entering South Korea's National Assembly to maintain martial law, CCTV footage released Wednesday showed.

Georgian police on Tuesday evening used water cannon and tear gas on the sixth night of pro-EU protests in Tbilisi after the prime minister threatened demonstrators with reprisals amid a deepening crisis in the Black Sea nation.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law, accusing the opposition of being "anti-state forces" and saying he was acting to protect the country from "threats" posed by the North.

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened retaliation against governments that challenge the US dollar, vowing "100 percent tariffs" on countries that undercut the US currency.

Ukraine insisted Tuesday that NATO membership was the only "real guarantee" for its security as foreign ministers from the alliance looked set to rebuff Kyiv's push for an invite ahead of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency.

China has fully lifted suspensions on Australian red meat, Canberra said Tuesday, dismantling one of the final barriers in a four-year trade war that hammered US$13 billion of exports.

Israel said it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets in strikes on Lebanon Monday after vowing retaliation for an attack claimed by Hezbollah, the militant group's first since a fragile ceasefire began last week.

Georgian police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of pro-EU demonstrators on Monday, who had rallied in the centre of Tbilisi amid a deepening political crisis in the Black Sea nation.

France's Michel Barnier faced an abrupt end to his premiership Monday after key opposition parties said they would back a no-confidence motion against his government after only three months in power.

The White House is working on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza but is "not there yet," the US National Security Advisor told NBC on Sunday, with fighting in the conflict raging on as regional leaders meet to discuss the crisis.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases, despite assurances that he would not intervene in his legal troubles.

A coalition of activists in the Philippines lodged an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, accusing her of corruption and misconduct.

Liverpool piled on the misery for Manchester City as the Premier League leaders beat the troubled champions 2-0 at Anfield, while Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim earned his first league win with a 4-0 rout of Everton on Sunday.

Deeply divided negotiators failed on Sunday to reach a landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution, missing a self-imposed deadline, and agreed to extend their talks.

Romanians flocked to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament with the far right tipped to gain ground, potentially heralding a shift in the foreign policy of the NATO country bordering Ukraine.

Georgia's Prime Minister on Sunday ruled out new parliamentary elections amid a post-election crisis that has seen his legitimacy questioned both at home and internationally.

An impenetrable barrier against irregural migration for some, a deadly trap for others: a metal fence erected on the Polish-Belarusian border is dividing Poland's authorities and human rights groups.

A monitor of Syria's war said on Saturday that rebels controlled most of Aleppo, reporting Russian air strikes on parts of Syria's second city for the first time since 2016.

Georgia on Saturday said 107 people were arrested during a second night of protests sparked by the government's decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis.