WORLD

G20 environment ministers in India readied a fresh bid on Thursday to strike deals tackling climate change, days after heavy criticism for failing to agree on cutting fossil fuel use. Among those at the Chennai meeting is Sultan Al Jaber, president of the upcoming COP28 climate summit who also heads the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Thousands of Shiite Muslims marched through Indian-administered Kashmir's largest city Thursday for a major religious procession permitted in the restive territory for the first time since a ban was imposed decades ago.

The North African country has become a major gateway for irregular migrants and asylum-seekers attempting the perilous sea voyage in often rickety boats in the hope of a better life in Europe.

Nearly 100 pilot whales have died after beaching in Western Australia, wildlife officials said Thursday, following desperate rescue attempts.

China said Thursday it opposed "malicious hype" concerning this week's removal of foreign minister Qin Gang, as it continued to avoid questions about the senior diplomat's disappearance.

"The UAE has joined the Global Biofuel Alliance, which was established by India, the United Kingdom and the United States of America with the aim of developing and promoting the use of sustainable biofuels," the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei said.

Neckties worn by men were a sign of the Christian cross, a senior Afghan Taliban official said Wednesday, adding they should be eliminated.

Mass protests and strikes rocked Israel this week in the face of the hard-right government's decision to push through a controversial legal reform weakening the powers of the Supreme Court.

US President Joe Biden's son Hunter pleaded not guilty to minor tax offenses Wednesday as a deal with federal prosecutors crumbled in a Delaware court.

Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke in Ankara with the Palestinian president and the head of Hamas in the run-up to a crucial meeting of Palestinian factions set for the weekend.

Sara Khadem, the Iranian chess player who fled to Spain after competing in an international tournament without wearing a mandatory hijab, was on Wednesday granted Spanish nationality, a government minister announced.

African migrants pleaded to be saved from a desert zone between Libya and Tunisia on Wednesday, weeks after Tunisian authorities allegedly dumped dozens of them there with nothing.

Internet privacy company Proton announced Wednesday a new VPN Observatory, tracking demand for its services to detect attacks on free speech in countries like Russia and Iran before they hit the headlines.

Haunted by previous failures in Haiti and worried about getting stuck in a deadly quagmire, the international community is reluctant to answer a UN call for a special intervention force, experts say.

China's foreign minister Qin Gang was removed from office on Tuesday, state media reported, after disappearing from the public eye for a month with little explanation from the ruling Communist Party.

Ever since Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a mutiny in Russia last month, questions have been raised over the future of his group in Africa, the cradle of its wealth and notoriety.

Air strikes and artillery barrages from Sudan's warring generals killed at least 16 people in a Khartoum neighbourhood on Tuesday, a neighbourhood group reported.

Shirin booked her bridal makeover weeks ago, but instead of relaxing as beauticians pampered her, everyone in the Kabul salon was on edge, ready to hide the bride should the police appear.

Crisis-hit Lebanon -- which has no president and is ruled by a caretaker government -- will also have to go without a central bank chief from next week, says the country's deputy premier.

LVMH, the world's top luxury group, said Tuesday it enjoyed an excellent first half with net profits soaring by 30 percent to 8.48 billion euros ($9.34 billion) thanks to strong growth in Asia and Europe.

Libyan border guards have recovered the bodies of several migrants from a desert area where many have reportedly been forcibly taken by Tunisian authorities, Tripoli's interior ministry said Tuesday.

Around 300 protesters rallied in Tunis Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of President Kais Saied's adoption of sweeping powers, and to demand the release of about 20 detained opposition figures.

A former US Marine who spent more than two years in a Russian prison was injured fighting in Ukraine, the State Department confirmed Tuesday.

Spain's coastguard on Tuesday said it had rescued a migrant boat off the Canary Islands, pulling 84 people to safety but also finding the body of a man who had died en route.

Israel braced for fresh strikes and protests Tuesday following a divisive parliamentary vote on a controversial judicial reform which has split the nation and drawn criticism from allies abroad.

After spending weeks in Libya trying to reach Europe illegally, Muhammad Naeem Butt turned back -- abandoning a journey that has already cost hundreds of Pakistani lives this summer.

Russia hosts African leaders this week for a summit aimed at boosting ties despite concerns in Africa over the conflict in Ukraine and the suspension of a deal on Ukrainian grain exports.

During the visit, Minister Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan discussed regional issues of common interest and the prospects of collaboration between the UAE and Zambia with President Hichilema.

Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban government has barred girls and women from high schools and universities, banned them from parks, funfairs and gyms, and ordered them to cover up in public. An order issued last month forces the closure of thousands of salons nationwide run by women.