WORLD

The UN's cultural organisation said Monday it recommended adding Stonehenge, the renowned prehistoric site in England, to its world heritage in danger list, in what would be seen as an embarrassment for London.

Argentina's austerity-hit economy contracted by 5.1 percent in the first quarter, the national statistics agency said Monday, driven by a slowdown in the construction and manufacturing industries.

Attacks on churches and synagogues in Russia's Dagestan region killed 15 police officers and four civilians, officials said on Monday, stoking fears over Islamist violence in the historically restive North Caucasus.

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella said Monday his party was ready to govern as he pledged to curb immigration and tackle cost-of-living issues ahead of the country's most divisive election in decades.

A day after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the "intense phase" of the Gaza war is winding down, the army bombed Hamas on Monday as the Palestinian militant group again demanded a permanent end to the fighting.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te signed into law on Monday a controversial reform expanding parliament's powers, but vowed to seek a ruling from the island's top court to try to overturn it.

Twenty-two people were killed -- including 18 Chinese nationals -- in a massive fire at a South Korean lithium battery factory, the fire department said Monday, one of the country's worst factory disasters in years.

An inquiry Monday cleared Australian Rules players and support staff of feigning injuries to cover up illicit drug use, but recommended the sport overhaul its approach amid fears of "criminal infiltration".

Hungary takes over the European Union's six-month rotating presidency on July 1, in the face of fears perennial spoiler Prime Minister Viktor Orban could use it to take the bloc hostage at a critical time.

Saudi Arabia said Sunday that more than 1,300 faithful died during the hajj pilgrimage which took place during intense heat, and that most of the deceased did not have official permits.

Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived Sunday in New York to undergo knee treatment, drawing a warm and festive welcome from thousands of followers.

The new Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) which will be worth roughly $786 million, will "support Tanzania's efforts to build resilience to climate change," it added.

The Republican candidate made the remarks in a podcast published Thursday, days after President Joe Biden announced a citizenship pathway for immigrants married to US nationals, counterbalancing his recent crackdown on illegal border crossings.

The coastal territory has been devastated by more than eight months of Israeli operations against Palestinian militant group Hamas, uprooting Gaza's population and leaving them in dire need of aid.

Israel bombed Gaza on Friday as exchanges of fire and threats over the Lebanon border raised fears of wider war.

New tensions emerged this week between President Joe Biden's administration and Benjamin Netanyahu over the Israeli premier's criticism of US weapons deliveries -- comments the White House described Thursday as "vexing" and "disappointing."

The nuclear-armed North has been reinforcing the border in recent months, adding tactical roads and laying more landmines, which has led to "casualties" among its troops due to accidental explosions, South Korea has said.

But just one year on from the most serious challenge to his authority in almost a quarter of a century in power, the Kremlin leader now appears more secure than ever.

The exercises in Srinagar, capital of the Indian-administered part of the disputed territory, marked the 10th international yoga day, Modi's own brainchild.

Putin also said this week that Moscow did not rule out military and technical cooperation with the North, or even sending weapons -- all of which would violate rafts of UN sanctions against Pyongyang.

If a compromise is not reached between Brussels and Beijing, the European Commission will impose extra tariffs of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric vehicles it says have benefitted from unfair subsidies.

Putin travelled to Vietnam, a close ally of Moscow since the days of the Cold War, from a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un where he won a pledge of "full support" on Ukraine and signed a mutual defense pact.

The clash took place Monday as Philippine forces attempted to resupply marines stationed on a derelict warship deliberately grounded atop the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, Manila said.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal FDP, who came to power in 2021, have until July 3, the end of the current parliamentary term, to reach a compromise.

Targeted missile and drone attacks over recent months have crippled Ukrainian electricity generation capacity, and forced Kyiv to impose blackouts and import supplies from European Union states.

Experts are divided on the prospect of wider war, almost nine months into Israel's vow to eradicate Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip.

The Philippine military said Wednesday the Chinese coast guard rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats in a violent confrontation in the South China Sea this week in which a Filipino sailor lost a thumb.

Israeli air strikes and clashes between troops and Palestinian militants rocked Gaza on Wednesday, as Israel's army warned it had readied an "offensive" against the Lebanese Hezbollah movement on the country's northern front.

The European Union is expected on Wednesday to rebuke nearly 10 governments, including France and Italy, over their excessive spending after new budget rules entered into force this year.