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Lawmakers in Finland and Sweden on Monday debated their respective NATO bids, as the two neighbours prepare to submit applications this week as a deterrent against Russian aggression.

A new statue of Britain's late former prime minister Margaret Thatcher was fenced off on Monday following an egg-throwing protest shortly after it was installed in her hometown.

A raid on a Hong Kong triad leader's birthday party resulted in police issuing more than HK$1 million ($127,388) in fines for breaching the city's strict coronavirus rules, local media and official reports revealed Monday.

French automaker Renault has handed over its Russian assets to the Russian government, both parties announced Monday, marking the first major nationalisation since the onset of sanctions over Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Iran said on Monday it awaited the US response to "solutions" discussed with the EU envoy for breaking a stalemate in talks aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal.

Virginia Mutsamwira says she treats four times the number of patients she should ideally handle at a township clinic in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

EU foreign ministers on Monday sought to break through Hungary's opposition to an embargo on Russian oil over the Ukraine war, but warned little progress was expected.

The last touches were being laid in Cannes on Monday for the 75th anniversary edition of the world's leading film festival, promising a return to its full glitz.

Sceptics say that far from helping save the planet, electric cars are a liberal pipe-dream whose environmental benefits are exaggerated.

Angelo Mathews closed in on a double hundred as Sri Lanka frustrated Bangladesh to reach 375-8 at tea on day two of the first Test in Chittagong on Monday.

Their menfolk are the last pocket of resistance in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, holed up in a warren of underground tunnels and bunkers at the vast Azovstal steelworks under heavy Russian bombardment.

Another sandstorm descended Monday on Iraq forcing the closure of airports, schools, universities and public administrations across the country, officials said.

Thousands of money exchangers in Afghanistan ended their strike on Monday, the brokers commission said, a day after they shut their shops to protest a steep hike in licence fees imposed by Taliban authorities.

Somalia's international partners on Monday welcomed the election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who takes office after months of political instability and faces crises including a violent insurgency and devastating drought.

A smiling Queen Elizabeth II attended a Platinum Jubilee celebration at Windsor on Sunday, days after ill health and old age forced her to pull out of the opening of the UK parliament for the first time in nearly 60 years.

Asian equities retreated Monday following last week's temporary rally on Wall Street due to fears of surging inflation and supply chain woes inflicted by Beijing's punishing zero-Covid policy.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un criticised "irresponsible" officials over the country's pandemic response and ordered the army to help distribute medicine, state media said on Monday, as Seoul offered Covid-19 aid.

The giant policeman in military fatigues and combat helmet was losing patience with the tiny woman staring at his chest and flatly refusing to evacuate from the Ukrainian front.

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani struck a $10.5 billion deal to buy Swiss cement giant Holcim's local business, the companies said, betting on a construction boom predicted in coming decades.

French automaker Renault has handed over its Russian assets to the Russian government, both parties announced Monday, marking the first major nationalisation since the onset of sanctions over Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Angelo Mathews remained unbeaten on 147 as Sri Lanka reached lunch at 327-6 on day two of the second Test Monday after Bangladesh spinner Nayeem Hasan struck twice in one over.

India's historic first Thomas Cup crown was splashed across front pages Monday with some people saying it can be a turning point for badminton much like the country's maiden cricket World Cup title in 1983.

Irish no-frills carrier Ryanair on Monday announced a large reduction in annual net losses as the aviation sector recovered from pandemic lockdowns.

China's retail sales and factory output slumped to their lowest levels in around two years, official data showed Monday, capturing the dismal economic fallout from Beijing's zero-Covid policy.

One person was dead and four others in critical condition after a shooting at a church near Los Angeles, law enforcement said Sunday, just one day after a gunman killed 10 people at a grocery store in New York state.

As war rages across Ukraine, Mykhaylo Tereshchenko is locked in his own spiritual battle that risks tearing his parish apart.

Sri Lanka was set to form a new cabinet on Monday as bitter political rivals make common cause to tackle a worsening economic crisis after last week's deadly violence, party leaders said.

Ukraine was preparing Monday for a new Russian push in the eastern Donbas region, as Kyiv said its army's counterattack around Kharkiv had gained momentum.

The Alpine city of Grenoble is set to reignite one of France's recurring summer debates on Monday when it votes to authorise the "burkini" in state-run swimming pools.

Prince Charles heads to Canada this week to represent head of state Queen Elizabeth II, with more attention than ever on his future role due to his mother's age and failing health.

The results of Lebanon's first elections since multiple crises ravaged the country were expected Monday, with opposition groups hoping for modest but unprecedented gains.

The United States and the European Union plan to announce on Monday a joint effort aimed at identifying semiconductor supply disruptions as well as countering Russian disinformation, officials said.