Efforts to contain the latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo are being threatened by a "perfect storm" of challenges, including rebel violence and pre-election turbulence, the UN said yesterday.

Sweden's centre-right opposition and the far right ousted Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in a vote of no-confidence yesterday, as the left and right blocs wrangle over who can form a new government after neither won a majority in September 9 elections.

The European Union announced yesterday it will take Poland to the bloc's top court to stop alleged breaches of the independence of the country's supreme court.

Moscow yesterday announced new security measures to protect its military in Syria, including supplying the Syrian army with a new S-300 air defence system and jamming radars of nearby warplanes following the downing of a Russian plane last week.

The popularity of French President Emmanuel Macron has hit its lowest level since the start of his term, according to a major survey published yesterday, with just 29 percent of respondents satisfied with his leadership. The poll by research group Ifop showed an overall fall of five points in September compared with August.

The French government yesterday said it feared damage to its relations with India after former president Francois Hollande stirred controversy about a major deal to sell fighter jets to New Delhi.

A ban on facial coverings such as the burqa has been approved by a two-thirds majority of voters in St Gallen which becomes the second Swiss canton to do so.

France has awarded Aga Khan, Imam of the world's Shia Ismaili Muslim community, with its highest honour, the Grand Cross of

Moscow and Beijing lashed out Friday at Washington's new anti-Russian sanctions that also target China for the first time, warning the United States could face consequences.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday accused EU Council President Donald Tusk of "insulting the British people" by needling Prime Minister Theresa May in a viral social media post.

A government minister who allegedly had a physical altercation with a press secretary was fired by New Zealand Premier Jacinda Ardern

Germany approved a delivery of weapons to Saudi Arabia, a government document showed on Wednesday, after saying it would halt arms sales to countries involved in the war in Yemen.

European Union leaders meeting in Salzburg have agreed to a special summit in November to finalise a Brexit deal with Britain, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said yesterday.

There may not be a maniacal cat-killer on the loose in London after all, or at least not a human one.

Exhausted Londoners hoping to take a rest from their busy schedules are being offered an alternative to coffee breaks: a sleep pod where they can grab some shut-eye for £15 ($20) an hour.

Police in London yesterday launched an investigation into a possible hate crime after a car hit a crowd outside a mosque, injuring three people. The collision in Cricklewood in the early hours of yesterday followed the occupants of the car allegedly directing "comments of an Islamophobic nature" at the group, police said.

Pakistan's new prime minister Imran Khan is meeting for talks with the king of Saudi Arabia, amid speculation he will use his first official visit to request financial aid. Comments from the former cricketer's finance minister suggested Pakistan would turn to its major allies like China and Saudi Arabia, rather than rely on another bailout from the IMF.

Urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles, is associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to research published yesterday.

The man at the centre of a sexual assault scandal that prompted the Swedish Academy to postpone this year's Nobel Literature Prize denied two counts of rape at the start of his trial yesterday.

French senators yesterday grilled President Emmanuel Macron's disgraced former security aide Alexandre Benalla over an assault scandal that tarnished Emmanuel Macron's reputation.