POLITICS & POLICY

Russia warned the United States on Friday its reconnaissance drone flights over the Black Sea raised the risk of "direct confrontation" between Moscow and NATO, days after the Kremlin blamed Washington for a deadly missile strike on Crimea.

Criticizing the government move, National vice-president of Pharmacy Guild of Australia Anthony Tassone asked: "Pharmacists can only supply a schedule 3 medicine if there is an established therapeutic need. When we don't know the long-term effects of vapes on patient safety, how can a pharmacist make an informed decision?"

President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump squared off Thursday in a debate watched by millions, and what voters saw may have sparked more questions than answers.

Iranians voted on Friday in a presidential election where a lone reformist aimed for a breakthrough against a divided conservative camp.

Even before the Gaza war broke out, the Taybeh brewery's pale ales and lagers had to carve a rocky path to make their way out of the occupied West Bank.

Mongolians began voting in parliamentary elections on Friday, with the ruling party widely expected to win despite deepening public anger over corruption and the state of the economy.

Nearly 26 million people in war-torn Sudan are facing high levels of "acute food insecurity", said a report cited by the United Nations on Thursday.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said the "resilient" military alliance can ride out any political changes in major powers ahead of crunch elections in the United States and France.

Bolivian President Luis Arce was facing a deep political crisis on Thursday after a botched bid by military chiefs to overthrow his government deepened turmoil in a country facing severe economic decline.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump square off Thursday in a crucial US presidential debate that carries enormous stakes for both candidates as they battle for the approval of undecided voters and any slim advantage in their neck-and-neck race for the White House.

To be eligible, BTR complexes must have minimum 50 houses ready for rent, available for a three-year lease, and 10% of the houses should be affordable and available at 75% of the market rate.

Kenyan police fired tear gas at small groups of demonstrators in the capital Nairobi on Thursday, AFP journalists saw, a day after President William Ruto agreed to scrap contentious tax hikes and called for dialogue following deadly protests.

Fully autonomous cars are still years away from hitting the streets, but internationally-agreed rules on their use could be ready by mid-2026, the United Nations has said.

Compared to others in war-scarred east Ukraine, Galyna Poroshyna had been lucky to live in Toretsk, a mining town nestled in a relatively sleepy sector of the front line.

Israel said it does not want war in Lebanon but could send its neighbour "back to the Stone Age", as the UN's humanitarian chief warned such a conflict would be "potentially apocalyptic".

Women candidates are pushing for greater representation in Mongolia's male-dominated politics, raising their voices for change and inspiring girls to follow in their footsteps.

Britain goes to the polls next week in a general election that looks set to end 14 years of Conservative rule marked by economic turbulence, Brexit, political scandal and upheaval.

Bolivia's army chief was arrested Wednesday after sending soldiers and tanks to take up position in front of government buildings in what President Luis Arce called an attempted coup.

Patients in Gaza's few standing hospitals are dying in droves from infections resulting from a lack of protective gear and soap, even when they survive their horrific blast injuries.

The two men bidding to be British prime minister faced off late on Wednesday in a bad-tempered, last head-to-head TV debate before the country's general election next week.

Tom Maiani was behind the wheel of his car every night, all night, for two weeks in July 2023, as youths in French housing estates rioted over the police killing of an unarmed teenager of North African descent near Paris.

Once dismissed as an "empty suit", perennial Indian premier-in-waiting Rahul Gandhi emerged from his third consecutive election defeat with his reputation enhanced and his party back from the political wilderness.

Kenya was in a state of shock Wednesday following unprecedented scenes that left parts of parliament ablaze and gutted, as protests over proposed tax hikes turned deadly, prompting President William Ruto's government to deploy the military.

David is a psychologist and has been taking part in drug-fuelled gay orgies for the past 15 years.

US journalist Evan Gershkovich will face the start of a closed-door trial on espionage charges in Russia on Wednesday, more than a year after he became the first Western journalist since the Soviet era to be detained on such accusations.

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday said it had issued arrest warrants for Russia's top army chief and ex defence minister over strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure that constituted alleged war crimes.

The European Union on Tuesday kicked off accession negotiations with Ukraine, setting the war-torn country on a long path towards membership that Russia has tried to block.

Mobile services will be launched for initial trial at 10 music festivals before fixing a permanent venue by 2025 in Melbourne.

Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the "intense phase" of the war was winding down, as the United States urged its ally to avoid further escalation along the Lebanon border.