World

In the deeply patriarchal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, legally-binding wedding contracts guarantee a bride's demands against the whims of her husband or in-laws.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said 'significant' sanctions on Tehran would be announced to choke off resources that Iran uses to fund its activities in the Middle East.

The quake hit at a depth of 208 kilometres south of Ambon island in the Banda Sea at 11:53 local time, the US Geological Survey said.

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Health Ministry issued an alert in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts.

Numerous policies still vest control of women's education, employment, travel and personal choices in their nearest male kin, despite last year's storming victory that allowed them to drive.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he aborted a military strike to retaliate for the drone incident because it could have killed 150 people, and signaled he was open to talks with Tehran.

Instead of 'cocked & loaded,' Trump probably meant 'locked and loaded,' which means to prepare a gun for immediate firing.

Releasing an annual report on international religious freedom, Pompeo estimated that more than 40 people were currently serving life sentences or facing execution for blasphemy in Pakistan.

The Financial Action Task Force already has Pakistan on its 'grey list' of countries with inadequate controls over curbing money laundering and terrorism financing. But India wants its neighbour to be blacklisted, which would likely result in sanctions.

The investigators believed to have identified the charred remains of 21 adults and three children, said the disaster agency head, Riadil Lubis.

For Pyongyang, the visit 'will serve to show the US that China has its back and to send a message to Washington it should stop its maximum pressure posture', said Lim Eul-chul, professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University.

'I am deeply concerned about the escalation of the fighting in Idlib and the situation is especially dangerous given the involvement of an increased number of actors,' said Guterres.

Striking a dark note, Trump repeatedly encouraged the crowd to boo journalists covering the event, calling them 'fake news.'

Turkey officially exited recession in the first three months of this year with growth of 1.3 percent, though many fear the bump may be temporary and the price rises still sting.

Pakistan's Alpine Club said that the incident took place Monday when four Italian and three Pakistani mountaineers were descending a peak in the Ishkoman Valley.

Sami Ibrahim, an anchor and executive with the private news channel, accused science and technology minister Fawad Chaudhry of slapping him at a wedding in Faisalabad.