Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, say they plan “to step back” as senior members of Britain’s royal family, a stunning announcement that underscores the couple’s wish to forge a new path for royals in the modern world.

Bushfires flare in southern Australia as a heatwave expected to bring renewed misery set in, and officials warned some areas are "just at the beginning" of the devastating crisis.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said that the US strike that killed a top Iranian general had restored credibility to the US threat to Tehran to restrain itself militarily.

One of Bollywood’s top stars sparked a social media storm yesterday, attracting admiration and vitriol after showing solidarity with students who were attacked at a Indian university this week.

A senior Facebook executive on Tuesday said the world’s biggest social network unintentionally helped put Donald Trump in the White House but warned against dramatic rule changes.

2019 was the second hottest year on record and ended the hottest decade in history, the European Union’s climate monitoring service said yesterday.

“We received an official verbal message from the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Iranian response to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani had begun or would begin shortly, and that the strike would be limited to where the US military was located in Iraq without specifying the locations”.

“Its time for an Iraqi response. That response will be no less than the size of the Iranian response. That is a promise. … The International Resistance Regiments have been formed in order to execute a harsh, deliberate response to the American terrorist forces.”

“All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.”

Iran’s launching of more than a dozen missiles at American-led forces in Iraq on Wednesday came after years of preparing for a confrontation with its superpower foe, whose forces are vastly larger and more advanced.

The Philippines will dispatch cargo planes and a ship to help evacuate Filipino migrant workers from Iraq after ordering its citizens to leave following an Iranian missile strike targeting US troops, officials said yesterday.

Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido called Tuesday for three days of protests against President Nicolas Maduro, hours after he was sworn in for another term as National Assembly speaker following a standoff with the armed forces.

Turkey has deployed 35 military personnel to Libya but they will not take part in any fighting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to local media yesterday.

Millions went on strike throughout India yesterday, unions said, as workers angry at the government’s labour policies brought travel chaos across the country.

Australia’s weather agency yesterday said it saw no sign of cooler weather or significant rainfall in the next few months, an unwelcome forecast for authorities who have warned that only a large downpour will halt bushfires sweeping across the country.

Snipers took to helicopters in Australia on Wednesday to begin a mass cull of up to 10,000 camels as drought drives big herds of the feral animals to search for water closer to remote towns, endangering indigenous communities. Local officials in South Australia state said “extremely large” herds have been encroaching on rural communities -- threatening scarce food and drinking water, damaging infrastructure, and creating a dangerous hazard for drivers.

At least four people were killed and 10 wounded when a car bomb exploded close to a checkpoint near Somalia’s parliament in the capital Mogadishu yesterday, police said.

US President Donald Trump says Iranian missile strikes on bases in Iraq had not harmed any US troops stationed there and damage was minimal, an outcome he said showed Tehran wanted to prevent an escalation into conflict.

Iran's Major General Qassem Soleimani would have been devastated to learn his surviving colleagues at the top of Iran's government considered the firing of 20 missiles at US bases a "proportionate response" to his assassination.

Iran has developed “asymmetrical” responses - ballistic missiles, deadly drones and a web of militia allies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, among other things - with the aim of being able to inflict pain while avoiding the traditional battlefield.