International

US President Barack Obama has said NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who refused to stand for the US national anthem, was exercising his constitutional right to make a point. Speaking in China, Mr Obama said the player had raised…

At least 40 people have been killed in bombings in mainly government-held areas of Syria, state media report. Four attacks took place within an hour in Tartous, Homs and in a suburb of Damascus, with one in Hassakeh, which is dominated by…

Donald Trump has been endorsed by 88 former military leaders in an open letter, according to his campaign. The group of retired generals and admirals declared the Republican nominee "has the temperament to be commander-in-chief" Read…

Two judges have been asked to leave a panel that picks the Nobel prize for medicine in a scandal surrounding a disgraced Italian transplant surgeon. The decision to drop Harriet Wallberg and Anders Hamsten came after the Swedish government…

Residents of a small community on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island have been asked to evacuate after a severe earthquake at sea. Civil defence authorities asked people in the Tolaga Bay area to leave their homes after a 7.1…

A rocket operated by the aerospace company SpaceX has exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral where it was being test-fired ahead of a launch. The force of the blast shook buildings several miles away. Read more at:…

Israel has approved the construction of 285 new homes at Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to the settlement watchdog Peace Now. A 234-unit nursing home in Elkana, 30 houses in Beit Arye and 20 in Givat Zeev got the…

Brazil's Senate has voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office for manipulating the budget. It puts an end to 13 years in power of her left-wing Workers' Party. Ms Rousseff denies the charges. Read more:…

A car driven by a suicide bomber has exploded after ramming the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, officials say. The suicide bomber died and three embassy employees, all Kyrgyz nationals, were injured, Deputy PM…

About 6,500 migrants have been rescued off Libya, the Italian coastguard says, in one of the biggest operations of its kind to date. Some 40 co-ordinated rescue missions took place about 20km (12 miles) off the Libyan town of Sabratha, it…

A South African minister has thrown his support behind protesting female students, who accuse their high school of operating a racist hair policy. Black pupils at the private Pretoria Girls High say they have often been told to straighten…

The US says fighting between Turkey, pro-Turkish rebels and Kurdish-aligned forces in northern Syria is "unacceptable" and must stop. Clashes in places where so-called Islamic State (IS) was not present were a "source of deep concern", the…

The leaders of the Czech Republic and Hungary say a "joint European army" is needed to bolster security in the EU. They were speaking ahead of talks in Warsaw with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They dislike her welcome for Muslim…

France's highest administrative court has suspended a ban on full-body "burkini" swimsuits that was imposed in a town on the Mediterranean coast. The ban in Villeneuve-Loubet "seriously and clearly illegally breached fundamental freedoms",…

Afghan security forces are combing the American University in the capital, Kabul, following a militant attack. One person, reportedly a guard, died and at least 14 were injured in the assault which began with a huge blast. Read more:…