An Afghanistan peace agreement that the US seems close to reaching with the Taliban has prompted worries that President Donald Trump's desire to quickly withdraw U.S. troops could further plunge the country into civil war.

South Yemen, where separatists have captured Aden's presidential palace after deadly clashes with pro-government forces, was an independent state before its merger with the North in 1990.

The expedition that circumnavigated the globe via the oceans for the first time 500 years ago is among the major journeys of discovery by European explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Veteran Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir ruled the northeast African country for three decades with an iron fist. Now Sudan is turning the page, ushering in a new era of civilian rule.

A constitutional declaration, signed on Sunday between the ruling generals and the leaders of an unprecedented protest movement, sets out the framework for a transitional leadership and builds on a landmark power-sharing deal initialled on July 17. 

Saudi Arabia has decided to allow adult women to travel without seeking approval from a so-called male "guardian", a flagship reform as the petro-state seeks to overhaul its ultra-conservative image.

US and Chinese negotiators have agreed to further meetings next month after brief talks in Shanghai resurrected discussions on ending the trade war between the world's two biggest economies.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema, president of Equatorial Guinea for 40 years on Saturday, is the world's longest-serving living leader apart from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, on the throne for 67 years.

Boko Haram started out as an Islamist group railing against corrupt officials in northeast Nigeria but its decade-long insurgency has now devastated the region. 

Iran's seizure and continued detention of a UK-flagged tanker deals Boris Johnson an immediate loyalty test: Britain's new prime minister may have to choose between Gulf escorts led by Europe or the United States.

Which way Johnson leans could set the tone for a complex agenda that includes withdrawing from the EU, striking a trade deal with the US, and maintaining or breaking European efforts to keep alive the deal curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Britain's incoming prime minister Boris Johnson has bet big on a risky Brexit strategy that he hopes will take the UK out of the EU on favourable terms.