A Pakistani court on Wednesday ordered the release of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, suspending their prison sentences for corruption pending an appeal hearing, his lawyer said.

French senators on Wednesday grilled President Emmanuel Macron's disgraced former security aide Alexandre Benalla over an assault scandal that tarnished Emmanuel Macron's reputation.

Russia's election commission on Wednesday recommended invalidating the results of a key regional poll, a highly unusual move triggered by claims of blatant vote-rigging in favor of a Kremlin-backed candidate.

Taxi driver Fahed Othman has been waiting to fill up at a petrol station in the Yemeni capital for two days, but when his turn finally comes the fuel has run out.

An Iraqi court on Wednesday sentenced a prominent jihadist described as a deputy of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to death on terrorism charges.

"The Karkh criminal court in Baghdad sentenced to death by hanging one of the most prominent leaders of IS, who served as a deputy of Baghdadi," judicial spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar said.

Thousands of residents of Syria's last major rebel bastion Idlib headed home within 48 hours of a deal being announced to avoid a government offensive to retake the province, a war monitor said on Wednesday.

Cyprus and Egypt on Wednesday signed an agreement paving the way for the Mediterranean’s first subsea pipeline to carry Cypriot natural gas to the Arab country for re-export to Europe.

"Today’s signing is an important milestone, not only for Cyprus but also the entire eastern Mediterranean region," said Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis after he signed alongside visiting Egyptian Oil Minister Tarek el-Molla.

Qatar Airways suffered a $69 million loss this fiscal year, an over $800 million swing from the year before that the long-haul carrier blamed on the ongoing boycott of Doha by four Arab nations.

The loss by the flagship carrier shows the challenges still facing Qatar, a small, energy-rich nation that juts out like a thumb on the Arabian Peninsula. However, the airline struck a defiant tone while releasing its results for the fiscal year that ended March 31.

Mosquito larvae have been observed ingesting microplastics that can be passed up the food chain, researchers said Wednesday, potentially uncovering a new way that the polluting particles could damage the environment.

Microplastics -- tiny plastic shards broken down from man-made products such as synthetic clothing, car tyres and contact lenses -- litter much of the world's oceans.

Urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles, is associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to research published Wednesday.