The US envoy leading efforts to forge a deal with the Taliban has met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul, an official said Monday, as a historic agreement with the insurgents appeared close.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is getting tough with members of his Conservative Party who oppose his Brexit plans at the start of what promises to be a momentous week in British politics.

The so-called "rebels" are being warned Monday that they will be expelled from the party if they take part in efforts led by opposition parties in Parliament meant to block a departure from the European Union without a deal.

Iran will "take a strong step" away from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers if Europe cannot offer the country new terms by a deadline at the end of this week, a government spokesman said Monday as top Iranian diplomats traveled to France and Russia for last-minute talks.

The comments from Ali Rabiei reinforced the deadline Iran had set for Friday for Europe to offer it a way to sell its crude oil on the global market. Crushing U.S. sanctions imposed after President Donald Trump withdrew America from the deal over a year ago have halted those sales.

A local extremist group linked to Al-Qaeda was responsible for the murder of three prominent Maldivians, including a journalist missing for more than five years, an independent commission in the Indian Ocean island republic has found.

Pakistan said it would grant consular access to an alleged Indian spy on death row Monday, weeks after the International Court of Justice called for a review of his sentence in a case that has stoked tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Japan will launch a special police unit equipped with submachine guns and helicopters to patrol disputed isles in the East China Sea -- a source of tension between Tokyo and Beijing, according to police and media.

On the first day of school Monday, secondary students in Hong Kong supplemented their formal white uniforms with gas masks, goggles and hard hats as they planned to strike in a show of continued commitment to a fiery anti-government protest movement.

The semiautonomous Chinese territory has been rocked by nearly three months of pro-democracy protests calling for electoral reforms and an independent inquiry into police conduct.

Eight warships, four aircraft and more than a thousand personnel from the US and ten Southeast Asian countries will join maritime drills kicking off Monday, as part of a joint exercise extending into the flashpoint South China Sea.

Thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists blocked some routes to the city's airport Sunday as the financial hub cleaned up after another night of violent protests marked by fires, tear gas and police beatings. 

Pope Francis said Sunday he was late to his weekly Angelus prayer because he had been stuck in a Vatican elevator and had to be freed by firemen.