Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are committed in principle to education and jobs for girls and women, a marked departure from their previous time in power, and seek the world's "mercy and compassion" to help millions of Afghans in desperate need, a top Taliban leader said in a rare interview.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also told The Associated Press that the Taliban government wants good relations with all countries and has no issue with the United States. He urged Washington and other nations to release upward of $10 billion in funds that were frozen when the Taliban took power Aug. 15, following a rapid military sweep across Afghanistan and the sudden, secret flight of U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani.

Too young. Too weak. Too inexperienced.

Since taking power following his father's sudden death 10 years ago this week, Kim Jong Un has erased those widespread doubts that greeted his early attempts to extend his family's brutal dynastic grip over North Korea.

Clashes between Yemeni government forces and the country's Houthi rebels attacking the key central city of Marib killed a senior military commander on Monday, officials said.

The development is a big blow to the forces of Yemen's internationally recognized government, which have been fighting for months against the Iranian-backed Houthis' attempt to take Marib. The Houthis launched an offensive earlier this year on the city in an effort to complete their control over the northern half of Yemen.

The Turkish currency dipped to an all-time low Monday amid another anticipated interest rate cut later this week and after the S&P credit rating agency downgraded its outlook for Turkey.

The Turkish lira plummeted to 14.75 against the U.S. dollar, prompting Turkey's Central Bank to intervene by selling off foreign currency.

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man during clashes that erupted in the West Bank city of Nablus early Monday, the official Palestinian news agency reported.

Citing medics, Wafa news agency identified the slain man as Jamil Kayyal, 31, adding that he was hit by a gunshot in the head.

Iran appears to be preparing for a space launch as negotiations continue in Vienna over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers, according to an expert and satellite images.

The likely blast off at Iran's Imam Khomeini Spaceport comes as Iranian state media has offered a list of upcoming planned satellite launches in the works for the Islamic Republic's civilian space program, which has been beset by a series of failed launches. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard runs its own parallel program that successfully put a satellite into orbit last year.

Israel's prime minister met with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi on Monday as part of the first official visit to the United Arab Emirates by an Israeli leader since the establishment of official relations between the two countries last year.

Naftali Bennett's trip this week to the Gulf Arab federation comes against the backdrop of nuclear talks between world powers and regional archrival Iran over its nuclear program. Israel has watched with concern as Iran has pushed a hard line against negotiators meeting in Vienna, at once demanding sanctions relief while accelerating its nuclear program.

An Israeli parliamentary committee voted Sunday to stop providing personal security for former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife and adult sons, six months after the longtime leader was ousted from power.

The decision, which goes into effect Monday, came despite pleas from Netanyahu that his family is regularly subjected to threats on their lives.

The Palestinian Hamas group said Saturday that explosions that shook a refugee camp in southern Lebanon were caused by an electrical short-circuit in a storage area for oxygen bottles used to treat coronavirus patients.

Later in the day however, a Lebanese security official said that the explosion in the camp was clearly ammunition -- not oxygen bottles. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, did not elaborate.

Three people died in severe weather in Tennessee, one person died and several were injured in an apparent tornado at an Arkansas nursing home, and emergency crews in southern Illinois were responding to reports of workers trapped inside an Amazon warehouse after its roof collapsed from storm damage.

At least one fatality was also reported in Missouri as severe storms, some believed to be tornadoes, swept across the Midwest and parts of the South late Friday and into Saturday morning.