Qatar's diplomatic point man on Afghanistan said Tuesday countries should engage the country's new Taliban rulers, warning that isolation could lead to instability and a wide-reaching security threat, as happened when al-Qaida used the country as a base to plot the 9/11 attacks.

Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, Qatar's special envoy for counterterrorism and mediation in conflict resolution, said he's held conversations with the Taliban about combating terrorism. The Taliban, he said, are committed to fighting the Islamic State group, which is increasingly active in Afghanistan, and ensuring the country is not used by terrorist organizations. The sides have also discussed pressing issues related to the role of women in society, girls' access to education and the importance of an inclusive government.

World shares retreated on Tuesday as surging prices of oil, coal and other energy added to concerns over inflation.

Benchmarks fell in Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Oil prices extended gains, having closed above $80 per barrel in New York after trading briefly above $81 per barrel on Monday for the first time in seven years.

Hurricane Ida swept through Louisiana with furious winds that ripped roofs off buildings and storm surge so powerful it moved homes. What it wrought on the living it also wrought on the dead, moving vaults and caskets and adding another layer of trauma for families and communities recovering from the powerful storm.

"Once you bury a relative, you expect that to be the permanent resting place," said the Rev. Haywood Johnson Jr., who lives in the small community of Ironton, south of New Orleans along the Mississippi River. Ida's surge destroyed nearly every home in the community and pushed heavy vaults — including those containing Johnson's mother and other relatives — from their resting spots into the streets.

China on Tuesday pledged about $230 million to establish a fund to protect biodiversity in developing countries.

President Xi Jinping, speaking by video to a U.N. conference in the southwest Chinese city of Kunming, said that China would put in 1.5 billion yuan and called on other countries to contribute to the Kunming Biodiversity Fund.

Croatia midfielder Luka Modric scored from a free kick to salvage a 2-2 draw with Slovakia as Russia moved to the top of Europe Group H in World Cup qualifying on Monday.

Dropping points means 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia is likely to need a win over Russia next month to qualify automatically for next year's World Cup in Qatar. Neither team can finish lower than second, ensuring them of at least a spot in the playoffs.

Germany is the first country to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after booking its place on Monday with an error-strewn 4-0 win in North Macedonia.

Kai Havertz broke the deadlock in the 50th minute before Chelsea clubmate Timo Werner's quickfire double helped Germany atone for its surprise 2-1 loss to North Macedonia in Duisburg in March – the only blip in an otherwise perfect qualifying campaign with seven wins from eight games in Europe Group J.

A climate change conference will underscore to policymakers in the Middle East and the east Mediterranean that the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is needed urgently because greenhouse gas emissions are helping to drive up regional temperatures faster than in many other inhabited parts of the world.

George Zittis, a scientist at the Cyprus Institute's Climate and Atmosphere Research Center, said that although this "can't happen overnight" because of the region's heavy dependency on fossil fuels for energy production, governments have to make the switch within the next two decades to avert potentially "irreversible effects" such as desertification.

Not long ago, Argentina supporters didn't have much affection for Lionel Messi. He was respected for all those Ballon d'Ors but considered cold-hearted in comparison to Diego Maradona.

Meanwhile, Brazil fans felt represented by their star; Neymar was the soul of the Seleção because of his joyful style and goal-scoring hunger, another link to a long chain of Brazil greats.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called Tuesday on the United Nations Security Council to take action against Iran over its escalating nuclear program.

Bennett spoke at a conference in Jerusalem, where he suggested that Iran's conduct is every nation's problem, and subject to global accountability.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reviewed powerful missiles developed to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland, as he vowed to build an "invincible" military to cope with what he called persistent U.S. hostility, state media reported Tuesday.

In an apparent continued effort to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul, Kim also used his speech at a rare exhibition of weapons systems Monday to stress that his military might isn't targeted at South Korea and that there shouldn't be another war pitting Korean people against each other.