Reuters

Israeli forces began demolishing buildings near a military barrier on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday, in the face of Palestinian protests and international criticism.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc won a solid majority in an upper house election on Sunday but his coalition and allies fell short of a two-thirds majority needed to begin revising the pacifist constitution, public broadcaster NHK said.

Japan wants to make every effort to reduce tension between the United States and Iran before responding to an expected U.S. request to send its navy to safeguard strategic waters off Iran, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday.

Hong Kong police on Monday defended their actions and the lack of arrests after opposition lawmakers said police had failed to protect a train full of anti-government protesters from a triad gangster attack on Sunday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that he would take all possible steps flexibly and without hesitation when downside risks to the economy emerge.

Puerto Rico's governor on Sunday said he would not seek re-election next year but refused to resign as the island braced for more protests by demonstrators demanding he step down over offensive chat messages.

Mexico is on tenterhooks as a Monday deadline on a U.S. migration deal that removed tariff threats on Mexican exports arrived, and despite progress made in reducing migrant flows it was unclear what President Donald Trump's next move would be.

Smoke spread so quickly through a burning Japanese animation company that a majority of victims who had tried to flee through a rooftop door were unable to open it before perishing, Japanese media said on Monday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has avoided lame-duck status after his ruling bloc won a solid victory in Sunday's upper house election but the poll - with nearly record-low turnout - has dented his hopes of revising the pacifist constitution and left him facing tough diplomatic challenges

Robert Morgenthau, 99, who became the scourge of white-collar criminals over three decades as the Manhattan district attorney, died on Sunday, his family told the New York Times.

Asia stocks fell on Monday as investors scaled back expectations of an aggressive interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, while heightened Middle East tensions following Iran's seizure of a British tanker lifted crude oil prices.

Iran's ambassador to Britain warned against escalating tensions on Sunday, a day ahead of an expected response from the UK which could include fresh sanctions on Tehran or other steps after its seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker.

Tensions between Iran and the West have escalated since U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports took full effect in May and British naval forces seized an Iranian supertanker.

An attack on the office of Beijing's representative in Hong Kong by protesters was a "blatant challenge to the central government" and will not be tolerated, state news agency Xinhua said in an editorial on Monday.

Mexico said on Sunday it averted the so-called "safe third country" negotiations with the United States it desperately wanted to avoid after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Mexican efforts in reducing U.S.-bound migrant flows.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party took a commanding lead in Sunday's snap parliamentary election, consolidating the power of the novice politician whose stunning rise has upended traditional politics in the war-scarred nation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party led Ukraine's snap parliamentary election on Sunday with a vote share of 41.52% in the party lists, the central election commission's website showed, after 10.29% of votes had been counted.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party led Ukraine's snap parliamentary election on Sunday with 43.9% of votes, an exit poll showed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday said he wants to invite the Voice party, headed by rock star Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, for talks about forming a governing coalition in parliament.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday stepped up his attacks on four liberal Democrats in Congress, all women of color who have criticized his policies, calling on them to apologize as he himself faced charges of racism.