Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says his country does not accept "geopolitical changes" in the Caucasus. Tensions between Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan have been on the rise of late.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday⁣. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣

Suspected militants have killed five soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir amid a spike in violence in the region. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Villagers count the dead after gunmen from a suspected criminal gang attacked the village market in Goronyo in northwest Nigeria's Sokoto state, killing 43 people.

Guatemalan riot police are deployed as former soldiers storm the rear area of Congress on and torch several vehicles in protest over unpaid compensation for their service during the country's civil war from 1960 to 1996.

Rescue operations are underway during floods in northern India's Uttarakhand, where officials say 46 have died and 11 are missing. IMAGES

Nepal floods and landslides kill at least 77

Blast and fire kill 16 at Russian chemicals plant

The injuries were mild, officials said, in the second such scuffle in three days. Poland has drastically increased its military presence at the border with Belarus as people seek to enter the EU by the thousands.

Some 600 coca growers with sticks and machetes took a group of soldiers hostage earlier this week. The government has increased its efforts to eradicate coca plantations.

In 2019 alone, militia groups recruited nearly 8000 child soldiers, some as young as six. One of the countries where children are most at risk is the Central African Republic. Deutsche Welle has visited a project aiming to rehabilitate such children.

At least 74 people were killed and dozens more were injured on Sunday after bombs ripped through two restaurants in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Police said the bombs were targeting football fans who had gathered to watch the World Cup final.