Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law imposing the death penalty on civil servants and army personnel convicted of high treason.

The Iranian authorities have promised that whoever is behind the poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls will be mercilessly punished — but the government has lost all credibility with the people.

Iran says "everything is ready" for a prisoner swap with the US. Washington denies Tehran's claim, labeling it a "cruel lie."

The two long-time foes say they will improve their relationship. If they do, the detente could have a major impact on politics in the Middle East.

The recent Saudi-Iran deal is a major triumph for Chinese diplomacy, but Beijing may find the Middle East to be a tricky region to operate in, say experts.

As Iranians continue to brave a deadly crackdown to protest against their regime, Iranian exiles living abroad have joined the movement in any way they can. For French-Iranian opera singer and composer Ariana Vafadari, that’s meant rallying support through music.

The two traditional rivals agreed to normalize relations in a March 10 deal brokered by China. Iran's international outreach to its regional rival comes amid major domestic unrest.

Embattled bank Credit Suisse could be bought out by larger rival UBS, several media outlets reported. Politicians insist a European banking crisis is unlikely, but Swiss regulators reportedly want a deal before Monday.

A review into Britain's largest police force has found "institutional racism, sexism and homophobia" and has called for "radical reform."

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published a landmark report on climate change. Prepared by hundreds of world's top scientists, it lays out the impact of global warming so far, as well as the tools available to prevent climate catastrophe. The report says today's record heat will be ordinary in a generation's time. Meanwhile, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has denounced a "betrayal" by world leaders for failing to act on climate change. FRANCE 24's Science Editor Shirli Sitbon gives us her analysis.

The sanctions come against the backdrop of alleged human rights violations amid protests. EU defense and foreign ministers also agreed on a €2 billion ammunition plan for Ukraine.

We look at the press reaction to the French government pushing through Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension reform, narrowly surviving a vote of no-confidence. In other news: In the UK, a new report has found that the Metropolitan Police is racist, sexist and homophobic.