The leaders of the European Union have agreed to impose sanctions on senior officials of the Belarusian government, citing human rights violations following the country's disputed presidential election.
A senior Afghan government official has called on the Taliban to begin an immediate ceasefire. The militant group has been taking part in peace talks, but continues to carry out attacks.
A first batch of regional and international flights landed in South Africa early on Thursday, as borders reopened after a more than six-month shutdown to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Canada on Wednesday extended a ban on non-essential international entries until the end of October as the country was gripped by a surge in coronavirus cases.
