Taiwan says it detected "multiple" Chinese aircraft and naval vessels taking part in military drills around the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, in what could be a possible simulated attack against the island.

Flash floods caused by abnormally heavy monsoon rains killed at least 549 people in Pakistan over the past month, with remote communities in the impoverished southwestern province of Balochistan among the hardest hit, a government agency said.

Shortly before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Defense Department created a task force responsible for handling counterterrorism strikes inside the country after American troops had left -- a so-called "over the horizon" strategy that officials promised would keep Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for terror groups like al Qaeda and ISIS to flourish.

The Israeli military launched deadly strikes against what it described as Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza on Friday as tensions continue to rise between Israel and Palestinian militant groups.

The White House summoned Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang on Thursday to condemn China's "irresponsible" military activities near Taiwan, Nation Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told CNN.

Yemen's warring parties have renewed a two-month-long truce, first signed in April this year. It was one of the first concrete steps taken towards peace in years and a genuine moment for celebration. But for thousands of families, time is running out.

The starting point of England's famous River Thames has dried up and moved downstream, following weeks of little rainfall and a heat wave in July that smashed the UK's all-time temperature record.

Succession planning isn't something most of us have to give much thought to, but for the royal family it's almost part of the daily routine.