Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday appointed Mary Simon as Canada's first indigenous governor general, Queen Elizabeth's official representative.

"We are honored to have Ms. Simon as Canada's first Indigenous governor general," Trudeau told a news conference.

Pope Francis, 84, on Tuesday had breakfast and got up to walk, two days after undergoing surgery for an inflamed large colon, the Vatican announced.

Israel's parliament is set to vote Monday on whether to renew a temporary law first enacted in 2003 that bars Arab citizens of Israel from extending citizenship or even residency to spouses from the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Critics, including many left-wing and Arab lawmakers, say it's a racist measure aimed at restricting the growth of Israel's Arab minority, while supporters say it's needed for security purposes and to preserve Israel's Jewish character.

Pope Francis, 84, was recovering in hospital Monday from surgery for an inflamed large colon, a potentially painful condition that could see him bed-bound for several days.

The pontiff was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital Sunday for a scheduled operation under general anesthetic for symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon.

President Michel Aoun expressed on Friday his deep gratitude to Pope Francis for the day of prayer and meditation for Lebanon.

He affirmed that the Lebanese of all sects have great respect for the Holy See and will respond to the Pope’s call to save their treasured homeland.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Thursday that Hungary should not be part of the EU because of its new law banning LGBT content in schools.

The combined effects of Lebanon's economic meltdown, last year's Beirut port blast and Covid-19 lockdowns have left the LGBTQ community more vulnerable than ever, warned a report published Thursday.

From Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the city of Budapest and the watery wonderland that is Venice, several beauty spots risk losing their treasured U.N. World Heritage status because of environmental damage, excess development or overtourism.

Surrounded in mystery and tales of demons, the Well of Barhout in Yemen's east -- known as the "Well of Hell" -- is a little-understood natural wonder.

Twitter on Wednesday unveiled a new version that allows Arabic language users to be addressed as female rather than male, in efforts to use "inclusive language" on the platform, popular in the Arab world.