The number of people known to have been killed by floods in north-west Pakistan has passed 1,100, officials say.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on August 1 to restart peace talks with Israel, saying he hopes Abbas "will accede not only to my call, but to that of many in the international community."

July was Iraq's deadliest month for more than two years, figures show, amid fears insurgents are exploiting a political power vacuum.

The Netherlands became the first NATO ally to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan on August 1 as it handed over its mission in southern Afghanistan's Uruzgan province to U.S. and Australian forces.

The death toll in the worst monsoon floods in living memory in Pakistan has risen to 800, while one million have been affected, a local official says.

At least 28 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by wildfires sweeping through western Russia, authorities said on July 31.

The data recorders for the plane that crashed and killed 152 people in Pakistan have been found, a government official said on July 31.

Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers unhappy with a new government-set minimum wage clashed with police for a second day on July 31, leaving at least 100 people injured. 

US crude oil futures turned positive to end the month higher on July 30, shrugging off earlier concerns about the pace of economic growth amid mixed data and lifted by a late rally in refined products futures as August contracts expired.

Floods caused by heavy monsoon rain have killed hundreds in Pakistan and Afghanistan, washing away whole villages, roads and bridges.