A Japanese court has deemed same-sex marriage bans constitutional, but has expressed concerns over the dignity and human rights of same-sex couples. The Fukuoka district court became the third in two years to uphold the ban, but the fifth ruling to raise other rights concerns. The ban has been ruled as unconstitutional twice, with a lack of legal protection for same-sex families said to violate their rights. Japan is the only G7 nation without legal protection for same-sex unions.

A total of seven people including six children have been injured in a mass stabbing in the town of Annecy in the French Alps, security sources said. A man armed with a knife attacked a group of children aged around three years old at 9:45 am (0745 GMT) on Thursday at a park near the lake in the town, the source added.

Scores of disgruntled leaders who quit Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan's party have joined hands and are set to launch a new military-backed party to fight the general elections likely to be held in October. Sugar baron and Khan's old friend Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) is leading the group of leaders who left Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the wake of attacks on military installations last month.

President Joe Biden has invited thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals to celebrate Pride Month in a high-profile show of support at a time when the community feels under attack like never before and the White House has little recourse to beat back a flood state-level legislation against them.

US prosecutors have told Donald Trump's lawyers that he is the target of a probe into his handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency, in a sign he might be indicted, US media reported Wednesday night. The notice came from the office of special counsel Jack Smith, The New York Times, CNN and other new outlets said, and gives the clearest sign yet that prosecutors are moving closer to charging the former president, who is seeking a return to the White House in 2024.

Authorities rushed to rescue hundreds of people stranded on rooftops and supply drinking water to areas flooded by a collapsed dam in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, in a growing humanitarian and ecological disaster along a river that forms part of the front line in the 15-month war. The collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam and emptying of its reservoir on the Dnieper River added to the misery the region has suffered for more than a year from artillery and missile attacks.

Schools across the US East Coast cancelled outdoor activities, commercial airline traffic was slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in a thick yellowish haze. "It's critical that Americans experiencing dangerous air pollution, especially those with health conditions, listen to local authorities to protect themselves and their families," US President Joe Biden said on Twitter.

A Pakistani court on Wednesday granted protective bail to former prime minister Imran Khan till June 21 after a fresh FIR was registered against him for committing forgery in selling the state gifts. The Lahore high court (LHC) also stopped police from arresting Khan's wife Bushra Bibi till June 13 in any case.

Advocate Abdul Razzaq Shar was killed on Tuesday in a drive-by shooting in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, while on his way to the provincial high court when targeted by the unknown assailants. Shar's son Siraj Ahmad registered a case on Tuesday, accusing in his FIR that his father was killed at the behest of Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chairman.

The Pakistan government has registered a case of fraud and forgery against former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and their close aides for allegedly preparing and submitting fake and forged receipts regarding Toshakhana gifts, a media report said on Wednesday.

Former vice president Mike Pence promised "the best days of the greatest nation on earth are yet to come" in a video released on Wednesday formally launching his campaign for the Republican nomination for president. "Different times call for different leadership," Pence says in the video, released via Fox News and Twitter hours ahead of a kickoff event in Des Moines.

At least seven people are missing after waters from the destroyed Nova Kakhovka dam flooded nearby areas, Russia's TASS news agency cited the Moscow-installed mayor of the city of Nova Kakhovka as saying on Wednesday.

The US mission in India held its seventh annual student visa day countrywide on Wednesday with consular officers from New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai interviewing almost 3,500 Indian student visa applicants, according to a press release. Ambassador Eric Garcetti and consuls general throughout India congratulated visa recipients as they prepared to join the growing ranks of Indian students who have chosen to study in the United States – the world’s leading destination for international students, the US embassy press release said.