France is heading into deeper political turbulence as Prime Minister François Bayrou faces a crucial confidence vote in parliament on Monday—one he is almost certain to lose. The veteran centre-right politician is the country’s fourth prime minister in just three years, underscoring the fragility of French politics since President Emmanuel Macron’s snap election in 2024 produced a hung parliament.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for peace talks in Moscow, calling it unrealistic and proof that Russia lacks genuine interest in negotiations. Speaking to US media, Zelenskyy said, “I can’t go to the capital of this terrorist,” stressing that Ukraine remains under constant missile and drone attacks. Instead, he invited Putin to Kyiv.

A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, devastating remote mountainous regions and leaving over 800 feared dead. The quake, which hit at 23:47 local time (19:17 GMT), had its epicentre 27 km from Jalalabad in Nangarhar province and was shallow at just 8 km deep. Tremors were felt as far as Kabul, 140 km away, and in neighbouring Pakistan.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first human case of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, in Maryland. The patient had recently traveled from El Salvador and has since been treated and fully recovered, according to Reuters. Health officials, including the CDC, confirmed there’s been no spread to other people or animals.

A deadly strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Monday claimed at least eight lives, including four journalists. Among those killed was 33-year-old freelancer Mariam Dagga, who had been reporting for the Associated Press since the start of the Gaza war. Dagga had recently covered the worsening humanitarian crisis, documenting Nasser Hospital doctors’ struggle to save starving children. Al Jazeera confirmed the death of its journalist Mohammed Sa