Radio Shoma

The United Arab Emirates has expressed its solidarity with Algeria over the victims of wildfires in the northeast of the country, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has paid special tribute to Emirati women, highlighting how their "achievements" and "inspiring vision" will "forever remain a source of (the nation's) collective strength and advancement".

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, has hailed the contributions of his mother, the late Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, on Emirati Women's Day.

Nepal has appealed for specialised international assistance following the catastrophic flooding that has killed more than 600 people across the Himalayan border region with China.

Nepal and China resumed rescue operations that had been suspended briefly in the flood-hit Himalayas on Friday after risks from an overflowing lake were found to be manageable, easing fears of fresh devastation.

Norway's King Harald, a reformer who emerged from the shadow of his well-loved, extrovert father over more than three decades on the throne, died on Friday at the age of 89, the royal palace said, at a time of multiple crises for the Norwegian royal family.