Israel and Hamas started a ceasefire in Gaza on Friday that appeared to be holding shakily with no major reports of bombings, artillery strikes or rocket attacks, although both sides were accused of violations.

Police in Saudi Arabia say they have arrested several young men who last week appeared in a video of what was described as a "gay wedding scene".

In the video, the men are sprayed with confetti as they walk side by side on a carpet at an outdoor venue. One of them seems to be wearing a long bridal veil.

An Egyptian TV presenter has been sentenced to three years in jail after she discussed ways of becoming pregnant outside a conventional marriage.

Doaa Salah, a presenter on Al-Nahar TV, asked if her viewers had considered having sex before marriage, and also suggested a woman could marry briefly to have children before divorcing.

Iran's president has warned that it could restart its nuclear programme "within hours" if the United States imposes any more new sanctions.

Hassan Rouhani also said the programme would be more advanced than in 2015, when Iran curbed its nuclear activities as part of a deal with world powers.

Iran says unilateral US sanctions targeting its ballistic missile programme breach the agreement.

Israeli forces have shot and injured at least 11 Palestinian protesters who staged a general strike in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the besieged Gaza Strip in support of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Eight Pakistanis accused of killing a fellow university student over allegations of blasphemy have been charged with murder and "terrorism", according to court officials.

Mashal Khan, a journalism student, was stripped, beaten, shot and thrown from the second floor of his dorm at the Abdul Wali Khan university in the northwestern town of Mardan on Thursday by a large group of people.

A 17-year-old was reportedly shot dead by security forces on Saturday in Indian-administered Kashmir while at least 50 college students were wounded by police officers who fired pellets and tear gas.

Residents said security forces shot Sajad Hussain Sheikh, 17, in the head after their armoured vehicles were pelted with stones in the Batamaloo area of Srinagar, capital of the disputed Himalayan region.

Qatar joined Russia and its allies in demanding an independent investigation into a chemical weapon attack in Syria that killed more than 80 people, saying the perpetrators must be punished to prevent future use of poison gas. 

The foreign ministers of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, and Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met on Saturday in Moscow for talks on Syria's six-year war.

The poison gas attack on a rebel-held town in Idlib province earlier this month was a point of discussion. Images and video published shortly after the incident showed dozens of men, women, and children gasping for air, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth.

Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish citizens have begun voting in a key referendum on whether to adopt a presidential system with extended executive powers.

The constitutional changes proposed in Sunday's vote seek to transform Turkey's governance from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, significantly expanding the powers of the top office.

People started casting their ballots in eastern Turkey at 7am (04:00 GMT), while voting in the rest of the country started at 8am (05:00 GMT). Polls will close at 4pm (13:00 GMT) in the east and 5pm (14:00 GMT) elsewhere. Unofficial results are expected later on Sunday.

Autopsy results have revealed that chemical weapons were used in an attack which killed more than 80 people in Syria's Idlib province, according to Turkey's justice minister.

Thirty-two victims of Tuesday's attack were brought to Turkey where three subsequently died.

"Autopsies were carried out on three of the bodies after they were brought from Idlib. The results of the autopsy confirms that chemical weapons were used," Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said, quoted by state-run Anadolu news agency.

An Egyptian court ruled on Sunday that a controversial deal to hand over two strategic Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia can go forward, voiding an earlier ruling that blocked the transfer. 

The Court of Urgent Matters ruled against a verdict of the High Administrative Court in January that halted the handover of the uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Riyadh, Egyptian state television reported on its website. 

Twenty people have been murdered and others wounded at a Sufi shrine near the city of Sargodha, in Pakistan's Punjab province, police say.

Deputy police commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatta said the main suspect was the shrine's custodian, Abdul Waheed.

A new cab service marketed to curb sexual harrassment faced by solo women travellers is set to launch in Pakistan's commercial hub, Karachi.

From Thursday, female customers will be able to call the "pink taxis" - which are driven by women - by phone, a mobile app, SMS or by hailing one on the street.

 Jordan's highest court has blocked the extradition of a Jordanian woman who faces US charges in the 2001 bombing of a Jerusalem pizza restaurant that killed 15 people, including two Americans.

The US indictment against Ahlam al-Tamimi was unsealed last week.

Iraqi forces battling ISIS/ISIL faced tough resistance from snipers and mortar rounds on Monday as they tried to advance on Mosul's Old City and a bridge across the Tigris River in their campaign to retake it.

Progress was slowed by heavy rain but units were only 100 metres from the Iron Bridge that connects the Old City with the eastern side of Mosul, military officials said.