Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on a central square in the Armenian capital pledging to carry on protests over energy price hikes after police cleared a key artery they had blocked for weeks.
The UN's cultural body conferred world heritage status on a number of new sites including some seen as representative of Japan's industrial revolution.
Armenian authorities launched a criminal investigation into police officers involved in a brutal crackdown on demonstrators protesting against electricity price hikes.
Malaysia's premier Najib Razak on Friday dismissed as "political sabotage" a report that a probe into a state-owned investment fund had found hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred to his personal bank accounts.
The death toll from a Pakistan rail accident has risen to 17, the army said Friday, the day after a special military train fell into a canal when a bridge partially collapsed.
World powers and Tehran are close to a deal on curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions and the marathon negotiations look set to be successfully concluded "in the coming days."
The Dalai Lama has long enjoyed an avid following among Western musicians and, as he turns 80, both new and veteran stars are offering songs to spread his message.
Kuwait's parliament, reacting to a suicide bombing last week that killed 26 people, adopted a law requiring mandatory DNA testing on all the country's citizens and foreign residents.
Landslides triggered by heavy rain killed at least 21 people across India's famed tea-growing region of Darjeeling, with more feared trapped under mounds of mud and debris.
US President Barack Obama warned he will "walk away" from a bad nuclear deal with Iran, as Tehran and six world powers gave themselves until July 7 to reach an agreement.
An Indonesian air force transport plane crashed shortly after take-off, exploding in a fireball in a city residential area and killing at least 20 people.
Iraqi premier Haider al-Abadi has "retired" the army's chief of staff, the most senior officer removed since jihadists overran large parts of the country last year.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he planned to meet his US counterpart John Kerry in Vienna where global powers are engaged in make-or-break nuclear talks with Iran.