AUSTRIA: Police detained more than 50 people on Saturday as they clashed with protesters trying to disrupt a march by hundreds of far-right extremists in Vienna.

Anti-fascist groups and left-leaning political parties had called for protests against a demonstration and march by identitarian and other hard-right activists.

Austria goes to the polls on September 29 for elections, which are expected to repeat the European trend of voters swinging toward the far-right.

NEPAL: Newly appointed Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli secured overwhelming support in parliament today, with more than two-thirds of members voting in his favour.

The PM secured support from members of his Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), main coalition partner Nepali Congress and several smaller parties.

This is the fourth time that Mr Oli, 72, has led the Himalayan nation. His biggest challenge will be balancing Nepal’s relationship with its giant neighbours India and China.

THE VATICAN: Pope Francis voiced his hopes today that the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will provide an opportunity for warring nations to establish a truce for the duration of the Games.

“According to ancient tradition, may the Olympics be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars, demonstrating a sincere will for peace,” Francis said during his Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square.

He stressed that sport also has “a great social power, capable of peacefully uniting people from different cultures.”

SOUTH CHINA SEA: China and the Philippines have reached a deal that they hope will end confrontations over the world’s most fiercely disputed sandbank, the Philippine government said today.

The Philippines occupies Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef, but China also claims it and increasingly hostile clashes at sea have sparked fears of larger conflicts that could involve the US.

A deal was reached after a series of meetings between the two countries in Manila, without either side conceding the other’s territorial claims on the atoll.