France’s government has sought to open a new chapter in relations with the country’s Muslims following a summer scarred by jihadist attacks and a ban on burkinis that ratcheted up communal tensions.

Around 6,500 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Monday, the Italian coastguard said, in one of its busiest days of life-saving in recent years.

Clashes between Turkish forces and units affiliated with a US-backed Kurdish-led alliance in Syria are "unacceptable," the Pentagon  has said, asking all sides to stand down.

A strong typhoon was on course on Tuesday for a direct hit on northeastern Japan, with authorities warning of heavy rain and high waves along the Pacific coast.

Police fired tear gas late on Monday to disperse demonstrators who lit fires in the street of Sao Paulo to protest the looming impeachment of suspended president Dilma Rousseff.

The new Tunisian unity government headed by Youssef Chahed takes office on Monday in the birthplace of the Arab Spring and will have to tackle major economic and security challenges.

It would be "unconstitutional" for France to pass a law banning the burkini and such a move could cause irreparable harm, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve warned in an interview published online late on Sunday.

The German, French and Polish foreign ministers have vowed to increase ties between their countries when Britain leaves the EU to secure a safer and more effective union.

Climate change and the spread of invasive ragweed are set to double the number of seasonal allergy sufferers across Europe, with similar impacts likely in North America, researchers said on Thursday.