Amnesty International has called for the release of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi after he completed his "unjust" 10-year jail term this week.

The 38-year-old, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and a decade in prison, was "arbitrarily detained solely for freely expressing his opinions", a statement said on Friday.

Badawi, who had advocated an end to religious influence on Saudi public life, received his first beating of 50 lashes but the rest were suspended after international condemnation.

Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday they had agreed an approach for resolving issues crucial to reviving the country's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers -- but new Russian demands may delay a deal.

The announcement came shortly before Russia said it would seek guarantees from the United States before it backs the deal, potentially scuppering hopes an agreement could be wrapped up quickly.

The United Nations' top official in conflict-scarred Libya offered Friday to mediate between political rivals in a renewed push for long-delayed elections, warning against "escalation" after a parallel government took office.

Stephanie Williams's call came a day after the country's eastern-based parliament swore in a prime minister in a challenge to interim premier Abdulhamid Dbeibah -- a move observers fear could tip Libya into a new schism.

With online posts in Hebrew and appeals to Jews to "cry out" in response to Russia's invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invoked his faith to rally support for his embattled country.

The 44-year-old comedian-turned-president previously told the Times of Israel that he had an "ordinary... Jewish upbringing", explaining "most Jewish families in the Soviet Union were not religious".

Surfing on wifi and enjoying free meals in comfortable town houses in Qatar, Afghans who fled their country have shrugged off the Taliban's claims they are living in miserable conditions.

Despite an uncertain future, the Afghans of Doha's Park View Villas insist there is no way they will go back to their homeland under the Islamist hardliners, no matter what the new rulers say.

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine rages, it risks spilling into an unlikely arena -– classrooms and playgrounds in Cyprus, home to a sizable Russian population and a smaller Ukrainian community.

Trouble appeared to brew in schools in several cities, but especially Limassol, a seaside magnet on the holiday island and a financial hub that is sometimes dubbed "Moscow on the Med".

Veronika, a 17-year-old Ukrainian student at a private school, said verbal spats had broken out between fellow nationals and Russian peers.

In the oilfields of southern Iraq, billions of cubic feet of gas literally go up in smoke, burnt off on flare stacks for want of the infrastructure to capture and process it.

The flares produce vast amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming without any economic or social benefit.

Analysts say the waste is particularly egregious, as Iraq is a significant importer of natural gas, meeting a third of its needs through expensive and not always reliable supplies from neighbouring Iran.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Israel a "potential ally" and said in a wide-ranging interview published on Thursday that he wants to "work it out" with Iran

The de facto leader, 36, also called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi "a huge mistake" for which he was unfairly blamed, and revealed a penchant for hit TV series "Game of Thrones".

"For us, we hope that the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is solved," the prince told The Atlantic, according to a transcript issued by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Libya's parliament swore in a rival cabinet on Thursday in a bid to oust the unity government, a move that has raised fears of another major schism in the war-scarred country.

The assembly, based in Libya's east, had tasked former interior minister Fathi Bashagha last month with forming a government.

That raised the prospect of a show-down with the western, Tripoli-based administration of Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who has refused to cede power to anything but an elected government.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sent energy prices surging, but the oil-rich Gulf monarchies have so far resisted Western pressure to raise output, prioritising their own strategic and economic interests.

The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude topped $115 on Thursday, the highest since 2008, as the war and sanctions against Moscow stoked fears about global supplies.

Russia is the world's second biggest crude exporter after Saudi Arabia, which is close to Western governments but also to Moscow.