Armed with his camera, Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra has spent years in the occupied West Bank documenting what he describes as the impunity Israelis enjoy in their mistreatment of Palestinians.

From his terrace, he points to the nearby Israeli settlement of Maon, just a short distance away. The view appears calm, but he said incidents involving settlers and Israeli soldiers take place almost daily.

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's spy chief has warned anti-immigration rallies are being exploited by neo-Nazi groups and "Russian operatives" to sow discord, as the country faces a trend seen across Western democracies of declining trust and rising disinformation.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's director-general of security, Mike Burgess, said on Tuesday community cohesion is under attack in an unprecedented way.

By Sayed Hassib

TANGI TASHQURGHAN, Afghanistan (Reuters) -Residents of northern Afghanistan began a clean-up operation on Tuesday after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake left at least 20 dead and almost 1,000 injured.

The quake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people and damaging the city's historic Blue Mosque, authorities said.

Some 945 people have been injured, according to the latest figures from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan.

NICOSIA (Reuters) -Cyprus wants to create a regional organisation to promote security in the Middle East, its president said on Tuesday, saying it could be a platform to anchor stability in one of the world's most volatile neighbourhoods.

Discussing the idea publicly for the first time, President Nikos Christodoulides said Nicosia was working on "maturing the necessary political conditions" to create a regional safety and cooperation organisation.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish nationalist party leader Devlet Bahceli, who is President Tayyip Erdogan's main parliamentary ally, said on Tuesday that it could be beneficial to release from prison the former pro-Kurdish party leader Selahattin Demirtas.

The surprise comment before reporters outside parliament came a year after Bahceli - who has in the past pushed for major policy changes from Erdogan - called for the beginning of a peace process with the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; writing by Jonathan Spicer)

Sudan's defence minister said on Tuesday that the army would press on with its fight against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces after the country's security and defence council met to discuss a US proposal for a ceasefire.

"We thank the Trump administration for its efforts and proposals to achieve peace," Hassan Kabroun said in a speech broadcast on state television, while adding that "preparations for the Sudanese people's battle are ongoing."

"Our preparations for war are a legitimate national right," he said following the council meeting in Khartoum.

Cement conglomerate Lafarge went on trial in France Tuesday, accused of paying the Islamic State group and other jihadists protection money to build its business in war-torn Syria.

In a similar case in the United States, the French firm pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to US-designated "terrorist" organisations and agreed to pay a $778-million fine, in what was the first time a corporation had faced the charge.

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -The work of Australia's defence force to protect its sea trade routes, including through the South China Sea, is becoming more risky as Beijing undertakes the "biggest military build-up in the world today", Australia's defence minister said on Tuesday.

Open sea lanes, including trade routes that go through the South China Sea and East China Sea, were at the core of Australia's national interest, Richard Marles said in an opening speech at a navy conference in Sydney.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be at the White House on November 18 for an official working visit with U.S. President Donald Trump, a White House official said on Monday.

The visit comes as Trump pushes Saudi Arabia to join the list of nations that have joined the Abraham Accords. In 2020, Trump reached deals with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco to normalize relations with Israel.

The Saudis have been hesitant to join in the absence of steps toward Palestinian statehood.

BERLIN (Reuters) -Chancellor Friedrich Merz has invited Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Germany to discuss deporting Syrian citizens with criminal records in Germany, the German leader said on Monday.

"We will, of course, continue to deport criminals to Syria. That is the plan. We will now implement this in a very concrete manner," Merz told reporters.

Germany also wants to help stabilise the country, he said, adding that he intends to discuss with Sharaa "how we can solve this together".