POLITICS

Donald Trump's unprecedented criminal trial resumes Thursday in New York with the judge seeking to complete jury selection and kick off arguments in the politically explosive case early next week.

Taiwan's incoming president Lai Ching-te has made Time Magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People of 2024", which the island hailed Thursday as a recognition of its "democratic achievements".

France's far-right National Rally is banking on its youthful and charismatic party leader to be a major asset as it scents massive gains in upcoming European elections.

The US ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday she believed sanctions were still an "effective tool" to discourage North Korea and its nuclear development, even as global enforcement of UN sanctions stumbles.

The UK parliament will on Tuesday kick off its first debate on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's planned legislation to prevent young people from ever smoking, despite opposition from many in his own Conservative Party.

The US ambassador to the United Nations visited the heavily-fortified border between North and South Korea Tuesday, urging Pyongyang to return to talks as global enforcement of UN sanctions stumbles.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday he hoped Berlin and Beijing could help achieve a "just peace" in Ukraine, as he met President Xi Jinping in the Chinese capital.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday called on Americans to overcome their "self-doubt" as he offered a paean to US global leadership before a bitterly divided Congress.

South Africa's electoral commission said Friday that it had appealed to the country's highest court to rule on whether ex-president Jacob Zuma can stand in a general election in May.

Beijing on Friday criticised the United States, Japan and the Philippines and defended its actions in the South China Sea as "lawful" after US President Joe Biden hosted a trilateral meeting in Washington.

US President Joe Biden holds the first ever summit with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines Thursday to show support for Manila against China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that "external interference" would not stop Beijing from unifying with Taiwan, as he met the self-ruled island's former leader in a rare display of cross-strait dialogue.

China and Russia's top diplomats said Tuesday they would strengthen strategic cooperation as they met in Beijing, further deepening ties as Moscow's war in Ukraine grinds on.

Peru's embattled government will on Wednesday ask Congress for a vote of confidence that collides with its umpteenth scandal: how the president came to own a collection of pricey Rolex watches and jewelry.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in Tuesday for his third term as leader of the Arab world's most populous nation.

Embattled former US president Donald Trump posted a $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud case Monday, a court document showed, avoiding asset seizures while his case winds through the appeals process.

You might argue it's a cruel joke no matter what side of American politics you fall on: Donald Trump sent a message to supporters Monday that appeared to announce he was suspending his reelection campaign, but it turned out to be an April Fools' fundraising bid.

Peru's prosecutor's office on Sunday ordered President Dina Boluarte to present any Rolex watches in her possession, after a raid on her home and office as part of a corruption probe.

South Africa's electoral officials said Thursday that they had excluded former president Jacob Zuma from May elections, further stoking tensions in the run-up to the polls.

President Ferdinand Marcos said Thursday the Philippines will not be "cowed into silence" by Beijing after confrontations in the South China Sea that injured Filipino troops and damaged vessels.

Venezuela's main opposition coalition said Tuesday it had managed to register a proxy candidate to face off against President Nicolas Maduro in the country's July elections -- but not the one it wanted.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, adding a meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo.

Simon Harris, who is set to become Ireland's youngest ever prime minister after being appointed party leader on Sunday, will be hoping his social media skills and fresh face can save his party's flagging fortunes as elections loom.

Venezuela on Thursday faced a rising tide of international criticism over its arrest of two top aides to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a rival to President Nicolas Maduro.

Donald Trump is up against a fast-approaching deadline to secure a half-billion dollar bond as he appeals his financial fraud case, facing possible bankruptcy or the seizure of his assets if he fails.

Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont is to unveil Thursday his plans for Catalonia's snap May election, a move that could bring forward his return home after years of self-imposed exile.

The United Kingdom and Australia inked a new defense agreement in Canberra on Thursday, as they try to boost a fledgling nuclear-powered submarine program with the United States.

US President Joe Biden unveiled almost $20 billion in grants and loans Wednesday for Intel's domestic chip-making plants -- his administration's biggest investment yet in the sector as he takes on China's chip dominance and sells his economic achievements over election rival Donald Trump.

Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto has been elected president of the world's third-biggest democracy, the elections commission said Wednesday, beating two rivals who have vowed to file legal complaints about the vote.