WORLD

China's vice foreign minister met his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang on Friday, with the nuclear-armed state accelerating its weapons testing and threats toward Seoul in recent months.

Concern grew on Friday for civilians trapped by fighting around Khan Yunis in Gaza's south, with the top UN court set to rule in a case against Israel over alleged genocidal acts in its campaign against Hamas.

The International Court of Justice will hand down a highly anticipated ruling on Friday in South Africa's case against Israel over alleged genocidal acts in Gaza.

The United States and Iraq said Thursday they will begin discussions on the future of American and other foreign troops in the country, with Baghdad expecting the talks to lead to a timeline for reducing their presence.

US regulators approved a detailed inspection framework that would allow the return to service of Boeing 737 MAX planes grounded after an emergency landing earlier this month, officials said Wednesday.

The foreign ministers of Guyana and Venezuela are due to meet on Thursday in Brazil to discuss the simmering crisis on their border over a disputed oil-rich region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken explored greater coordination with emerging regional partner Angola on Thursday, capping a tour of Africa to champion US-friendly democracies as global crises mount.

Israeli air strikes and ground operations were focused Thursday on the Gazan city of Khan Yunis, where the UN said nine people were killed by tank shelling at one of its shelters the day before.

The news that Saudi Arabia will allow its first alcohol shop has citizens and foreigners alike mulling one question: is this a minor policy tweak, or a major upheaval?

From trash-strewn pavements to street vendors packing meals in polystyrene containers, plastic waste is a constant menace in the urban landscape of Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital and the continent's most populous city.

Two US lawmakers met Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te on Thursday to reaffirm Washington's support for the self-ruled island, which China claims as part of its territory.

Colombia has declared a state of emergency in two regions as dozens of forest fires burned wide swathes of the country and left the capital choking on smoke during record temperatures linked with the El Nino weather phenomenon.

President Emmanuel Macron was given a red carpet welcome and an elephant honour guard on Thursday as he started a two-day visit to India, with France eyeing lucrative deals with the world's fifth-largest economy.

Clean-energy projects were the largest driver of China's economic growth in 2023, with Beijing investing nearly as much in decarbonisation infrastructure as total global investment in fossil fuels, according to a report released Thursday.

French prosecutors have requested that the former chief of Egypt's Flash Airlines stand trial over a 2004 crash off the Sinai Peninsula that killed 148 people, a judicial source said Wednesday.

Heavy Israeli bombardment of Gaza overnight killed at least 125 people, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said Wednesday, against the backdrop of talks in Cairo aimed at reaching a truce.

A US pastor who sold a worthless cryptocurrency to his flock and pocketed $1.3 million, using some of it to remodel his house, has insisted he was only doing what God told him.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrives in Turkey on Wednesday for twice-delayed talks aimed at ironing out past differences and trying to halt the spread of the Israel-Hamas war.

German train drivers began on Wednesday their longest-ever strike, piling on travel misery for thousands of passengers in an escalating industrial dispute that economic experts warn could cost the economy up to a billion euros ($1.1 billion).

Israel kept up its heavy assault on the "encircled" Gazan city of Khan Yunis following an outpouring of grief over the army's deadliest single day since ground operations in the territory began.

The European Union will unveil a raft of measures Wednesday to better coordinate action on protecting sensitive technology and stopping critical infrastructure from falling into the hands of geopolitical rivals like China.

Six people were killed and over a dozen injured in Mongolia's capital Wednesday after a truck carrying gas collided with a car, causing a huge explosion that sent flames soaring into the night sky.

North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state.

Mounting maritime security threats off Yemen's coast have stalled work on scrapping a decrepit oil tanker, officials have told AFP, jeopardising a rare success story in the war-torn country.

US President Joe Biden's Middle East envoy held talks in the region Tuesday as hopes rose for a new deal to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a longer pause in fighting in Gaza.

The Israeli army said Tuesday it had suffered its biggest single-day losses since the start of its ground war in Gaza amid growing pressure on the government to find a way to end the conflict.

A major 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck along the China-Kyrgyzstan border on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said, warning of potentially widespread damage though no casualties have been reported.

Turkey's parliament is expected to end more than a year of delays that severely strained its ties with Western allies and approve Sweden's membership of NATO this week.

Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group started a sixth round of peace talks Monday, seeking to agree in Cuba on an extension of a ceasefire that expires next week.