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COP28 should seek total fossil fuel 'phaseout': UN chief to AFP
The COP28 climate conference should aim for a complete "phaseout" of fossil fuels, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP on Wednesday, warning of "total disaster" on humanity's current trajectory.
Red and blue America square off in clash of the governors
They are ambitious and relatively young leaders whose passionate views about running their large, powerful states offer contrasting ideals on how the deeply-polarized United States should be run.
Thai hostages set to return after release by Hamas
Seventeen Thai hostages kidnapped and held for weeks by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are expected to return home on Thursday to be met by overjoyed relatives at the Bangkok airport.
Mediators race to extend Israel-Hamas truce as expiry looms
A truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final hours on Thursday with mediators racing to reach agreement on another extension after a final exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Henry Kissinger, singular US diplomat, dead at 100
Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state whose unapologetic promotion of raw American power helped shape the post-World War II world, died Wednesday at the age of 100, his consulting firm said.
Kissinger, giant of statecraft, molded post-war US history
Brilliant, abrasive and ruthlessly ambitious, Henry Kissinger towered over post-World War II US foreign policy like no one else and shaped a fateful new course for the world's relationship with China.
US warship shoots down drone launched from Yemen
A US Navy warship shot down a drone on Wednesday launched from a part of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Huthi rebels, the American military's Central Command said.
Biden takes fight to Trump ally in Colorado
US President Joe Biden took his reelection bid onto Donald Trump's turf Wednesday, visiting a Colorado district held by a hard-right supporter of his likely Republican rival in 2024.
Rescuers search for missing after US Osprey crashes off Japan
Rescuers scoured waters off Japan on Thursday as they searched for at least five missing US Air Force personnel whose Osprey crashed during a training exercise, in the latest incident involving the tilt-rotor military aircraft.
Ottawa, Google reach 'historic' deal to support Canadian media
The Canadian government and Google announced Wednesday a "historic" deal to support the country's media, heading off an imminent threat by the digital giant to block news on its platform.
Huge blow for Wilders as major party snubs coalition
Far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders suffered a major setback to his goal of forming a governing coalition Wednesday when a key potential partner ruled itself out, uncomfortable with his extreme views.
Taiwan leader says China invasion unlikely for now
China is not likely to consider a major invasion of Taiwan for now due to domestic challenges, the island's president Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday, although Beijing is trying to sway its upcoming election.
Russia ramping up attacks in eastern Ukraine
Russian forces were ramping up attacks in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, Moscow and Kyiv said, as they vie to secure elusive territorial gains before the end of the year.
French justice minister acquitted in conflict of interest case
A French court on Wednesday acquitted France's justice minister in a conflict of interest trial that has been an embarrassment for President Emmanuel Macron's government.
Gazans in midst of 'epic humanitarian catastrophe': UN chief
Gazans are "in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe before the eyes of the world," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday, while calling for an expansion of the current pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
OSCE caught in tug-of-war between Moscow and West
Ministers of the world's largest regional security body are to meet Thursday in Skopje as the 57-member organisation faces its most serious crisis since its creation as tensions from Russia's invasion of Ukraine remain heightened.
European, US stock markets climb as bets build on rate cuts
Wall Street and Europe's main stock markets mostly climbed Wednesday as traders ramped up bets on the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in the new year after a top official sounded an optimistic note on the battle against inflation.
Russia ramping up attacks in Donetsk region
Russian forces were ramping up attacks in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, Moscow and Kyiv said, as they vie to secure elusive territorial gains before the end of the year.
'Welcome back': Joy in West Bank as freed prisoners return
A red keffiyeh scarf around her neck and a beaming smile on her face, Rouba Assi fell into her friends' arms after being freed from an Israeli prison.
Thumbs-up for Wilders in one of poorest Dutch districts
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders's stunning election win may have sent shockwaves through Europe's political elite, but in one of the country's poorest districts, his populist message is hitting home.
OECD trims global growth forecast, warns of conflict risk
The world economy is likely headed for a soft landing next year, the OECD said Wednesday as it pared back its growth forecast, but warned the Israel-Hamas conflict could throw a spanner in the works.
Gaza families return to homes in ruins
Tea and cheese sandwiches are on the breakfast menu for Taghrid al-Najjar's children. It should be an everyday moment, but their home in the Gaza Strip is now mostly rubble.
Turkey's Erdogan calls Netanyahu 'butcher of Gaza'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "the butcher of Gaza" and accused him of spawning anti-Semitism across the world.
'Point of no return': Why Kyiv won't sit down with the Kremlin
When delegations from Moscow and Kyiv met in Belarus for secretive peace talks weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, it took Ukraine's lead negotiator less than an hour to lose hope.
Former Hamas hostage, aged nine, now only 'whispers': father
Emily Hand, the nine-year-old girl released after Hamas held her hostage for 50 days, will now only talk in whispers having been ordered to stay silent by her captors, her father told British tabloid The Sun in an interview published on Wednesday.
US military Osprey with 8 crew crashes off Japan
A US Osprey military aircraft with eight crew on board crashed on Wednesday off a Japanese island, the coastguard said, in the latest accident involving the tilt-rotor military aircraft.
Dollar weakens as rate cut bets build, but equities mixed
The dollar extended losses Wednesday as traders ramped up bets on the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in the new year after a top official sounded an optimistic note on the battle against inflation.
The battle for Serbia's soul on walls of Belgrade
A rough -- and highly contested -- history of modern Serbia is written out in murals and slogans on the walls of its capital Belgrade.
Final debates begin in Hong Kong's largest security trial
Hong Kong's largest-ever national security trial began final arguments Wednesday, more than 1,000 days after authorities filed charges against 47 democracy activists under a law imposed by China to quell dissent.
Young Rohingya leave Bangladesh camps for university dream
Muhammed Hasson said a painful goodbye to his parents in a refugee camp in Bangladesh before embarking on a dangerous sea journey, refusing to let Myanmar's crackdown six years ago on Rohingyas like him crush his dream of attending university.
Finland says to shut last border crossing to Russia
Finland's prime minister said Tuesday the country will shut its last border crossing with Russia, following an influx of migrants which Helsinki claims is a hybrid attack orchestrated by Moscow.
Jimmy Carter, 99, makes rare appearance with presidents for wife's memorial
Former US president Jimmy Carter, 99, made a rare public appearance Tuesday to join his successors Joe Biden and Bill Clinton and all five living first ladies at the memorial service for his beloved wife Rosalynn.