Germany is headed for snap elections on February 23, the main parties have agreed, aiming to form a stable government after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition collapsed last week. The country's two biggest parties agreed on the early timetable, which will see

At least 23 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on two houses in central Lebanon where displaced families were reportedly living, the Lebanese health ministry says. Fifteen people, mostly women and children, were killed in Joun and eight others were killed near Baalchmay.

The president of COP29’s host country has told the UN climate conference that oil and gas are a "gift of god". Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev criticised "Western fake news" about the country's emissions and said nations "should not be

President-elect Donald Trump assigned Elon Musk on Tuesday to “dismantle” the U.S. bureaucracy, and named a longtime Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, to lead the Pentagon. Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, had offered himself during the campaign as someone who

At least 35 people were killed and 43 more injured after a car ploughed into a crowd of people exercising at a stadium in Zhuhai, China on Monday, according to authorities. A 62-year-old male driver, surnamed Fan, is alleged to have driven an SUV through a barrier and into Zhuhai

The Philippines has issued fresh weather warnings as the fifth major storm in three weeks bore down on the archipelago, days after thousands were evacuated ahead of Typhoon Toraji. Tropical Storm Usagi was now just two days away from the country's northeast coast, the National

New lawmaker Saria Hino took her seat on Monday as one of a record number of women in Japan's Diet, but while campaigning ahead of the recent election, a voter asked her: "Who's looking after your children?" The mother-of-four was among 73 women elected to the

Russian strikes on Monday damaged a dam near the front line in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian authorities said, warning nearby villages could be threatened by rising water levels. Ukraine also said Russian attacks killed at least three people in the center of the

The US military has carried out strikes against targets in Syria in what the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said was a response to recent attacks on US forces by “Iranian-aligned targets” in the country. CENTCOM’s commander General Michael Erik Kurilla said

As US President-elect Donald Trump moves to fill key cabinet positions in his incoming administration, experts and rights groups in the United States have said his selections so far point towards a hardline approach to immigration. Trump announced on Monday that Tom Homan – a

At least 40 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza in Israeli attacks, including a drone strike on people sitting at a café in the al-Mawasi area in the south of the territory which was previously designated a “safe zone” by Israel’s military. Al

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” in some of the harshest public criticism of the country by a Saudi official since the start of the war. Speaking at a summit of Muslim and Arab leaders the prince also

Israeli strikes on northern Lebanon and Gaza have killed dozens of people including several children, rescuers and officials say. The Lebanese health ministry said at least 23 people including seven children were killed on Sunday in Almat near Byblos, to the north of the capital

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille has been fired by the country's ruling council less than six months after he took office. An executive order, signed by eight of the council's nine members, named businessman and former Haiti Senate candidate Alix Didier Fils-Aime as

The Republican Party is edging closer to overall control of the US Congress, having already secured a majority in the Senate and needing fewer than five seats to take the House of Representatives. A party needs 218 seats to win a House majority and president-elect Donald Trump's

World leaders have gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, to kick off the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), set to take place from November 11 to 22, 2024.  This year's summit comes at a critical time as countries confront escalating climate impacts while global

Russia downed 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on Sunday, the Defense Ministry said, in the largest attack on the capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The attack, which forced the temporary closure of three Moscow airports, injured a 52-year-old

On Saturday, Israeli forces launched extensive strikes across Gaza and southern Lebanon, resulting in at least 75 casualties.  In Gaza, 44 people were killed in airstrikes on Saturday targeting densely populated areas.  Meanwhile, in southern Lebanon, Israeli attacks left

The UN's Human Rights Office has condemned the high number of civilians killed in the war in Gaza, saying its analysis shows close to 70% of verified victims over a six-month period were women and children. The agency said the high number was largely due to Israel's use of

Qatar has suspended its work as a mediator in ceasefire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas, officials say. The country said it would resume its work when Hamas and Israel "show their willingness" to negotiate. It comes after senior US officials reportedly