United Nations member states have finally agreed, following years of talks, to a text on the first international treaty to protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet. The legally binding agreement to conserve and ensure the sustainable use of

China has set an official economic growth target of “around 5%” for 2023, as it seeks to revive the world’s second largest economy after a year of tepid growth because of pandemic measures. The new figure was released Sunday by outgoing Premier Li Keqiang during the

Disgraced ex-lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife and son in a case that shocked the US. The hearing in South Carolina came one day after a jury took less than three hours to convict the 54-year-old. Murdaugh's wife, Maggie, 52, and

A group of police officers and oilfield workers taken hostage during protests in Colombia's southern Caquetá province have been freed, President Petro says. Violence erupted on Thursday after residents blockaded an oil exploration company's compound. They were demanding

US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have committed to continue imposing high costs on Russia for its war in Ukraine, while a European Union official said any arms provided by China to Russia would lead to sanctions. Biden and Scholz met on Friday in Washington, DC

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh say they are struggling to survive after the United Nations slashed their food aid due to a massive funding gap. After a $125m donation shortfall, monthly food vouchers were cut from $12 to $10 per person starting in March, the UN World Food Programme

Xi Jinping will secure a third term as China’s president at a rubber-stamp parliament that starts this weekend, enjoying unchallengeable status despite criticism over his handling of Covid and the economy. Xi is certain to be reappointed as president after he locked in another

The US is expected to announce a new package of military aid for Ukraine Friday, including for the first time eight armoured vehicles that can launch bridges and allow troops to cross rivers or other gaps, US officials said Thursday. The officials said the total cost of the package

The South Pacific Ocean nation of Vanuatu was under a state of emergency on Friday after being hit by a succession of earthquakes and cyclones. An initial 6.5-magnitude quake struck at 1804 GMT off the island of Espiritu Santo in the north of the archipelago at a depth of 10

Anger in Greece over poor railway safety grew on Thursday as the death toll from one of the country’s worst train crashes in recent years reached 57. Demonstrators poured onto the streets after the head-on collision between a passenger train carrying more than 350 people and a

Jailed former prime minister Najib Razak was acquitted of an audit tampering charge, a judge said Friday (Mar 3), but will continue to serve his 12-year prison term from another case. High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said state prosecutors failed to provide sufficient evidence to

Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on individuals and companies that it accused of illicitly generating revenue for the government of North Korea.  The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, sanctioned Chilsong Trading Corporation,

The number of children without access to social protection is increasing year-on-year, leaving them at risk of poverty, hunger, and discrimination, a report released by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and UNICEF said Wednesday. Failing to provide children with adequate

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged G20 foreign ministers to overcome their divisions and focus on the needs of the developing world. "We are meeting at a time of deep global divisions. We have a responsibility to those not in this room," he told the ministers in

The leaders of China and Belarus have expressed their "extreme interest" in a peaceful resolution in Ukraine. Chinese President and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin, issued the statement after talks in Beijing. Mr Lukashenko

The number of births registered in Japan plummeted to another record low last year – the latest worrying statistic in a decades-long decline that the country’s authorities have failed to reverse despite their extensive efforts. The country saw 799,728 births in 2022, the

Police in Peru made a surprise discovery when they searched a delivery man who came to their attention for acting drunk at an archaeological site in Puno. Inside his cooler bag was an ancient mummy. The man said that he had been sharing his room with the bandaged mummy and

Bola Tinubu, the politician long heralded as the “father of modern Lagos”, has won a tight race to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as the next president of Nigeria. Tinubu, “having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned

Rescue workers are in a desperate search for survivors after a head-on collision between two trains in central Greece killed dozens of people and injured scores. At least 29 people were killed and more than 85 injured when a passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a

The EU and UK want to put an end to more than a year of wrangling over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland. Will the new deal mend strained ties between Belfast, London and Brussels? The United Kingdom and the European Union have struck a new deal on post-Brexit