Eight civilians, including a child, were killed Monday during exchanges of fire between the army and rebels in northwestern Syria, with 19 others wounded, a war monitor said. The fighting pitted the army of Syrian President Bashar Assad against Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist

At least 24 people have been confirmed dead in the powerful earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in central Japan on New Year's Day as more reports of damage came in and rescuers raced to find survivors on Tuesday. The magnitude-7.6 quake caused extensive

Australian-born investigative journalist and documentary maker John Pilger, known for his support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his coverage of the aftermath of Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia and the Thalidomide scandal, has died in London, his family said Sunday. Pilger,

A massive earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 has hit Ishikawa in central Japan, triggering a tsunami warning and advisories for residents to evacuate and prepare for possible aftershocks. A tsunami around 1 metre high (3.3 feet) struck parts of the west coast along the Sea

President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised a sharp increase in the amount of weapons Ukraine produces next year. In his new year's message, Mr Zelensky repeated his pledge that at least a million drones would be built. There was more fighting overnight into New Year's Day

The Israeli military has said it expects the conflict in Gaza to continue throughout 2024. In a new year's message, Israel Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said troop deployments were being adjusted to prepare for "prolonged fighting". He said some troops -

The White House said Sunday it is not seeking a wider conflict in the Middle East after US helicopters sank three Houthi boats in the Red Sea after coming under fire. The helicopters sank the boats and killed those aboard, marking the first time since tensions broke out earlier this

In a surprise move Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has announced she will abdicate her role early in 2024, after a reign lasting more than five decades. Margrethe, 83, will hand over the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik, she said in her traditional New Year’s Eve

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his annual New Year's Eve address, reiterated his claim that Taiwan would "surely be reunified" with China. His message comes ahead of Taiwan's crucial 13 January elections that will determine the island's cross-strait policy for

A total of 42,851 people have died from gun-related events in the U.S. this year, including 18,761 who died by homicide, murder or an unintentional shooting, plus another 24,090 who died by suicide. The October 25 mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, is the deadliest shooting of the year

Jubilant crowds will bid farewell to the hottest year on record Sunday, closing a turbulent 12 months marked by clever chatbots, climate crises and wrenching wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The world’s population — now over eight billion — will see out the old and usher in

Many displaced Gazans are living "in the open, in the parks," Juliette Touma of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said. According to the UN's humanitarian office (OCHA), at least 100,000 people have fled to Rafah - which borders Egypt in Gaza's

UN peacekeepers are finishing their withdrawal from Mali on Sunday, after a long-running mission lasting a decade. Minusma - the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission - began in 2013 after an armed rebellion, but has been asked to leave by the country's ruling military

Ukraine is again under attack by Russian drones, officials say, after two days of major aerial assaults by both sides. There are reports of explosions in Kyiv and Kharkiv, where the mayor said residential buildings were on fire. Moscow has been retaliating against Ukrainian strikes

The Centre, the Assam government and a key faction of Assam’s oldest insurgent group signed a tripartite peace agreement on Friday, with Union home minister Amit Shah describing the pact as a watershed that will end decades of violence in the restive northeastern state and usher in

At least 30 people have been killed in what Ukraine says is Russia's biggest missile bombardment of the war so far. More than 160 people were injured as Russia hit Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Lviv in the early hours of Friday morning. Russia "used nearly every

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths says “attack on humanitarian workers are unlawful” after UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) said Israelis opened fire on aid convoy travelling on an authorised route. South Africa has initiated war crimes proceedings

South Africa has filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza after nearly three months of relentless Israeli bombardment has killed more than 21,500 people and caused widespread destruction in the

Across the Middle East, Gaza's deadliest-ever war is casting a shadow over the countdown to the New Year.  It follows muted Christmas celebrations among Christian communities across the occupied Palestinian territories, southern Lebanon and Syria. Authorities in Sharjah,

A plane crash in Nepal that killed 72 people, including two infants, was most probably the result of its pilots mistakenly cutting the power, said a report by government-appointed investigators. This caused a loss of thrust that led to an "aerodynamic stall". The Yeti