WORLD

On Day 131 of the Israel-Hamas war, explosions were reported in an Iranian natural gas pipeline. The Israel-Lebanon border, on the other hand, remains tense, with Hezbollah reiterating its commitment to fighting Israel.

North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles Wednesday, Seoul's military said, part of a string of weapons tests this year that have accompanied increasingly aggressive rhetoric from leader Kim Jong Un. So far this year, Kim has declared South Korea his country's "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will on Wednesday detail increased defence spending by members of the alliance, rattled after Donald Trump threatened to encourage Russia to attack countries paying too little.

Republicans impeached US President Joe Biden's immigration chief on Tuesday, the culmination of months of attacks on the Democratic administration as they seek to make border security a key issue in November's election.

Colombia's ELN rebel group announced on Tuesday it would lift restrictions it imposed on the movement of civilians, after being accused by the government that those actions were violating an ongoing ceasefire in place during peace talks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that he spoke with Paul Whelan, a former Marine detained in Russia, as he vowed sustained efforts to free him as well as jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich.

Israel's army Tuesday released a video it said was of Hamas's chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, filmed on October 10 with his family members in a tunnel in the Palestinian territory.

Haiti is on the verge of civil war, and if the international community does not intervene quickly, the Dominican Republic will seek to protect itself, its president warned at the United Nations Tuesday.

Pakistan's two main political parties that joined forces to oust Imran Khan as prime minister in 2022 said Tuesday they would form a new coalition to rule the country, after an election last week failed to produce a decisive winner.

Voters in suburban New York were choosing a congressman to replace scandal-plagued George Santos on Tuesday, with Democrats pouring cash into TV ads to try to take his seat from the Republicans in an election year.

Two of Pakistan's main political parties ruled out any alliances Tuesday after an indecisive election, raising the possibility of a minority government or weeks more of negotiation before a coalition is formed.

Russia declared Estonian leader Kaja Kallas and several other European officials as "wanted" on Tuesday over their alleged involvement in the destruction of Soviet-era war memorials.

Jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan ruled out an alliance with Pakistan's two largest political parties on Tuesday after his candidates took the most seats in last week's general election.

A Pakistan politician declared the winner of a provincial assembly seat in last week's election says he will cede to a rival because he believes the result was rigged.

Indian security forces fired tear gas Tuesday to stop thousands of farmers demanding minimum crop prices from marching on the capital New Delhi after talks with the government failed.

Japan's space agency on Tuesday postponed the launch of its next-generation rocket planned for this week due to expected bad weather, after two previous attempts ended in failure.

It's Day 130 of the war in Gaza, and South Africa has once again sought the ICJ's intervention, this time regarding overcrowded Rafah in southern Gaza. Red Sea attacks continue, but this time, an Iranian-bound merchant ship carrying corn from Brazil has been attacked by Yemeni Houthi rebels.

Israel faced growing international pressure on Tuesday to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, as it planned an incursion into the southern Gaza city Rafah where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.

Jailed former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is to be freed, the kingdom's justice minister said Tuesday, possibly as soon as the weekend -- just six months after returning from 15 years of self-imposed exile.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated Monday that the Republican-led chamber would not take up a bill likely to pass the Senate this week which would provide billions in additional aid to Ukraine.

The world's trade ministers could put the final touches to a historic fisheries deal when they meet in Abu Dhabi later this month, but other landmark agreements will likely prove more elusive.

Shielded by the jungle for hundreds of years, the remains of a massive 2,500-year-old network of Ecuadoran cities are being threatened by road and farm encroachment just as its long-held secrets are being revealed, researchers say.

Majida has been working from a central Damascus cafe almost every day for a year, depending on it for reliable electricity and wifi in a country plagued by debilitating power cuts.

Former US president Donald Trump defended his record on NATO Monday, saying he had made it "strong" after sparking a firestorm of criticism over comments downplaying his commitment to the alliance.

Donald Trump on Monday appealed to the US Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling that had denied his claim to immunity for alleged crimes while he was president.

Jordan's King Abdullah II appealed for a full ceasefire to end the war in Gaza after talks with Joe Biden, striking a discordant note with the US president who is seeking a shorter six-week pause to allow Israel time to defeat Hamas.

The human cost of the war in Ukraine, two years after the Russian invasion, is in the hundreds of thousands, but the exact toll is unknown, with both sides shrouding their losses in secrecy, and Russia covering up civilian deaths in areas it has conquered.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday discussed ramping up security cooperation in Europe with the leaders of Germany and France, as fears grow that Donald Trump's possible return to the White House might threaten Western solidarity against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Israel's rejection of Hamas' ceasefire proposal and its commitment to continue attacks in Rafah influenced last week's rise in oil prices.