WORLD

The strategically-placed Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives, which has borrowed heavily from China and shifted allegiance from India, is at high risk of "debt distress," the IMF warned Wednesday.

Thousands of supporters of former president Evo Morales who had blocked roads in Bolivia for the past two weeks over his disqualification from 2025 elections ended their demonstrations Tuesday after some of their political demands were met.

Russia fired dozens of missiles and drones at Ukraine on Wednesday in a "massive" early morning attack that killed at least four and injured more than a dozen, officials in Kyiv said.

Azerbaijani strongman Ilham Aliyev, who will likely sail to a fifth presidential term in Wednesday's election, is cementing his hardline rule after securing a historic victory over Armenian separatists.

At least 12 people were killed and 25 wounded Wednesday by a blast outside a poll candidate's office in southwestern Pakistan, officials said, on the eve of an election marred by violence and allegations of poll-rigging.

As dawn broke over Luang Prabang, saffron-robed monks trod the streets receiving alms -- but a cacophonous influx of camera-clutching tourists shattered the peace of the ancient Laotian town.

Rome's most majestic forum has recovered some of its former glory with a partial reconstruction of the imposing columns of Trajan's basilica -- using funds from a now-sanctioned Russian oligarch.

A crackdown on independent media and the absence of any real opposition add to the certainty of an easy win for Aliyev, whose troops recaptured the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in September.

No-one won the Republican Party primary in the US state of Nevada on Tuesday, with Nikki Haley defeated by "None of these candidates," an embarrassment in a vote in which she was all but unopposed.

The landslide struck Tuesday night in a mining village in Davao de Oro province on Mindanao island, trapping at least 20 people inside two buses used to transport mine workers, provincial disaster official Edward Macapili told AFP.

On Day 124 of the Israel-Hamas war, desperation is rising among the loved ones of hostages still in Hamas captivity after Israel confirmed that 31 hostages in Gaza are dead. Hamas has reportedly produced a counterproposal for an expansive ceasefire deal that will see all remaining hostages and the deceased captives' bodies freed over a period of more than four months.

US military action has so far failed to halt attacks by Iran-backed groups on Washington's forces in the Middle East and shipping in the Red Sea, with the threats persisting despite recent heavy air strikes.

Black clouds loom over grapevines in northern Israel on hills that stretch to the Lebanese border, where months of violence have raised fears of a wider war.

With his father King Charles III undergoing treatment for cancer and his wife recovering from surgery, Britain's Prince William will return to royal frontline duties on Wednesday.

Chile's former president Sebastian Pinera, a billionaire tycoon who twice held the South American nation's top job, died Tuesday in a helicopter crash, his office said in a statement.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders' hopes of forming a majority government were in tatters Tuesday as a key negotiating party abruptly withdrew over a row about the public finances.

Tucker Carlson, a conservative American talk show host close to former US president Donald Trump, said Tuesday he was in Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin.

From earthquakes to tsunamis and massive fires, Chile is prone to natural disasters -- but the firefighters called up to tackle them are all volunteers with day jobs, like architect Jorge Pena or insurance salesman Cristian Lobos.

EU member countries and lawmakers reached an agreement on Tuesday on the bloc's first rules to tackle violence against women, the European Parliament and officials said.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Congress will play into the Kremlin's hands if it fails to renew funding for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion -- and blamed Donald Trump for playing politics with US security.

EU states and lawmakers clinched a deal on Tuesday to expand Europe's clean tech production, from solar and wind to carbon capture, as the bloc faces off with China and the United States.

The death toll from a weekend inferno that razed hilltop neighborhoods in a coastal region of Chile rose to 131 on Tuesday, as forensic teams carried out the painstaking process of identifying the deceased.

In the heart of South America, Bolivia has a long-standing reputation as a nation rich in history and culture. Positioned advantageously thanks to its mineral richness, the country is looking to revitalize its once thriving mining industry.

The Philippine leader is confident that the country is "ready" for artificial intelligence, but in the crevices of the corporate world, there are concerns among employers regarding AI adoption.

Argentina's President Javier Milei delighted his Israeli hosts but upset Hamas on Tuesday by announcing moves to shift his country's embassy to Jerusalem, almost as soon as he touched down.

Donald Trump has no immunity from prosecution as a former president and can be tried on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

US lawmakers will vote Tuesday on impeaching Joe Biden's immigration chief over the border crisis, a hugely unusual maneuver seen by Democrats as a political provocation ahead of November's presidential election.

Oil prices climbed due to geopolitical tensions stemming from ongoing efforts to negotiate a Gaza truce and U.S. actions against Middle Eastern militants.

The Senegalese opposition on Tuesday denounced a "constitutional coup" after parliament voted to delay the presidential election by 10 months, plunging the normally stable country into its worst crisis in decades.