An intercom blares out on the crowded cruise, sending Chinese tourists racing to the upper decks for a glimpse of what they've all come to see: democratic, self-ruled Taiwan.
South Africa on Thursday accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, saying that even the October 7 Hamas attack could not justify such alleged actions.
Two Russian missiles struck a hotel in Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, injuring 13 people including foreign journalists, local authorities said Thursday.
On Day 97 of the war in Gaza, the first day of the high-stakes hearing at The Hague for South Africa's case against Israel has ended amid continuing battles between Israeli troops and Hamas in the central and southern Gaza Strip.
China warned Taiwan's voters Thursday to make the correct choice in the island's weekend elections, describing the presidential frontrunner as a "severe danger" who would threaten peace by following the "evil path" of independence.
The UK government on Thursday announced plans for what it said was the country's "biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years to bolster its energy independence and meet carbon emission targets.
Israel bombarded the southern Gaza Strip overnight, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to travel to Egypt on Thursday for more talks aimed at containing Israel's war against Hamas.
Papua New Guinea's prime minister pledged to crack down on "lawlessness" Thursday, after 15 people died in riots across the country's two largest cities.
Denmark's popular Australian-born Crown Princess Mary will cap a real-life fairytale Sunday when she becomes queen after her husband Crown Prince Frederik accedes to the throne.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina takes her fifth oath of office on Thursday, solidifying her dominance of national politics and underscoring her lack of a clear successor.
Taiwan's election had long loomed for US policymakers who feared a showdown with China.
Brunei's polo-playing Prince Abdul Mateen, one of Asia's most eligible bachelors, is set to marry his commoner fiancee on Thursday as part of a lavish 10-day celebration in the oil-rich sultanate.
Walking fast, with their eyes alert and voices low, a few Ecuadorans flitted about fearfully Wednesday on city streets all but deserted amid an escalating conflict between the armed forces and violent drug gangs.
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday said he was shocked over the arrest of a former interior minister and his aide in a high-profile case that saw one of the detained men launch a hunger strike.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday suffered a setback in the first key parliamentary vote of the new legislature, highlighting the extreme fragility of the parliamentary alliances that returned him to office in November.
At the age of 36, Ecuador's fresh-faced new President Daniel Noboa has been thrust into a full-scale confrontation with narco gangs terrorizing the South American nation in a bloody battle for supremacy.
Greece will legalise marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, the prime minister said on Wednesday, but gave no timeframe on the sensitive issue in the staunchly Orthodox Christian state.
The United Nations raised the alarm on Wednesday over increasing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, blamed by Western countries on Houthi rebels, and the risk of escalation in the region.
Authorities in the Russian border city of Belgorod began evacuating hundreds of children Wednesday after weeks of deadly shelling from Ukrainian forces.
By appointing Gabriel Attal prime minister, President Emmanuel Macron is betting on the youth and dynamism of the 34-year-old to beat the far-right in European elections but also shape a future after 2027 when he must step aside.
A Taliban official has said several girls and women were detained recently in Kabul for not covering themselves properly, after reports circulated of a crackdown in the Afghan capital.
The global unemployment rate will increase slightly in 2024, the United Nations said Wednesday as it raised concerns about stagnant productivity, worsening inequalities and inflation biting into disposable income.
European and Asian stock markets diverged on Wednesday, the eve of key US inflation data and the latest earnings season.
French investigators have opened a rape probe into actor and film director Samuel Theis, the star of the Golden Globe-winning film "Anatomy of a Fall".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Lithuania on Wednesday on an unannounced visit to staunch Baltic allies as he seeks to bolster wavering support among other Western backers.
Nationwide strikes brought German transport to a standstill Wednesday, with railway workers on a three-day stoppage while farmers on tractors blocked autobahns in a bitter protest over subsidy cuts.
France's new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was on Wednesday choosing his cabinet team after his stunning promotion by President Emmanuel Macron to become the youngest French head of government.
Israel kept bombing Gaza on Wednesday as US top diplomat Antony Blinken met the head of the Palestinian Authority, which Washington hopes could govern the coastal territory after the war ends.
Bhutanese voters have elected Tshering Tobgay to become prime minister for a second time after his party won nearly two-thirds of seats, the election commission said in results released Wednesday.
The recent stabbing of South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was meticulously planned by a well-prepared assailant who wanted to prevent the politician from becoming president, police said Wednesday.
