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US President Donald Trump said a deal to halt the Ukraine war was "very close" Wednesday but hit out at Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky over his refusal to formally cede Crimea to Russia.

A former top minister and once-ally publicly accused Colombia's president of being a drug addict Wednesday, a charge leftist Gustavo Petro has frequently denied.

Hamas' armed wing released a video on Wednesday showing an Israeli-Hungarian hostage alive in Gaza, speaking in Hebrew and walking through a tunnel.

Keen to end its reliance on rice imports, Indonesia wants to plant vast tracts of the crop, along with sugar cane for biofuel.

US, Ukrainian and European officials will meet in London about ending Russia's war in Ukraine after warnings by US President Donald Trump that Washington could walk away if there is no progress on a deal soon.

No one knows who the world's Catholic cardinals will choose to succeed Pope Francis as the new leader of the global Catholic Church. But for those watching attentively, there are sometimes hints about who might emerge.

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 shook Istanbul, Turkey's AFAD disaster agency said.

The EU on Wednesday slapped Apple and Meta with 700 million euros in fines for breaking digital competition rules, risking the wrath of US President Donald Trump.

Gaza's civil defence agency said its crew recovered charred bodies from a school-turned-shelter for displaced people, as Israeli strikes killed 17 people in the Hamas-run territory.

Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt after gunmen opened fire on tourists, slaughtering 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Chinese citizens are helping to produce drones at a facility in Russia and suggested that Moscow may have "stolen" drone technology from Beijing.

A delegation of Democratic lawmakers visited El Salvador in a new push to secure the release of a wrongly deported US resident at the centre of a mounting political row.

The Trump administration is proposing an overhaul of the US State Department that would eliminate more than 100 offices including some working on war crimes and rights advocacy to ensure Washington's premier diplomatic agency aligns with President Donald Trump's "America First" priorities.

Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said they would attend to honour the Catholic leader.

Just three days ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's official working visit to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, President Cyril Ramaphosa engaged in a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir opened fire on a group of tourists on Tuesday, with the chief minister saying the "inhuman" attack was one of the worst targeting civilians for years.

Israel's spy chief has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to fire him for his refusal to commit illegal acts aimed at protecting the leader's personal and political interests.

Former Australian Test opener Michael Slater received a suspended four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to a raft of domestic violence charges, local media reported.

Over 100 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement opposing the Trump administration's treatment of higher education institutions.

From responding to weather disasters to rising competition in the fast-warming Arctic, militaries are exposed to climate change and cannot let it become a strategic "blind spot", security experts say.