The king of New Zealand's Indigenous Maori people died Friday while recovering from heart surgery at age 69, with aides saying he had "passed to the great beyond". King Tuheitia passed away peacefully surrounded by family, a spokesperson said, just days after celebrating

Namibia plans to cull 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, and to distribute the meat to people struggling to feed themselves because of a severe drought across southern Africa, the environment ministry said. The cull will take place in parks and communal areas where authorities

Intense monsoon rains and floods in India’s Gujarat state killed at least 28 people in the past three days, some drowning and others hit by falling trees, government officials said. The weather department warned more heavy rain is expected on Thursday in the western coastal

Heavy flooding caused by torrential rains in Yemen overnight has destroyed homes and left at least 24 people missing, authorities said on Wednesday. The floods in Al-Mahwit, a province west of the capital Sanaa controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, triggered landslides that swept

Police in India fired teargas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters marching in the eastern city of Kolkata on Tuesday to demand the resignation of a top state minister in the wake of a gruesome rape and murder of a female trainee doctor. Protesters led by university

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said they were hoping for productive talks as they met in Beijing on Tuesday. After arriving at the Chinese capital, the top US diplomat said that he looked forward to “a very productive round of

At least 132 people have died in Sudan as a result of flooding and heavy rains this year, the health ministry said on Monday. The country has experienced an intense rainy season since last month, with intermittent torrential flooding mainly in the country's north and east.

Turkish defence firms Aselsan and Roketsan have signed strategic agreements for defence industry transfers with Indonesia under the leadership of Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) in Jakarta. Turkish defence firm representatives and Indonesian President-elect

DRCongo authorities on Monday expressed regret over an assault on three French diplomats in the capital Kinshasa, government and diplomatic sources told AFP. Police officers were among a group that raided a site used by the French embassy in a bid to “oust a French

Gunmen have killed at least 22 people in south-west Pakistan after forcing them out of their vehicles and checking their identity, officials say. The attack happened overnight on a highway in Balochistan province, where security forces are battling sectarian, ethnic and separatist

China’s military has stepped up army and police patrols along its western border with Myanmar amid deepening conflict between the military regime and armed groups opposed to its coup. The patrols, which also involve air surveillance, will focus on the towns of Ruili, Zhenkang and

Israel has said it carried out a wave of pre-emptive strikes across southern Lebanon to thwart a large-scale rocket and drone attack by Hezbollah. Jets destroyed thousands of the Iran-backed armed group’s rocket launchers on Sunday morning, Israel's military said. Hezbollah

Two separate bus accidents hours apart in Pakistan on Sunday left at least 35 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said. The first happened when a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims returning from Iraq through Iran fell from a highway into a ravine in southwest Pakistan,

The Israeli military says its warplanes are hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after detecting moves to fire missiles and rockets into Israel. "In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is striking terror targets," IDF spokesman Daniel

The United States has announced a new round of military assistance to Ukraine, following a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden. The Pentagon stated on Friday that the latest aid package would be worth $125m, and Biden said that it would

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid a historic visit to Ukraine, telling President Volodymyr Zelensky he is prepared to play a personal role to bring peace. The Indian leader was criticised by President Zelensky last month when he hugged Russia's President Vladimir Putin

Three people have been killed and another four seriously injured in a knife attack in the western German city of Solingen, police say. The attack happened during a festival in the city centre on Friday evening. The attacker is reported to be still at large. Bild website says a man

A bus carrying Indian tourists plunged off a Nepali highway and into a river on Friday, killing 27 people and injuring another 16. Deadly crashes are relatively common in the Himalayan republic as a result of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. The bus was

The second-largest diamond ever found - a rough 2,492-carat stone - has been unearthed in Botswana at a mine owned by Canadian firm Lucara Diamond. It is the biggest find since the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905 and cut into nine separate stones, many of

A bus with at least 40 people on board plunged off a Nepalese highway and into a river on Friday, police said, with most passengers rescued but the search still on for more survivors. The bus was travelling from the tourist city of Pokhara to the capital Kathmandu when the accident