The deadliest fire in Hong Kong in decades is putting pressure on Beijing’s governance system in the city.

U.S. Southern Command says it has conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, following a pause of almost three weeks.

Police in New Zealand have recovered a stolen James Bond-inspired pendant from a suspect's gastrointestinal tract.

The Red Sea International Film Festival has opened its fifth edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. Treasury has imposed a $7 million fine on a New York property management firm for allegedly violating Russia-related sanctions.

In the Ecuadorian Andes, young Otavalo Indigenous people are using anime to inspire pride in their culture and language.

Creative director Dario Vitale is leaving Italian fashion brand Versace only eight months after he was appointed, the company said in a statement Thursday.

The bean counters might say otherwise, but 2025 was a good year for movies.

An Israeli police officer killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the country's war with Hamas is the last hostage whose remains are still in Gaza.

The Trump administration has signed the first in what are expected to be dozens of “America First” global health agreements that prioritize combating infectious diseases in countries deemed to be aligned with the president’s broader foreign policy goals.

Italian prosecutors have asked 13 high-end fashion firms to provide documents on governance, internal controls and audits.

Theodor Pištěk, a Czech costume and stage designer, has died at 93.

The foreign minister in Afghanistan's Taliban-run government says that the actions of an Afghan national charged in the shooting of two U.S. National Guard members in Washington last week should not reflect on all the people of Afghanistan.

Russian authorities say they have imposed restrictions on Apple's video calling service FaceTime, alleging it was being used for organizing what it called “terrorist activities.”.

President Donald Trump will be taking center stage at the World Cup draw as he rolls out the welcome mat for teams and fans from around the globe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting India to strengthen economic and bilateral ties.

A law enforcement officials says the FBI has made an arrest in its nearly 5-year-old investigation into who placed pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Britain has sanctioned Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency and summoned Moscow’s ambassador after an inquiry concluded that President Vladimir Putin was responsible for a nerve agent attack on British soil in 2018.

A Lithuanian court has convicted the leader of one of the parties in the country’s coalition government for making antisemitic comments and fined him 5,000 euros or about $5,800.

The Olympic flame for the Milan Cortina Winter Games has landed in Rome following a handover in Greece.

London’s Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square is a famed British tradition with roots in the Norwegian forest.

Britain and Norway have announced joint naval patrols to protect undersea cables from Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin.

President Donald Trump praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for their courage as they signed onto a deal aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo.

At least four countries have announced they are pulling out of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

China and France have pledged deeper cooperation to address global issues like the war in Ukraine and trade.

A baby seal has caused chaos by wandering into a bar in Richmond, New Zealand.

Israeli and Thai officials say remains that militants in Gaza handed to Israel were those of a Thai agricultural worker killed during the attack that started the war two years ago.

The U.S. stock market held near its records in a quiet day of trading.

American zoologist Laurie Marker has been collecting and storing specimens in a cheetah sperm bank in Namibia for 35 years, hoping conservationists never have to use them.

Honduras' former President Juan Orlando Hernández has thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for pardoning him in his first message after leaving prison.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has won the catchphrase of the year for her pledge to “work, work, work, work and work” for the country.

The Trump administration has renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after President Donald Trump and planted the president’s name on the organization’s headquarters despite an ongoing fight over the institute’s control.

The United States has inaugurated a massive new consulate compound in Irbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region.

The Pentagon knew there were survivors after a September attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. military still carried out a follow-up strike.

Talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives.

A new study suggests a single HPV vaccination appears just as effective as two doses at preventing the viral infection that causes cervical cancer.

The family of a Colombian man has filed a formal challenge to U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats.

A man alleged to be the founder and leader of a Haitian gang has been sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the kidnapping of 17 people, including five children, who were on a missionary trip to the Caribbean country.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on alleged affiliates of the Tren de Aragua gang.

The Pentagon’s watchdog has found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen.

Exclusive drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows a devastated Ukrainian town nearly encircled by Russian forces near the city that Moscow this week claimed to now control.

Lebanon’s prime minister says his country is “far from” diplomatic normalization or economic relations with Israel.

Chile has passed a bill outlawing the use of mobile phones and other smart devices during classes at elementary and middle schools.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released 11 mariners held since a July attack on the ship Eternity C in the Red Sea, an assault that killed four on board and sank the vessel.

Decorated Native American veteran Charles Shay has died at age 101 in France.

Researchers who examined climate change’s potential effect on the global economy say data errors led them to slightly overstate an expected drop in income over the next 25 years.

The Pentagon’s watchdog has found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen.

Spotify Wrapped is here.

A resistance group in Myanmar has reportedly detained a candidate for the election scheduled for later this month.

The death toll from a high-rise apartment fire in Hong Kong has risen to 159.

Iran’s currency has hit a new low of 1.2 million to a U.S. dollar.

India’s telecoms ministry has rolled back its order for smartphone manufacturers to preinstall a government-run cybersecurity app on new devices.

Airbus is expecting to deliver fewer planes this year due to an issue with fuselage panels on some A320 planes.

Ukraine and its European allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of feigning interest in peace efforts after five hours of talks with U.S. envoys at the Kremlin produced no breakthrough.

The European Union has unveiled a plan to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine over the next two years.

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 remains a mystery more than a decade later.

Police in New Zealand are monitoring a man accused of swallowing a $19,000 pendant with the intention of smuggling it out of a jewelry store.

Australia is set to enforce its age limit for social media accounts starting next week, and the platforms must provide monthly reports on how many children's accounts they have closed or face fines.

Rescue teams are racing to reach communities isolated by last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as over 900 people remained missing.

Israel says it launched an airstrike in southern Gaza in retaliation for an attack by militants earlier in the day that wounded five Israeli soldiers.

U.S. stocks rose near their record levels.

Britain’s King Charles III and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier put on a show of Anglo-Saxon unity Wednesday as their countries expand cooperation to fend off threats to European security, combat climate change and bolster economic growth.

Southeast Asia has been hit by unusually severe floods this year, with late storms killing more than 1,400 people and leaving hundreds missing across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Amnesty International has accused Sudan's Rapid Support Forces of committing war crimes in Darfur.

The Trump administration is pausing immigration applications, including green cards, for people from 19 countries previously banned from travel.

Malaysia's transport ministry has announced that a private firm will resume the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 later this month.

French President Emmanuel Macron has landed in Beijing for a three-day visit to China focused on trade talks and global crises.

Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the darkest spots on Earth, a crown jewel for astronomers who flock to study the origins of the universe in this inhospitable desert along the Pacific coast.

Dua Lipa has opened a pop-up taqueria in Mexico City called La Dua, offering a unique culinary experience for her fans.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the U.S., saying residents of the war-ravaged eastern African country are too reliant on U.S. social safety net and add little to the United States.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is citing the “fog of war” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in early September.

Dressed in traditional Palestinian prints and a suit, Eman Hassan Lawwa and Hikmat Lawwa walked hand-in-hand past the crumbled buildings of southern Gaza in a line of couples dressed exactly the same as them.

Costco is joining other companies that aren’t waiting to see whether the Supreme Court strikes down President Donald Trump’s most sweeping import taxes.

A rare Fabergé egg crafted for Russia’s ruling family before the revolution has sold for more $30 million.

Authorities have charged a Texas man with making threats online after they say a video showing him threatening to build a bomb and conduct a suicide attack was posted to TikTok and other social media sites.

Pope Leo XIV has shared his thoughts during the conclave that elected him, saying he resigned himself to the inevitable and put the rest in God’s hands.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte brushed off fresh concern about the United States’ commitment to the military organization on the eve of a meeting of allied foreign ministers focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The publishing world's notable releases this year included a new “Hunger Games” novel and a book by Thomas Pynchon.

U.S.-operated flights returning deported migrants to Venezuela will continue despite President Donald Trump’s assertion to consider the country’s airspace closed.

The wife of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández says he has been released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday over a peace plan to end the war with Ukraine.

Haiti’s transitional presidential council has adopted an electoral law in the latest step toward holding a general election for the first time in nearly a decade.

A long-running investigation into the 1989 Hillsborough stadium soccer tragedy has found that 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings for their failings during and after Britain’s worst sports disaster.

The Prada Group has officially purchased Milan fashion rival Versace for $1.375 billion.

Talks between Russia and the U.S. on ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were constructive, but much work remains.

Bulgaria’s government has withdrawn a controversial budget proposal after protests erupted into clashes with police.

Uncomfortable questions are being raised over who is to blame for Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades.

Israel says it has received remains handed over by Palestinian militants in Gaza to the Red Cross.

Emergency crews are racing to reach survivors and recover bodies after catastrophic floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

Palestinians in the West Bank are living in fear of more attacks by armed Israeli settlers.

A new report by the United Nations Development Program is urging governments to focus more on how artificial intelligence technologies might affect people already disadvantaged in a data-driven world.

India’s telecoms ministry has ordered smartphone manufacturers to install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices.

Conservationists are hoping to strengthen regulations at a wildlife trade conference on birds, reptiles and other animals that are seeing their numbers decline due to the exotic pet trade.

Pope Leo XIV has offered a silent prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion as he wrapped up his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon.

Pope Leo XIV has prayed at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, urging justice for the 218 victims.

The U.S. stock market held steadier as both bond yields and bitcoin stabilized.

Hong Kong is setting up an independent committee to investigate a deadly fire that burned seven apartment buildings and killed at least 156 people.

The world economy has proven surprisingly durable in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday, upgrading its outlook for global and U.S. economic growth this year.

For travelers from the United States and Israel, visiting Bolivia has just become a little easier.