The Top Story

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis drops out of the U.S. Presidential election two days before the New Hampshire primary. A large explosion hits a gas export terminal in the Russian city of St Petersburg. The Group of 77 plus China summit in Uganda is looking to bolster South-South cooperation.

The U.S. launches a new round of strikes against Houthi anti-ship missiles aimed at the Red Sea. The UN chief expresses concerns over the escalation of border tensions between Iran and Pakistan. French officers ask for summer holiday leave, higher bonuses and social support during the Olympics.

Medicines will enter Gaza under a Qatar-brokered deal between Israel and Hamas. The United States conducts another round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. China will grant Ireland unilateral visa-free treatment.

Qatar and France have brokered a deal with Israel and Hamas to deliver aid and medication to Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The U.S. military has launched new strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. China's GDP grew 5.2 percent in 2023.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Top economists worry that the world's wealth gap could widen this year. And we take a look at Nauru which has decided to sever ties with the Taiwan region and recognize the People's Republic of China.

The 54th Annual Meeting of The World Economic Forum kicks off in Switzerland on Monday. The White House urges Israel to scale back its military operations in Gaza. And Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signs a plan on pushing forward the China-Egypt Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during his visit to Cairo.

The United States and the UK launch air and sea strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen. South Africa takes the Israel-Hamas conflict to the UN's top court. Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency after looting and rioting in the capital.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa says the country is "at war" with gang members. Israeli strikes intensify in southern and central Gaza. Passengers in Germany are facing train cancellations due to a strike by drivers.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared "internal armed conflict" following an escalation of violence in the country. The UN General Assembly debates the use of the veto by the United States in the Security Council. The new French prime minister says he sees his appointment as a symbol of confidence in young people.

United Airlines has found loose bolts on multiple grounded Boeing MAX 9 aircraft. Lebanon says an Israeli airstrike has killed an elite Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon. German farmers have begun a week-long protest against the government’s plan to phase out agricultural subsidies.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met leaders of Qatar and Jordan to discuss the future developments of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu is paying a state visit to China this week. A teacher in Portland has found the fuselage door plug that blew out of a Boeing aircraft during flight.

Seoul has ordered residents on two islands to evacuate after North Korean artillery fell in nearby waters. The Islamic State says its suicide bombers carried out the Kerman attacks in Iran. Newly unsealed documents in the Jeffery Epstein case feature some very prominent names.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warns that those behind the deadly twin blasts in Kerman will be identified and punished. Both Hezbollah and Israel indicate that they want to avoid the further spread of war beyond the Gaza Strip. Former U.S. president Donald Trump asks the Supreme Court to intervene after Colorado's top court disqualified him from the state's Republican primary ballot.

The death toll of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in central Japan has surpassed 60. The Hamas leader has called the killing of his deputy in Beirut a terrorist act. Former U.S. president Donald Trump has appealed Maine’s decision to disqualify him from the state’s primary ballot.

A man has stabbed South Korea’s main opposition leader. Dozens of people are dead following a magnitude-7.6 earthquake in Japan. Israel is planning to shift tactics and cut back on troop numbers in Gaza.

A massive earthquake triggers a tsunami warning for Japan. Rockets from Gaza set off sirens across central and southern Israel upon the arrival of the New Year. More than 70,000 people flock to Tian’anmen Square in Beijing to attend the first flag-raising ceremony of 2024.

The U.S. state of Maine has disqualified Donald Trump from its presidential primary. Israel says it made a mistake in one of its deadliest strikes on Gaza. The Danube River has burst its banks in Budapest.

A U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reached deals with Mexico over the migrant issue. Israel steps up attacks in both Gaza and the West Bank. Nigeria is investigating the village attacks that killed more than 160 people.

Israel's budget deficit looks set to triple next year as its war against Hamas may take several more months. Moscow and Kyiv dispute the outcome of a Ukrainian attack on a Russian warship. China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System keeps expanding as it marks five years of global service.

The Israeli Prime Minister vows to keep up fighting against Hamas while visiting troops in northern Gaza. Gunfire at a Colorado mall leaves one dead, three injured. Serbia and Russia say foreign influences are behind the protests in Belgrade against alleged election fraud.

An Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Gaza kills at least 70 people. China offers zero-tariff treatment to six least-developed African countries. There are calls for calm in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as vote counting continues following a presidential election.

The Czech Republic declares a day of national mourning for the victims in its worst mass-shooting ever. Ecuador's new President Daniel Noboa embarks on an economic overhaul. Relief efforts are underway for over 145,000 people affected by Monday's quake in northwest China.

The UN Security Council again postpones a vote on a resolution calling for a pause to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Democratic Republic of the Congo extends elections into Thursday following chaos at polling stations. The US enters uncharted legal territory after Colorado bans Donald Trump from running in the 2024 Republican primary.

Israel's President says his country is ready for another humanitarian ceasefire. Russia dismisses a new round of sanctions imposed by the European Union and retaliates with its own ban on EU personnel. China has completed search and rescue efforts in quake-hit Gansu province, and shifts to treating the injured and resettling the homeless.

Rescue efforts are underway after a deadly earthquake jolted northwest China's Gansu. Israel announces transition to the next phase of military operations and starts working on bringing back Gazan population. Texas is to arrest migrants crossing the border illegally.