World

Parents of missing youths issued pleas for news of their loved ones as foreign embassies scrambled to work out if their nationals were among those caught up in one of the worst tragedies to befall…

Relations between China and Japan hit the lowest point in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.

The fire at the upscale Alpine ski resort has been described by officials as one of the worst tragedies Switzerland has experienced.

Many of those who stood, motionless, overlooking the scene of the tragedy, knew people who remain unaccounted for, or were badly injured.

He has taken over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with US President Donald Trump. Video

It is the latest of a series of attacks on small-scale gold miners in the Andean nation.

Horrified bystanders described "panic" as people tried to break through the windows of the bar to escape, and others, covered in burns, poured into the street.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported that three protesters were killed and 17 injured during an attack on a police station in Iran's western province of Lorestan.

Police did not give an exact figure for those killed and injured, or further details on the cause of the fire, in an area known for high-end holiday resorts.

Mamdani was a trailblazing candidate and is expected by many in his city of 8 million to be a disruptive mayor.

The US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Wednesday released 255 pages of transcript from Smith's testimony in mid-December.

In a statement, the US military's Southern Command said the military had carried out a strike against three vessels.

But the most important issues are still unsolved, the president cautions.

US President Donald Trump took the opportunity to bash France, too.

Donald Trump joked about quitting as US president if his hosting of the annual Kennedy Center awards went well.

The exercises saw China fire dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deploy a large number of warships and aircraft near the island, in a show of force that drew concern from allies.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi says the footage is "laughable" and that Kyiv is "absolutely confident that no such attack took place".

The assault was first reported in September, but had not previously been confirmed by Buckingham Palace.

In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the joy usually felt at the start of a new year was "tempered by the sadness of the old".

Other countries are warning of a renewed 'catastrophic' humanitarian crisis.