WORLD

Most of the detainees were arrested in protests that followed Maduro's July election for a third consecutive six-year term, with his victory declared by state authorities seen as loyal to him. The opposition claimed the vote was fraudulent.

The move is sure to bring about fresh scrutiny over the independence of the US judicial system -- especially at a time when incoming president Donald Trump has moved to appoint loyalists to the FBI and Justice Department himself.

Pelosi's long-standing support for Taiwan has infuriated China, which responded to her visit to Taipei in 2022 with massive military drills around the island.

Speaking in Beijing, she said the over 1,000-day war was impacting the whole world and condemned the battlefield role of North Korean troops in Ukraine and the use of Chinese-made drones.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia and Iran, both of which have confirmed they will help his army fight back after Aleppo, the country's second city, fell out of government control.

The United Nations' top court will start unprecedented hearings on Monday aimed at setting legal guidelines for how countries should protect the planet against climate change and help vulnerable nations combat its devastating impact.

The UFA 490 submarine was spotted 148 kilometers (92 miles) west of Cape Calavite on Thursday, the Philippine military said.

Those going to the December 10 ceremony will include group co-chair Terumi Tanaka, 92, who witnessed the 1945 Nagasaki bombing as a child, as well as other survivors and their children.

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October 26 parliamentary elections that the pro-European opposition said were fraudulent.

President Joe Biden on Thursday warned against damaging relations with Canada and Mexico, after Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on both US neighbors when he takes office in January.

Landslides that hit several villages in eastern Uganda killed 15 people and left more than 100 unaccounted for, police said Thursday.

A US offer to give Ukraine anti-personnel mines to help battle Russia's invasion has thrown a landmark global anti-landmine treaty into "crisis", campaigners said Friday, urging Kyiv to snub the proposal.

Taiwan said Friday it detected 41 Chinese military aircraft and ships around the island ahead of a Hawaii stopover by President Lai Ching-te, part of a Pacific tour that has sparked fury in Beijing.

Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies shelled Syria's second city Aleppo on Friday, in a major offensive against government troops that has sparked some of the deadliest fighting the country has seen in years.

World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was reappointed Friday for a second term, in the shadow of the coming return of Donald Trump and his disdain for international trade rules.

Lebanon's military deployed troops and tanks across the country's south on Thursday as a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war largely held for a second day.

Air pollution caused by fires is linked to more than 1.5 million deaths a year worldwide, the vast majority occurring in developing countries, a major new study said on Thursday.

Russia's army on Thursday launched a massive attack on Ukraine's energy sector, forcing emergency power outages as temperatures dropped to freezing across the country.

Namibians were still voting early Thursday, hours after polls were scheduled to close in a presidential and legislative election set to test the ruling party's 34-year grip on power in the southern African nation.

Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing could be hit with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, years after he led a deadly campaign against the Rohingya minority.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday slammed a "despicable escalation" by Russia as he accused its military of firing cluster munitions on Ukraine's energy grid in a massive overnight attack.

A Syria war monitor on Thursday said clashes between the army and jihadists killed more than 130 combatants in the worst fighting in the country's northwest in years, as the government also reported fierce battles.

Iran is set to meet with Britain, France and Germany for talks Friday on its nuclear programme after the three governments joined with the United States to have Tehran censured by the UN atomic watchdog.

World leaders have welcomed a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which came into force on Wednesday morning (0200 GMT).

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Wednesday that Europe has "no time to waste" to boost its defences and competitiveness, as European lawmakers prepared to approve her new executive team to start work.

The coming year will put incoming US President Donald Trump's geopolitical strategies to the test, as wars rage in the Middle East and Ukraine and tensions rise in Asia.

Washington's decision to give anti-personnel mines to Ukraine is the biggest blow yet to a landmark anti-mine treaty, its signatories said during a meeting.

Namibia's vice president was among the first to vote in elections Wednesday that could see her become the desert nation's first woman leader, even as her ruling SWAPO party faces the strongest challenge yet to its 34-year grip on power.

Spanish traveller Alberto Blasco Ventas looked out at Ukraine's destroyed Irpin brige, blown up to stop Russian troops in 2022 and now a hotspot for thrill-seeking tourists visiting the country.