Scammers working from hubs across Southeast Asia, some willingly and others trafficked, lure internet users around the world into fake romances and cryptocurrency investments, netting tens of billions of dollars each year.

Islamabad has held talks with 13 countries, six to eight of which are in an advanced stage, for deals involving JF-17 jets made jointly with China as well as training aircraft, drones, and weapons systems, said three Pakistani sources who have knowledge of defence sales.

"The proposed sale will improve Singapore's capability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible maritime force capable of deterring adversaries," the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.

Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military staged a coup against a civilian government in 2021. 

Federal officers have killed two US citizens in the city this month - among them ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday - during clashes with protesters angered by the administration’s sweeping enforcement surge.

Americans stripped supermarket shelves Friday ahead of potentially "catastrophic" winter weather that threatened at least 160 million people across the country with transportation chaos, blackouts and life-threatening cold.

President Donald Trump gave notice that the US would quit the organization on the first day of his presidency in 2025, via an executive order. Under US law, it has to give one-year notice and pay all outstanding fees before departure.

Delcy Rodriguez would be the first sitting Venezuelan president to visit the United States in more than a quarter century -- aside from presidents attending United Nations meetings in New York.

While regional Middle East powers including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as major emerging nations such as Indonesia, have joined the board, global powers and traditional Western US allies have been more cautious.

"He was invited, he's accepted. Many people have accepted," Trump told reporters in Davos, Switzerland, referring to his so-far vaguely defined grouping of world leaders.

Demonstrations initially sparked by economic grievances turned into a movement against the theocracy that has ruled Iran since 1979.

The statement added that each country will sign accession documents in accordance with its legal procedures.

While some traditional allies of the US have responded cautiously, and in a few cases have rejected Trump's offer, other nations have accepted an invitation to join the Washington-led Gaza reconstruction efforts.