A Malaysian high court will decide whether to convict Najib of four more charges of corruption and 21 counts of money laundering involving the illegal transfer of about US$539 million from 1MDB.

The third phase of voting will be held in 63 townships, the ruling junta announced in a state-run media outlet, although dates for the counting of votes have not yet been declared.

Six parties are competing nationwide, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party that is tipped to win the polls, creating conditions for members of the junta regime to take a civilian role.

The New South Wales state parliament passed the terrorism and other legislation amendment bill early morning after the upper house approved the bill by 18 votes to eight.

The latest release of Epstein files includes around 30,000 pages of documents, with many redactions, and dozens of video clips, including several purporting to be shot inside a federal detention center.

The State Department declined to provide a list of the diplomats being recalled. A senior department official said on Monday the move was "a standard process in any administration" but critics said that was not so.

Only one of five judges on the Supreme Court panel voted not to convict Bolsonaro.

"I don't rule it out, no," he told NBC News in a phone interview.

The condemnation is a response to Israel's decision to green-light new settlements, which is said to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

They are believed to be among three crew members reported missing after the vessel sank on December 14 in choppy waters, some 100 kilometres north of the city of Porto.

The protests in the capital Sofia and several other towns and cities across the Black Sea nation are the latest in a series of rolling demonstrations and come as Bulgaria prepares to adopt the euro on Jan. 1.

This year's prize represented a "gross misappropriation" of funds and the "facilitation of war crimes" under Swedish law, according to the complaint posted by WikiLeaks on social media.

Rubio acknowledged difficulties in achieving peace in Gaza, saying that the ceasefire that went into effect in October with the release of hostages amounted to a "miracle."