Xi's invitation to Lee for a state visit from Sunday is a calculated move aimed at deepening bilateral relations especially before the South Korean leader visits Japan, analysts say.

In a speech following his public swearing-in, Mamdani promoted core campaign promises of universal childcare, affordable rents and free bus service.

South Korea's spy agency said last year Kim Ju Ae was now understood to be next in line to rule North Korea after accompanying her father on a high-profile visit to Beijing.

The Cambodian Ministry of Interior reported that 5,192 displaced persons returned home during the latest reporting period, but large populations remain in temporary shelters or host communities, particularly in Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te says 2026 a crucial year for Taiwan, while Chinese President Xi Jinping says 'reunification' cannot be stopped

The press group voiced particular alarm over the situation in the Palestinian territories, where it recorded 56 media professionals killed in 2025 as Israel's war with Hamas ground on in Gaza.

"Our campaign was built around listening to the people of New York, and we will govern in the same way. Tomorrow, we get to work," Mamdani says.

In Indonesia, major cities like Jakarta and Denpasar in Bali opted for muted celebrations in honor of the 1,154 people killed and nearly 400,000 displaced in the Sumatra floods and landslides.

But some areas that are priorities for the UN, including Yemen, Afghanistan and Gaza, will not be receiving US funding under the new mechanism, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said.

Saturday's pact will not impact any border demarcation activities under way between both countries, leaving the task of resolving disputed areas along the frontier to existing bilateral mechanisms.

Following the initial phase on Sunday, two rounds of voting will be held on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, covering 265 of Myanmar's 330 townships.

Territorial issues remain a hurdle to negotiations moving forward, as the Ukrainian president saying any compromises on territory should be decided by the Ukrainian people in a potential referendum.

The requested 10-year sentence was the first jail term sought by special prosecutors over the multiple charges Yoon faces.

Ravaged by more than two years of war, the Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza's Nuseirat district cares for around 60 in-patients and receives nearly 1,000 people seeking medical treatment each day.

Sequerah convicted the 72-year-old former leader on all four counts of abuse of power as well as all 21 counts of money laundering, involving around 2.28 billion ringgit (US$554 million) from the fund.

The judge had yet to announce sentencing of Najib over his role in massive embezzlement from 1MDB, after finding him guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering.

For the Rohingya minority, violence began well before the 2021 coup, with a military crackdown in 2017 sending legions of the mostly Muslim group fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine state to neighboring Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

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.

Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.

The legislation lists the "crimes of French colonization", including nuclear tests, extrajudicial killings, "physical and psychological torture", and the "systematic plundering of resources".

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.

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.

Bethlehem residents hope the return of Christmas festivities will breathe life back into the city.

More than 80 people have been killed and 600,000 others are displaced from their homes in Cambodia and Thailand since the fighting.

Leo, the first United States-born pope, is celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has been planning and preparing personnel from its three branches for the so-called international stabilization force (ISF) in Gaza, which is part of United States President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the war-torn enclave.