POLITICS & POLICY

Israel appeared to target Hezbollah's security chief in air strikes on Beirut that killed 22 people, in the deadliest raid on the centre of Lebanon's capital since the Israel-Hezbollah war began.

An Iraqi professor leading a group of students on a walking tour of Baghdad's historic centre invites them to stop and admire a centuries-old stone wall erected to shield the city from Mongol invaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, as part of a European tour aimed at securing more Western support before the presidential election in the United States.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Thursday to "resist annexation", as China exerts growing military and political pressure on the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.

In 2019, China was the destination for AU$700 million worth of rock lobsters, making up 98% of Australia's exports, and with the ban in place, Australia struggled to find both domestic and international markets for Southern Rock Lobster.

"The bombing of schools and the bombing of hospitals, I think, are not complying with international law," the Education Minister told AAP. "Enough blood has been spilled and it's time for the suffering and starvation and the slaughter that's happening in Gaza to end."

Two months into Ukraine's offensive on Russian territory, questions are growing in Ukrainian ranks over the long-term strategy as Russian troops advance steadily in other areas.

European countries are to discuss "innovative" ways to increase deportations of irregular migrants and rejected asylum seekers on Thursday, including controversial plans to set up dedicated return centres in non-EU nations.

Death, detention and dissolution have decimated Aung San Suu Kyi's political party, easing the way for groups backed by Myanmar's ruling military to claim victory at elections expected next year, analysts say.

Hezbollah fired projectiles into Israel on Wednesday and said it foiled ground incursions, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon could face destruction like Gaza.

A few dozen kilometres from the Philippine capital Manila sits a coal plant that some hope could be a model for how developing countries can quit the polluting fossil fuel.

A surge of drugs is engulfing the paradisal South Pacific, as cartels and triads use far-flung island nations to channel narcotics across the globe, top police and UN officials have told AFP. Pacific islands such as Fiji and Tonga sit at the crossroads of largely unpatrolled ocean-trafficking routes used to shift cocaine from Latin America and methamphetamine and opioids from Asia.

Hungary's leader Viktor Orban sent sparks flying at the European Parliament Tuesday as he told the EU to change tack or face "defeat" in Ukraine, and promised to pop the champagne if Donald Trump wins back the White House.

Elon Musk is ramping up his public support of Donald Trump, telling Tucker Carlson in a conversation streamed Monday that he is "all in" on the Republican presidential candidate.

The Coalition's proposed motion focused on offering "words of comfort" and "words of recognition" to the victims of the Oct. 7 tragedy, whereas the Albanese government's motion took a broader approach, acknowledging the violence in Gaza and Lebanon.

Andres Iniesta scored the most important goal in the history of Spanish football, winning his country the World Cup for the first time in 2010.

Israel ramped up its ground offensive against Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern coast on Tuesday, after deploying more troops in the country and urging civilians living near the Mediterranean to evacuate.

A record number of climbers are gathered in Tibet to complete mountaineering's pinnacle achievement, summiting the world's tallest 14 peaks.

Israel's bombardment of Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold has forced tens of thousands to flee to the capital, but many in divided Lebanon view the newcomers with suspicion, worried they might also become targets.

Mourners and leaders around the world on Monday voiced horror and a desire for peace at tearful memorials remembering the unprecedented October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked a year of devastating war in Gaza.

The Philippines and South Korea committed Monday to deepening maritime cooperation, their presidents said, in the face of China's assertion of its claims over the South China Sea.

Israel's president on Monday kicked off global commemorations on the first anniversary of Hamas's deadly October 7 attack, with memorials held to honour the victims and the hostages still in captivity in Gaza.

Israel began its commemorations Monday of the one-year anniversary of Hamas's deadly October 7 attack, with an outpouring of emotion at vigils at massacre sites and rallies calling for the return of hostages.

A huge fireball lit up the night sky and plumes of smoke rose over south Beirut early Sunday as Israel unleashed intense air strikes targeting Hezbollah, nearly a year since the Gaza war erupted.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in cities around the world over the weekend calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon as the war in the Palestinian territory neared the one-year mark.

Hezbollah said Saturday its fighters were confronting Israeli troops in Lebanon's southern border region, where the Israeli military said it struck militants from the Iran-backed movement at a mosque.

How do you defend the indefensible? "I decided to defend Dominique Pelicot because he asked me to," said Zavarro.

Israel bombarded south Beirut at least 10 times late Thursday, Lebanese sources said, after it launched its deadliest strike on the occupied West Bank in decades.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag desperately needs a reversal in his side's Premier League fortunes on Sunday against an Aston Villa team on a high after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League.