Hospitals across the Gaza Strip say their backup generators are close to shutting down and suffering permanent damage because of a severe fuel shortage. Medical staff warn the equipment keeps essential wards, including intensive care units, running.

Iran's navy said four vessels were struck simultaneously while transferring oil cargo ship-to-ship in the northern Persian Gulf and continued burning. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy did not say who was responsible for the strikes.

Australia's federal government has extended its ban on KPMG bidding for new government contracts until at least the end of February, citing what it called serious ethical failings. The move follows allegations that audit partners at the firm misused client data and then mishandled a whistleblower's complaint about the matter.

New Zealand's annual inflation rate tumbled to 3.7 percent. The slowdown has raised the odds that the Reserve Bank will lift its benchmark interest rate at next week's policy meeting, even as price pressures are forecast to pick up again soon.

Chinese artificial-intelligence company DeepSeek has completed a new fifteen-billion-dollar funding round. The company is now preparing for one of China's most closely watched market debuts in years, as it positions itself as a serious rival to leading US AI labs.

Australia and East Timor signed a new defence agreement on Thursday to strengthen cyber and maritime security cooperation. Canberra will provide roughly $44 million and expand joint military exercises, part of an effort to limit Beijing's growing influence among Pacific and Southeast Asian neighbours.

Nearly 200,000 Zimbabweans have fled South Africa amid a wave of anti-migrant protests and violence, Zimbabwe's government told its cabinet. Officials said the exodus reflects growing hostility toward foreign workers in South Africa's townships and cities.

Burkina Faso's ruling junta has restored the death penalty, years after the West African country abolished it. Human Rights Watch says the move sends a troubling signal to critics amid a widening crackdown on dissent under military rule.

Students from across Serbia flooded the streets of Belgrade for a final rally ahead of this weekend's snap parliamentary elections. Thousands arrived in the capital waving flags, in one of the largest gatherings yet in a months-long anti-government protest movement.

Russian strikes overnight killed at least 7 people across Ukraine, as the country's air force warned of ballistic missiles heading toward Kyiv and told residents to take shelter. The barrage came just days after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin.

Former Mexican prosecutor César Jáuregui Moreno has been charged with treason over allegations he allowed US agents to take part in a raid on a suspected drug lab in April. The case rests on Mexican law restricting any operational role for foreign officials inside the country.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has raised the flagship Bolsa Família welfare payment by 15% days before Sunday's presidential runoff. The increase, reaching roughly 20 million families this week, anchors a wider package of aid, subsidies and tax cuts Lula unveiled in the campaign's final stretch.

Barclays said it will cut 5,000 jobs, about 5% of its workforce, as the British bank increases its reliance on artificial intelligence. The lender said AI tools are taking over tasks previously handled by staff across its operations.

Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, posted a $30 billion loss in the third quarter after a bond market slump hit its holdings. Norges Bank Investment Management, which runs the roughly $2.3 trillion fund, said returns on its bond portfolio turned negative as yields rose.

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber issued warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity against Netanyahu.

[FILE] Russian missile and drone strike in Kiev. / Reuters

[FILE] The Internal Security Forces said the operation was being conducted in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service. / Anadolu Agency

(FILE) Western Australian state government minister Hannah Beazley arrives for a Labor caucus meeting in Perth, Australia on June 6 2023. / AP

Trump speaks during a campaign rally at T. Ed Garrison Arena at Clemson University on October 21 2026, South Carolina. / AFP

FILE: Elements of the Israeli military camp with armoured vehicles in the western countryside of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria. /AA