South Korea's central bank again left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Thursday as a weakened won and rising inflation concerns limited room for further easing.

In a widely expected decision, the Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea (BOK) held the key rate at 2.5 per cent at its rate-setting meeting in Seoul, marking the fifth consecutive on-hold decision since July, reports news agency.

A passenger train travelling from Bangkok to Thailand’s northeastern region met with a major accident on Wednesday after a construction crane collapsed onto one of its coaches, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 people and injuries to over 55 others, according to Thai police officials.

The incident occurred at around 9:05 am in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, located nearly 230 km northeast of the Thai capital. The train was en route to Ubon Ratchathani province when the accident took place.

North Korea has replaced its top officials in charge of guarding leader Kim Jong-un in recent years, Seoul's unification ministry said on Tuesday.

North Korea has changed the chiefs of three major North Korean units defending the security of the North's leader -- the Guard Office of the ruling party, the Guard Department of the State Affairs Commission and the Guard Command -- the ministry said in its analysis of the major reshuffle of North Korean officials in 2025.

The ministry did not disclose the exact timing or the reason for the replacement, but it said the changed chiefs of such agencies were detected during a military parade marking the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in October 2025, News Agency reported.

Flood warnings have been issued across the northeast Australian state of Queensland as ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji continues to cause widespread intense rainfall.

As of Tuesday morning local time, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) had multiple flood warnings in place for rivers and catchments in central, northeast and northwest Queensland after some regions received more than a year's worth of rainfall in one week.

In the small town of Clermont, about 750 km northwest of the state capital of Brisbane, residents in low-lying areas were on Monday afternoon ordered to move to higher ground.

Over 300 properties remained without electricity on Tuesday in the town of around 3,000 people, which has been cut off by floodwaters.

South Korea's exports of food and agriculture-related products reached a record high of $13.62 billion in 2025, driven by the global popularity of Korean food products, such as "ramyeon" noodles, sauces and fruits, the agriculture ministry said on Monday.

Exports in the "K-Food Plus" sector expanded 5.1 percent from a year earlier to the new annual high, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. K-Food Plus is a term coined by the local government to promote exports of Korean food and agricultural goods, including farm machinery and veterinary medicine, reports news agency.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez discussed the Mercosur-EU free trade agreement and the situation in Venezuela, Brazil's presidential office said.

During their telephone conversation on Friday (local time), Lula thanked the Spanish government for supporting the agreement and called the deal "a very positive signal in defence of multilateralism and predictable, stable trade rules."

A man has died, and a state of disaster has been declared amid the ongoing bushfire crisis in the southeast Australian state of Victoria.

Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan said at a press conference that a man aged in his 60s was found deceased in his car near the town of Harcourt, 110 km northwest of Melbourne, on Friday afternoon.

His death was not directly related to the fires, Allan said, but occurred in close proximity to a fire ground, reports news agency.

Anti-government protests continue to flare up across Iran, leaving several protesters dead and triggering a communication blockade in parts of the country, as unrest shows no signs of abating.

According to multiple media reports, at least 62 people have been killed since the demonstrations began in December last year.

As Iran remains gripped by widespread protests, state media on Friday accused “terrorist agents” linked to the United States and Israel of fuelling the violence.

US President Donald Trump Thursday night said the United States will oversee Venezuela’s recovery and oil sector before the country can move toward elections, arguing that years of collapse under Nicolas Maduro have left the nation unable to conduct a vote.

Trump made the remarks in a sit-down interview on Fox News’ Hannity, his first television interview since the US operation that led to Maduro’s capture.

Excess funds held by South Korean households rose in the third quarter, driven mainly by an increase in income and tightened lending regulations, the central bank said on Thursday.

Net financial funds -- the difference between financial assets and financial liabilities -- held by households and nonprofit organizations reached 58 trillion won (US$40 billion) in the third quarter, up from 51.3 trillion won in the previous quarter, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The US has warned citizens in the state of Texas and elsewhere to remain vigilant as unsolicited packages containing unidentified seeds, likely from China, continue to arrive at their doorsteps.

Texas Border Business reports that since February 2025, Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has collected seed deliveries at 109 locations across the Lone Star State, “totaling 1,101 packs of unsolicited seeds”.

Seoul shares extended their rally to a fourth day to set a fresh record high on a tech and auto rally on Wednesday after briefly landing above the 4,600-point level. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 25.58 points, or 0.57 percent, to close at an all-time high of 4,551.06, reports news agency.

The index briefly topped the 4,600-point mark, touch an intraday high of 4,611.72.

Afghan counter-narcotics police have confiscated 130 kg of illegal drugs and arrested 36 suspected smugglers in a series of operations across the country, official statements reported.

In northern Badakhshan province, authorities seized 130 kg of opium and hashish in Jurm district and detained one individual, according to a statement from the provincial police office, News Agency reported.

Additionally, the Ministry of Interior Affairs announced the arrest of 25 others linked to drug trafficking, possession and sales in provinces including Bamiyan, Kunduz and Parwan. Hundreds of narcotic tablets, along with quantities of crystal methamphetamine and hashish, were recovered from the suspects.

As part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, the Indian Army's Engineer Task Force is working relentlessly to restore B-492, which connects Kandy in the Central Province to Badulla in Sri Lanka's Uva Province, which was severely affected due to Cyclone Ditwah.

In a video posted by the Indian Army on X, a schoolgirl said, "We are really grateful to you for the service you have done for us, especially coming all the way from India. Due to the damaged bridge, we had no way of crossing over to this side. We are so thankful to all of you for coming and doing this for us. Thank you very much for the assistance you have provided."

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said a magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit off Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines on Wednesday morning.

The institute said the earthquake occurred at 11:02 a.m. local time at a depth of 42 kilometers, with the epicentre about 47 kilometres from the coastal town of Manay.

Tremors were felt across the island.

Around 40 people are believed to have died in a bar fire that broke out in southwestern Switzerland, with the number of injured rising to 119, police said at a news conference.

Among the injured, the identities of 113 people have been confirmed. But some European countries still reported missing nationals in the fire, which broke out overnight at "Le Constellation" bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort in Valais Canton.

Swiss authorities said the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days.

Two people died and 12 others were injured after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico, local authorities said.

A 50-year-old woman was killed after her home collapsed in the state of Guerrero on Friday, the epicenter of the earthquake, said Evelyn Salgado, the state's governor.

In addition, a man in his 60s died after stumbling and losing consciousness in Benito Juarez municipality, Mexico City, during an evacuation prompted by the earthquake, news agency reported.

 An explosion followed by a violent fire ravaged the 'Le Constellation' bar in Crans-Montana ski resort in Valais Canton of southwestern Switzerland on New Year's Eve, causing numerous deaths and injuries, the local authorities said on Thursday.

Reports cited that several dozen people are feared dead and around 100 injured due to the explosion and fire. Those injured in the blast and subsequent fire suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospitals in Sion, capital of Valais canton, as well as in other cities, Valais Canton Police Chief Frederic Gisler said at a press conference.

Authorities on Thursday morning issued an emergency warning for a life-threatening bushfire burning near the Perth Airport in Western Australia (WA).

A warning issued shortly before 6 a.m. local time by the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said that residents in the Kalamunda region, 15 km east of central Perth and 5 km from the city's international airport, should leave immediately.

US President Donald Trump has said that “peace on earth” was his New Year’s resolution as he addressed guests at a gathering at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, striking a brief note of aspiration before turning to a wide-ranging reflection on the state of the country.

When asked about his New Year’s resolution at the New Year’s Eve gathering on Wednesday, the President replied: “Peace. Peace on earth. Peace on earth.” He did not respond to questions about the CIA’s role in an attack on Venezuela or whether he would put boots on the ground in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump warned Hamas to disarm within a “very short period of time,” cautioned Iran against rebuilding military capabilities, and reaffirmed an exceptionally close US–Israel partnership.

“We talked about Hamas and we talked about disarmament and they're going to be given a very short period of time to disarm,” Trump told reporters during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Mar-a-Lago on Monday.

He said Hamas had already committed to doing so.

A five-year-old boy died after his right arm was caught in a travelator at a ski resort in Japan's northern prefecture of Hokkaido, local authorities said.

The accident occurred at the Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort in Otaru on Sunday morning (local time), when the boy became trapped in a moving walkway connecting the parking area to the ski slope. His mother called emergency services to report the incident, reports.

The boy, a resident of Sapporo, was rescued but was unconscious when taken to the hospital, where his death was later confirmed, according to local police and firefighters.

Indonesian police are conducting identification procedures for 16 people killed in a fire that broke out at a nursing home in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, local authorities said on Monday.

The victims' bodies are being identified at Bhayangkara Hospital of the North Sulawesi Regional Police (Polda Sulut), according to Alamsyah P. Hasibuan, head of public relations of Polda Sulut.

He said the identification process is aimed at establishing the victims' full identities before further coordination with their families, reports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a test launch of long-range strategic cruise missiles, calling for the "unlimited and sustained" development of state nuclear combat forces, state media reported on Monday.

The drill took place Sunday in the Yellow Sea, demonstrating "the absolute reliability and combat readiness of the North's strategic counterattack capability," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The strategic cruise missiles flew along the preset flight orbit for 10,199 seconds and 10,203 seconds to hit a target, it said.

At least four people, including two children, were injured after an explosion rocked a madrasa in the South Keraniganj area near Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, local media reported.

The blast occurred on Friday afternoon at the Ummal Qura International Madrasa in the Hasnabad area.

According to the police, explosives and materials used for making bombs were recovered from the premises, Bangladeshi media reported.

At least 4,791 people have lost their lives in road traffic crashes (RTCs) across Pakistan's Punjab province in 2025, marking a sharp 19 per cent rise in fatalities compared to the previous year, local media report citing data from the country's emergency response service Rescue 1122.

As per the annual statistics released by the emergency service, Punjab recorded 482,870 road traffic accidents in 2025, leaving nearly 570,000 people injured.

In comparison, 467,561 accidents were reported in 2024, leading to 4,139 deaths, while 420,387 crashes in 2023 resulted in 3,967 fatalities.

The number of babies born increased for the past 16 consecutive months as of October, but the pace of growth slowed to the lowest since the start of this year, government data showed on Wednesday.

A total of 21,958 babies were born in October, up 2.5 per cent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, News Agency reported.

It marked the 16th consecutive month of increase since July 2024 but also the slowest on-year growth of the year, the data showed.

The US authorities have filed federal charges against a 29-year-old Afghan national in connection with the shooting that killed National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Guardsman Andrew Wolfe in the nation’s capital.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who resided in Bellingham, Washington, was charged in a criminal complaint in US District Court with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony and with transporting a stolen firearm across state lines, according to an announcement by US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

The Hanbit-Nano, South Korea's first commercial orbital rocket, crashed shortly afterward due to an abnormality in the vehicle, its operator Innospace said.

The company noted that the rocket blasted off from the Alcantara Space Center at 10:13 p.m. Monday (local time) in Brazil, Yonhap news agency reported.

However, the vehicle fell to the ground 30 seconds after liftoff, said Innospace.

The rocket crashed within a ground safety zone, with no casualties or additional damage reported, it added.

Drought is affecting an estimated more than 4.6 million people in Somalia, around a quarter of the population, a UN spokesperson said.

UN partners indicate that at least 120,000 people were displaced between September and December, as water prices soar, food becomes increasingly scarce, livestock die, and livelihoods collapse, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing on Monday.

US President Donald Trump has said that South Korea's Hanwha will work with the US Navy for the construction of new frigate warships as he announced plans to build a new "Trump-class" of battleships.

The remarks come as South Korea has sought to deepen shipbuilding cooperation with the United States through its key shipbuilders, including Hanwha Ocean Co, reports news agency.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday issued an apology to the nation's Jewish community following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach as he announced new laws that will target hate speech.

Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra on Monday afternoon that he feels the "weight of responsibility" for the fatal shooting of 15 people at an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14.

As many as 2.17 million Afghans have been forcibly deported from Iran and Pakistan, with children comprising more than 60 per cent of returnees, according to the United Nations.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Afghanistan has been facing one of the world's largest displacement and returnee crises as Iran and Pakistan have been forcibly deporting Afghans.

The suspect who launched a reign of terror at two elite US institutions with a mass shooting at the Ivy League Brown University and the murder of a nuclear science professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has killed himself, officials said.

The man was identified as Claudio Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown student from Portugal, and he was found dead in a storage facility as law enforcement closed in on him, Oscar Perez, the police chief of Providence in Rhode Island, said Thursday night.

US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping prescription drug price cuts under a “Most Favoured Nation” policy has put India’s pharmaceutical industry in focus, as Washington moves to benchmark US drug prices against those paid in other countries.

In an address to the nation on Wednesday (local time), Trump said his administration had negotiated sharp reductions in drug prices by directly confronting pharmaceutical companies and foreign governments, using trade pressure to force changes in global pricing.