Lebanon is facing "staggering unmet health needs" as thousands of civilians cry out for reconstructive surgeries and physical rehabilitation after the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire, the World Health Organization Lebanon Office said.

Over 4,000 people have been killed and 17,000 others injured in Lebanon since last October, and the death toll has been climbing continuously "as more bodies are found in the 16,000 buildings that have been partially or completely destroyed, leaving an estimated 8 million tonnes of debris," the office said in a news release.

"One in four people with life-changing injuries will need long-term rehabilitation," it noted.

Most hospitals in Lebanon are running below capacity due to financial restraints and shortages of health workers, long-standing challenges in Lebanon, it said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced changes to his cabinet.

According to a list issue by the prime minister's office, eight new ministers were added and four ministers' roles were changed.

With the changes, the cabinet retains a total of 38 ministers, in addition to the Prime Minister and there is an equal number of women and men which is in keeping with the precedent set in 2015, news agency reported.

The shuffle came days after former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned. Since July, a total of 9 ministers had announced their resignation or withdrawal from the next federal election.

The new cabinet will deliver on what matters most to Canadians which includes making life more affordable and growing the economy, said Trudeau in a news release.

At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the central and northern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources.

Local sources and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli warplanes targeted an apartment in the multi-story "Yaffa" tower in the al-Nuseirat camp, located in central Gaza.

A statement from Al-Awda Hospital in the camp confirmed that eight people were killed and 14 others injured, some seriously, in the attack.

In northern Gaza, Israeli shelling struck a house belonging to the "Khilla" family in Jabalia Al-Balad, killing 10 people and injuring several others, according to the Gaza Strip's Civil Defence.

The Israeli army has not commented on these incidents, news agency reported.

The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Kenya stood at 1.8 million in December, Kenya's National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) said on Friday.

In a report issued in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the NDMA said that the figure increased from a million in July, following a "drought phase" especially in the 23 arid and semi-arid regions of the East African nation.

"Acute malnutrition has also been noted across the counties with 479,498 children aged six to 59 months and 110,169 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers currently malnourished acutely and in need of treatment," the NDMA said.

Committed to fostering longstanding, historic and close relations with all Gulf countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a two-day visit to Kuwait starting Saturday - the first by an Indian PM to the key West Asian country in 43 years. "India and Kuwait share traditionally close and friendly relations which are rooted in history and have been underpinned by economic and strong people to people linkages. India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said ahead of PM Modi's historic visit.

Japanese authorities have conducted an on-site inspection of the US Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo over the possibility that water contaminated with Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) overflowed from the base, local media reported Friday.

The inspection came two months after the US military informed the Japanese side that the water containing PFAS synthetic chemicals had leaked from an area of the base where a firefighting drill was being carried out.

Officials from the defence ministry, the foreign ministry, the environment ministry, Tokyo's metropolitan government as well as local municipalities entered the base on Friday morning, reported news agency.

They inspected the firefighting training area where the leakage was believed to have occurred and water samples from the reservoir in the firefighting training area were expected to be taken in the future, the report said.

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved the $800 million Amaravati Integrated Urban Development Programme, aimed to establish the city as a well-managed, climate-resilient growth centre in Andhra Pradesh that generates jobs and improves the lives of its current and future residents.

"With its urban population expected to double to 950 million by 2050, India aims to build sustainable and liveable cities as growth hubs, and Amaravati offers an exciting opportunity to model this urban transformation," said Auguste Tano Kouame, the World Bank's Country Director for India.

"The World Bank will bring global expertise to support the design of city institutions and infrastructure that can create economic opportunities for residents, including women, youth and vulnerable groups."

The US and India are set to strengthen space cooperation, including for human spaceflight, and joint space exploration, and are expected to facilitate commercial partnerships between space companies of both countries to advance shared interests in the growing space economy.

After US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2023 committed to work together to “reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation” and India’s signing of the Artemis Accords, the two nations reached an inflection point on collaboration across civil, security, and commercial space sectors, the White House said in a press statement.

To mark this significant progress in cooperation, the US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor (PDNSA) Jon Finer, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra recently travelled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Seoul shares fell more than 1 per cent Friday amid concerns over a slower monetary easing cycle in the United States, along with the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration this month.

The Korean won also continued to hover around 1,450 won per US dollar for two straight sessions, the lowest level in 15 years.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 31.78 points, or 1.3 per cent, to close at 2,404.15. It fell below the 2,400 threshold at one point during the session.

The trade volume was moderate at 606.4 million shares worth 9.12 trillion won (US$6.28 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 703 to 204, news agency reported.

Yemen's Houthi group said it launched a drone attack against a military target in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv and "successfully achieved its goal."

"We are ready for a long war with the Israeli enemy," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Thursday, adding, "Our operations will not stop until Israeli aggression on Gaza stops."

Israel has not yet commented on the Houthi claim, reports news agency.

Earlier in the day, Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Houthi targets in northern Yemen, destroying two major power stations in the capital city, Sanaa, and bombing imported fuel storage in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Israel to stop violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Guterres condemned Israel's extensive airstrikes on Syria aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure and its troops' entry into a demilitarised zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, news agency reported.

"They are violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity and they must stop," he said.

"Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than UN peacekeepers. And those peacekeepers must have freedom of movement to undertake their important work."

Guterres underscored that Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force.

Namibia has allocated 330 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity for procurement and implementation as part of its 2024 ministerial plan, the country's Ministry of Mines and Energy announced Thursday.

Minister Tom Alweendo said in a statement that the new capacity will be divided between state-owned NamPower and independent power producers (IPPs).

The 2024 ministerial determination is a bold step forward in Namibia's journey towards energy independence and sustainability, Alweendo said. "It reflects a cohesive strategy aligned with our broader economic goals and our commitments under international environmental accords. As we implement these projects, we are laying down the groundwork not just for a sustainable power grid but for a sustainable future for all Namibians."

According to the minister, the allocation includes 120 MW for IPPs through an accelerated procurement process, with plans for six solar power plants, each generating 20 MW, news agency reported.

Finland's economy is set to recover from the recent recession, with its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projected to grow by 1.6 per cent in 2025 following a 0.3 per cent decline in 2024, according to a statement released Thursday by the Finnish Ministry of Finance.

Every quarter of 2024 recorded growth compared to the previous year, the ministry said, citing attributes such as slowing inflation and falling interest rates. Next year, these factors are expected to sustain consumption and investment, contributing to the gradual economic recovery.

Though the 2024 economy has shown more positive signs than last year -- when Finland's GDP contracted by 1.0 per cent year-on-year, employment rates will remain weak until 2025. Higher immigration and government measures to boost labour supply are projected to strengthen the labour market gradually, the ministry noted.

Consumption growth is projected to follow increases in real household income and the use of accumulated savings. Additionally, investment activity may rise, driven by energy transition projects and heightened defence spending, news agency reported.

Kyrgyzstan has detained 22 active members of the religious extremist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in an operation, the press service of the country's State Committee for National Security reported on Thursday.

The joint operation of the State Committee for National Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was launched in the city of Jalal-Abad in southern Kyrgyzstan, according to the report.

"A stable religious extremist group has been promoting destructive ideology among the population of Jalal-Abad for several years, recruiting new adherents, creating fake accounts on the Internet, and using an underground printing house to replicate and distribute extremist materials in Kyrgyzstan," the report said.

Counter-terrorism police have discovered a vast quantity of arms and ammunition over the past three months in south Afghanistan's Helmand province, said a statement of the provincial police headquarters on Thursday.

According to the statement, the confiscated arms and ammunition include five pieces of Kalashnikov, nine hand grenades, a rocket launcher, three break-action weapons, a US-made M16 assault rifle, a Kalakov gun, hundreds of bullets and cartridges, and other illegally preserved military equipment.

Without furnishing details on whether anyone was arrested on charges of keeping the illegal weapons and ammunition, the statement added that the military tools were found during separate operations conducted by counter-terrorism police on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah city, the capital and in the districts of the province.

The Afghan caretaker government, which has collected thousands of arms and ammunition, including battle tanks and artillery since assuming power in August 2021, has vowed to collect arms and ammunition from anyone outside the security entities.

The New Zealand government is gearing up for the response to high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, after the HPAI H7N6 was detected there on December 1.

About 200,000 chickens at the Mainland Poultry's commercial free-range egg farm at Hillgrove in Otago were humanely culled, after a farmer was instructed by law to depopulate a shed or farm, or to impose controls on their operations, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said on Thursday.

The HPAI has not been found anywhere else in New Zealand, and "we are on track to stamp this out," Hoggard said while briefing media about the current situation.

The government has allocated new funding of 20 million NZ dollars (11.26 million U.S. dollars) to enable the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response, including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 laboratory in Wellington, and ongoing surveillance, and to cover compensation costs, he said.

Emergency flood warnings were issued for communities in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland on Thursday.

Authorities issued Watch and Act alerts for communities along the Jandowae Creek and in the South Burnett region, both approximately 180 km northwest of Brisbane, with residents in low-lying areas urged to leave.

"Warn neighbors, secure belongings and enact your emergency plan," the alert said.

Intense rainfall over several days in Queensland's populous southeast triggered flash flooding and power outages in the area.

A collision between a passenger train and a freight train in the Murmansk region in northwestern Russia has claimed two lives, Governor Andrei Chibis said Thursday via his Telegram channel, with latest information showing 27 people were injured.

One passengers died in hospital, and the other died while being transported to a hospital, Chibis said in a video message.

The incident occurred at 4:15 pm local time (1315 GMT) Wednesday when the passenger train, en route from Murmansk to Saint Petersburg, collided with freight train wagons at Knyazhaya station.

The passenger train was carrying 326 people at the time of the collision, news agency reported.

A fire, allegedly caused by a petrol bomb, at a cafe in Vietnam's capital Hanoi left 11 people dead, local media reported Thursday.

The flames broke out at around 11 p.m. in the building on Pham Van Dong Street in the Bac Tu Liem district. The cafe, a popular venue for singing gatherings, was quickly engulfed in flames and smoke, which spread to a neighbouring house, according to VnExpress.

The police have found 11 people dead and rescued seven other people, with five in stable condition and two hospitalised, VnExpress reported.

The Bac Tu Liem district police confirmed that the suspect allegedly responsible for the fire was a 51-year-old man, residing in Hanoi's Dong Anh district, news agency reported quoting the Vietnam News Agency.

The police started legal proceedings against the man who had recorded two prior convictions for robbery and theft.

He confessed after getting into an argument with the cafe's staff, he bought gasoline and poured it onto the first floor of the cafe.

At least 40 Pakistanis have lost their lives in the tragic Greece boat capsize incident, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

Initially, it was reported that the death toll of Pakistanis - who had drowned while trying to enter into Europe illegally - stood at five.

However, as the Greek authorities announced an end to their rescue efforts Wednesday, it was confirmed that 35 Pakistanis have been declared dead.

The Pakistani citizens were being illegally transferred to Europe via Libya via a human trafficking racket.

The situation in Vanuatu remains concerning after a massive earthquake struck the country, and the government has requested international assistance to help respond, a UN spokesperson said.

The government of Vanuatu has declared a state of emergency for seven days following Tuesday's 7.3-magnitude earthquake. At least 14 people have been confirmed dead, with more than 200 injured. Authorities anticipated the toll will rise, news agency reported.

To complement the national response, the government has requested international assistance, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN chief, told reporters.

According to local authorities, damage inflicted by the quake is extensive, including hospitals, residential and public buildings, roads, water reservoirs and gas pipes.

Villages near Efate have also experienced landslides. Communications in many areas have been cut off.

Turkey and Lebanon have agreed to work together on Syrian issues following the downfall of Bashar al-Assad, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"A new era has begun in Syria. As two key neighbors of Syria, we agree that we must act together," Erdogan said during a joint press conference on Wednesday with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

"The stability of Syria is crucial for the stability of the region," he added, emphasising that rebuilding war-torn Syria would be a top priority for both nations.

Erdogan noted that the Israeli attacks against Lebanon are not new, and the country has been exposed to similar attacks in the past years, news agency reported.

Syria's interim authorities said that the previous government's soldiers and officers fleeing to Iraq are now welcome to return home without fear of reprisal.

In a statement, the interim authorities pledged on Wednesday that military personnel who fled to neighbouring Iraq during the final stages of the previous government's downfall would not face harassment or punishment upon their return.

It added that these returnees could use any border crossing and that the interim authorities would work directly with the Iraqi government to streamline procedures to facilitate their homecoming.

No timeline was provided for when their return might begin, news agency reported.

India’s Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra and US officials met at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Centre in Houston to take stock of space cooperation between the two countries and discuss advancing their partnership.

While there on Wednesday, the teams from the two countries also met with Indian Astronauts Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashanth Nair, who are scheduled to fly on the Axios-4 mission to the International Space Station next year.

Ambassador Kwatra, who was accompanied by US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, met with representatives from the NASA and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the State Department said.

They also discussed plans to launch a jointly developed NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth Science (NISAR) satellite next year, the Department said.

At least 24 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids across the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said.

Israeli warplanes bombed a house in Beit Hanoun town in northern Gaza on Wednesday, according to Palestinian security sources.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Civil Defence in Gaza, told that four people were killed in the strike, including two women, and several others are still missing under the rubble.

In a separate incident in northern Gaza, two more were killed and another seriously injured when an Israeli drone targeted a gathering of Palestinians in the Jabalia area, according to Basal.

In addition, a brief statement issued by Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza said that a paramedic was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a building in the town of Beit Lahia at dawn, news agency reported.

Britain is intensifying its military support to Ukraine with a new aid package that includes naval drones, air defence systems and artillery, British Defence Secretary John Healey said.

Training for Ukrainian soldiers under Operation Interflex, a Britain-led multinational military operation, will continue in 2025 regardless of the developments in Ukraine's peace process and a possible ceasefire, Healey said on Wednesday in an interview with the Ukrainian state Ukrinform news agency.

Three years since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine "the depths of his miscalculation are clearer than ever, as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defy all expectations with their unbreakable spirit," he said.

 Iran's nuclear chief on Wednesday called on Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi to maintain the agency's impartiality, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Mohammad Eslami, president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the remarks on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in Tehran while reacting to recent comments by Grossi, who said Iran was enriching uranium to near military grade and was rapidly moving towards becoming a nuclear-armed state.

Eslami said, "It is not acceptable that an international institution focuses solely on one aspect of the issue in a provocative manner and refrains from pointing to the main dimension, which is the failure of the other parties to the (2015 nuclear) deal to fulfill their obligations."

The United Nations special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, said Wednesday that he sees hope for a "new Syria" developing in the aftermath of the country's recent political upheaval while acknowledging the formidable challenges that remain.

Speaking to reporters in Damascus after days of meetings, Pedersen noted that he had conferred with leaders from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), other armed factions, representatives of the Syrian National Coalition, as well as families of the detained and missing, civil society figures, and women activists.

"It's only been 11 days since HTS and other groups entered Damascus, so it's early days," Pedersen said, news agency reported.

Seismologists in New Zealand and Australia are expecting a significant damage from the large earthquake that struck Vanuatu on Tuesday.

The 7.3-magnitude shallow earthquake caused strong shaking near the capital Port Vila, about 30 km from the epicentre, at 12:47 local time, with a depth of 43 km, the US Geological Survey said.

The earthquake, described by locals as a "violent, high-frequency vertical shake," left at least 14 people dead and hundreds more injured so far, and an initial tsunami warning has since been lifted.

Associate Professor Kasper van Wijk at Department of Physics, University of Auckland, said this particular earthquake was shallow and close to Port Vila, so significant damage would be expected, as Vanuatu is situated, like New Zealand, on top of a subduction zone.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to appear before the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) for High-ranking Officials on Wednesday, defying a summons for questioning over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

Yoon had been asked by a joint investigation team made up of the CIO, the police and the Defence ministry's investigation unit to appear at the CIO's office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on Wednesday, news agency reported.

Yoon faces charges of inciting an insurrection through his declaration of martial law on December 3 and has been suspended from duty pending the Constitutional Court's trial on his impeachment by the National Assembly.

The South Korean government on Wednesday unveiled a series of measures to stimulate corporate investment in key industries, aiming to address concerns that recent political turmoil could have long-term negative effects on the economy.

The plan was introduced during a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and attended by other economy-related ministers, amid rising concerns following the recent declaration of martial law and the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, news agency reported.

"The breakthrough for overcoming internal and external challenges ultimately lies in corporate investment," Choi said.

Under the plan, the government will provide various forms of support and incentives to facilitate investment in seven large-scale projects worth a combined 9.3 trillion won ($6.5 billion).

Turkey has strengthened border infrastructure and measures to facilitate Syrians' return, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.

The Ministry of Trade has been carrying out necessary procedures and actions at the Yayladagi Border Gate with Syria in the Hatay province to ensure border security, efficiently manage passenger procedures, and effectively combat smuggling, news agency reported quoting Anadolu.

It said the gate's infrastructure has been reinforced and strengthened for passenger and cargo transit.

Additionally, extra personnel have been deployed to prevent congestion from those wishing to return to Syria.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Israeli forces would remain on the Syrian summit of Mount Hermon for "as long as necessary."

During a visit to the area with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior security officials for a situational assessment, Katz said on Tuesday, "We will stay here for as long as necessary," emphasising that the military presence at the strategically significant summit "strengthens security," news agency reported.

"Mount Hermon's summit is Israel's eyes for identifying near and distant threats. From here, we can see Hezbollah positions in Lebanon to the right, and Damascus to the left," he said.

Following instructions issued last Thursday, Katz said the military must "swiftly" complete its deployment in the area, including "fortifications, defensive measures, and improving soldiers' conditions to prepare for a prolonged stay."

The World Bank is ready to take part in Lebanon's reconstruction after the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict comes to an end, a senior official from the World Bank said.

Jean-Christophe Carret, the World Bank's country director for the Middle East Department, expressed the bank's intention to collaborate with the Lebanese government on the country's reconstruction, news agency reported quoting Lebanon's National News Agency.

Carret made the remarks during a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, during which they discussed reconstruction projects and programmes, including debris removal, infrastructure rebuilding, and the rehabilitation of industrial and agricultural facilities.

Berri praised the "World Bank's desire and readiness to respond and engage with Lebanon in rebuilding and addressing the consequences of the Israeli aggression."

He also inquired about the details of the plan that the World Bank is preparing, stressing that "this plan must include land reclamation and securing loans for farmers, industrialists, and small business owners to enable them to rise again within a period not exceeding the end of this year."

At least 14 people have been killed and hundreds more injured after a major earthquake struck Vanuatu on Tuesday.

The Red Cross reported the updated death toll early Wednesday local time, citing government sources. Local media previously reported a death toll of seven, news agency reported.

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu's capital city of Port Vila on Tuesday, causing widespread damage.

Several aftershocks hit the region following the initial quake, including one measuring a magnitude of 5.5 in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to the US Geological Survey.