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.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 struck off Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan on Tuesday, the country's weather agency said.

The temblor occurred at 2:38 p.m. local time (0538 GMT) off Aomori's Pacific coast at a depth of 20 km, measuring 3 on Japan's seismic scale of 7 in Hakodate City, Hokkaido Prefecture, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The quake's epicentre was located at a latitude of 40.9 degrees north and a longitude of 143.1 degrees east. No tsunami advisory was issued.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday praised Ahmed al Ahmed as an Australian hero for his bravery during the Bondi Beach terror attack.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister wrote: “Ahmed, you are an Australian hero. You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist. In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday night. On behalf of every Australian, I say thank you.”

A rapidly developing low-pressure system has brought a blizzard to Hokkaido on Monday, with violent winds and heavy snowfall also affecting parts of northeastern Japan, causing disruptions to transportation and prompting warnings of storm surges and flood risks from high tides.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), gusts of wind recorded over a three-hour period up to 6 a.m. on Monday reached about 32.9 metres per second in the city of Abashiri and 32.7 metres per second in Kushiro, both in Hokkaido.

Japan's weather agency issued a tsunami advisory for northern Japan's Pacific coast after a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off Aomori Prefecture on Friday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor occurred at 11:44 a.m. local time off Aomori's Pacific coast at a depth of 20 km, measuring 4 on Japan's seismic scale of 7 in the hardest-hit areas.

South Korea's exports jumped 17.3 per cent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of December, bolstered by robust global demand for semiconductors and an increase in working days, data showed on Thursday.

Outbound shipments reached $20.58 billion in the December 1-10 period, compared with $17.54 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. It marked the largest figure ever for any 10-day period, reports news agency.

Average daily exports climbed 3.5 percent on-year to $2.42 billion, according to the customs office. The number of working days during the period came to 8.5 days, compared with 7.5 days a year earlier.

At least 30 people were injured after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, triggering tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 70 centimetres along the Pacific coast, local media reported on Tuesday, quoting the government.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck at 11:15 p.m. local time on Monday off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture at a depth of 54 kilometres.

At least two passengers lost their lives and 20 others sustained injuries when a bus overturned in northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province, local police reported.

The incident occurred in the Ali Abad district along the highway linking northern Badakhshan province to the capital Kabul late on Sunday, and was caused by reckless driving, provincial police spokesman Jumaddin Khaksar said, News Agency reported on Monday.

Police and emergency services quickly responded, transporting the injured to nearby health centers for treatment, Khaksar added.

More than 30 homes have been damaged or destroyed by a bushfire in the Australian island state of Tasmania, with evacuated residents advised that it is not safe to return.

Authorities on Sunday night said that 19 homes had been destroyed and another 14 had been damaged by the fire in the small coastal town of Dolphin Sands, located 105 kilometres northeast of Hobart, the state capital.

Tasmania's Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner, Jeremy Smith, said at a press conference that over 120 assets, including outbuildings, garages and electricity infrastructure, had sustained damage.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS), the lead combat agency for bush fires in the Australian state of NSW, confirmed that multiple homes have been destroyed by fire, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Saturday afternoon.

This confirmation came after a live video from the network news helicopter showed at least six properties destroyed on Nimbin Road, near Koolewong, ABC added.

NSW RFS had put an emergency warning in place on Saturday afternoon for Nimbin Road due to a bush fire burning in a southerly direction behind Glenrock Parade towards Lara Street, reports news agency.

Indian Ambassador to South Korea Gourangalal Das and Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) Administrator Yoon Youngbin on Saturday explored areas of space cooperation and ways to build business-to-business (B2B) engagements in both countries.

The Indian envoy and KASA administrator met at the Indian Embassy in Seoul and held talks on enhancing space cooperation between India and South Korea. According to the Embassy, the discussions stemmed from the recently concluded Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between KASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The Pakistani and Afghan forces engaged in a heavy exchange of fire along the border amid mounting tensions, with both sides accusing each other of igniting the clash, local media reported on Saturday.

The latest confrontation on late Friday comes after renewed efforts by Saudi Arabia to broker a ceasefire between Kabul and Islamabad, which reportedly failed to yield results.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the caretaker Afghan government, took to his social media platform, stating that Pakistan carried out attacks in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province in Afghanistan on Friday, triggering a response from the Afghan forces.

 A Christmas event in Sainte-Anne in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe turned tragic when a vehicle drove into a gathering preparing for festive celebrations, leaving at least 19 victims, including 10 deaths.

Radio Caraibes Internationale Guadeloupe reported that three of the injured were in serious condition. The incident occurred at Schoelcher Square, located opposite the town hall and the church, where preparations were underway.

The cause of the incident remains unclear, and authorities have launched an investigation. Further details are awaited.

A man has died following a targeted shooting in the Australian state of Queensland in the early hours of Friday morning.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) said that emergency services attended a property in the suburb of Slacks Creek, 20 km southeast of the state capital of Brisbane, at around 1:15 a.m. local time on Friday and located a man with an apparent gunshot wound.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited several regional factories ahead of their official opening, stressing the construction of such facilities is a "gigantic revolution" designed to improve people's livelihoods, state media reported Friday.

Kim inspected regional-industrial factories in several counties of South Phyongan Province, including the Sinyang and Pukchang counties, on Wednesday, as their official openings are nearing, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

President Donald Trump cast China as a central factor in his administration's economic and national security strategy, arguing that tariffs, tightened technology rules, and new domestic manufacturing incentives had put the United States "in the hottest country anywhere in the world."

As he rolled back Biden-era auto-efficiency regulations at an Oval Office event, Trump on Wednesday (local time) repeatedly cited China in the context of trade, artificial intelligence, semiconductor controls and lawsuits targeting his tariff program.

At least three civilians were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, amid a growing wave of enforced disappearance across the province, a leading human rights organisation said on Thursday.

Expressing grave concern, Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that three residents of the Tijaban Singabad region in Kech district of the province were abducted in separate incidents on December 1.

 US President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin "would like to end the war" in Ukraine, citing what he described as a "very good meeting" between Putin and two close Trump allies, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, in Moscow.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday (local time) that he had spoken with Kushner and Witkoff following their talks with Putin. "Their impression was that he would like to see the war ended," Trump said. "I think he'd like to get back to a more normal life. I think he'd like to be trading with the United States of America, frankly, instead of losing thousands of soldiers a week."

Trump added, "I thought they had a very good meeting yesterday with President Putin. We'll see what happens. It's a war that should never have been started. It's a war if I were president… that war would have never happened."

The South Korean unification ministry said on Thursday that it is seeking to repatriate elderly "unconverted long-term" North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) but not considering linking the issue with efforts to win the release of six South Koreans detained in the North.

Citing Seoul's national security adviser, NK News, a US news outlet centered on North Korea, reported that South Korea is willing to discuss the repatriation of unconverted, long-term North Korean POWs in an effort to bring home South Korean nationals detained in the North.

The report came after during a press conference with foreign media Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he had never heard of South Korean detainees in North Korea and lacks information on individual cases, when asked about the government's plan to secure their release.

A man died and two others were hospitalised following a shooting at a property in eastern Australia on Wednesday afternoon.

Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement that emergency services were alerted to the shooting in the small town of Eungella, over 640 km northeast of Sydney near the border with the state of Queensland, at around 1:25 pm local time on Wednesday, News Agency reported.

Officers arrived and were told that two men, aged 38 and 41, had been shot by another man who subsequently fled the scene with a fourth man.

Over 5,000 Afghan refugees were forcibly repatriated from Pakistan and Iran in a single day, local media reported, quoting a Taliban official on Wednesday.

Sharing a report from the High Commission for Addressing Migrants' Issues on X, Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat stated that 689 families, comprising 5,496 people, returned to Afghanistan on Tuesday, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.

Afghan refugees returned home through Bahramcha in Helmand, Torkham crossing in Nangarhar, Islam Qala crossing in Herat, Pul-i-Abresham in Nimroz and Spin Boldak in Kandahar.

The Australian government on Tuesday released a national plan to give guidance to industry, researchers, governments and the public on how to safely and beneficially use artificial intelligence (AI).

Under the National AI Plan, the government says it will prioritise supporting and reskilling workers whose roles are affected by AI, boost investment in data centers and share the productivity benefits of AI across the economy.

Tim Ayres, the minister for industry and innovation and minister for science, said that the plan would keep Australians safe as AI technology continues to evolve, News Agency reported.

A court began the first hearing of a trial of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja on Monday over allegations that she bribed former first lady Kim Keon Hee and Representative Kweon Seong-dong of the People Power Party in exchange for favours.

Han is currently standing trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and the anti-graft law for her alleged involvement in gifting a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to Kim, the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

She is also accused of colluding with a former church official, Yun Young-ho, to hand 100 million won (USD 68,000) to Kweon in 2022 in exchange for gaining favours for the church, News Agency reported.

Sri Lanka continues to struggle with the severe aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, as the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirmed that the death toll has climbed to 123 over the past few days, according to local media reports on Saturday.

Authorities have also stated that 130 people remain missing, with rescue and relief operations ongoing, as reported by the Daily Mirror.

The Kandy District has recorded the highest number of casualties, reporting 51 deaths, while 67 individuals are still unaccounted for. In Badulla District, 35 deaths have been confirmed, with 27 people reported missing.

The Indian Consulate General in Toronto expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of Indian nationals in a devastating fire in Brampton, Canada. The mission said it has reached out to the affected families and is providing all necessary assistance to them.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives of Indian nationals in the devastating fire incident in Brampton. The Consulate conveys its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and stands with them in this moment of immense grief. We have reached out to the family, and all required assistance is being extended to them,” the Indian Consulate General in Toronto, on Friday, posted on X.

The incident occurred on November 20 in Banas Way in Brampton, where a rapidly spreading blaze trapped several family members inside, according to local media reports.

Former US President Barack Obama has condemned the Washington shooting, stating that "violence has no place in America".

Two National Guardsmen were shot in downtown Washington and remain in critical condition. US media identified the alleged shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the country in 2021.

In a post on X, Obama said, "Violence has no place in America. Michelle and I are praying for the servicemembers shot in Washington, DC today, and send our love to their families as they enter this holiday season under the most tragic of circumstances."

South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Wednesday the government seeks to implement the North Korea policy in a peaceful and gradual manner, dismissing concerns about the possibility of any radical policy toward Pyongyang.

Chung made the remarks during his meeting with Kim Jong-hyuk, president of the United Christian Churches of Korea, an association of Protestant churches in South Korea.

"We could not imagine (taking) shocking or radical methods (in terms of North Korea policy)," Chung said, addressing concerns raised by the Protestant church circle that the administration of liberal President Lee Jae Myung may be too tolerant toward North Korea, News Agency reported.

The number of evacuees rose to over 21,000 in Malaysia on Wednesday, with 10 states affected across the country due to the current northeast monsoon season, according to authorities.

Kelantan remains the hardest hit, with 9,642 flood evacuees housed in 52 flood relief centres as of 9 a.m. local time.

Other badly affected areas include Perak state with 4,331 evacuees, Selangor state with 2,909, and another 2,837 in Kedah state, with the remainder spread across the country.

Selangor state chief minister Amirudin Shari said flood mitigation measures in parts of the state were unable to cope with the surge in water and extraordinary weather conditions, reports news agency.

Senior officials from Japan and China held talks in Beijing on Tuesday amid rising tensions triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent comments on Taiwan, which have strained the bilateral relationship.

Citing Japanese government sources, Kyodo News reported that Masaaki Kanai, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, met with his Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong on Tuesday to discuss bilateral issues.

Reports suggest that through the discussions, Tokyo aims to defuse the diplomatic spat that is impacting tourism, education and entertainment exchanges between the two neighbouring countries.

More than 70 schools in the Australian capital of Canberra were ordered to close on Monday due to growing concerns about possible asbestos contamination from decorative sand products.

The government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) said that 71 of 94 public schools in Canberra and surrounding suburbs would be closed on Monday after an audit found widespread use of sand products in which asbestos had been detected.

It comes after 24 ACT schools and preschools were fully or partially closed on Friday, with two reopening on Monday.

US President Donald Trump has cut tariffs on food imports as “affordability” is emerging as a potential political force, and India’s mango, pomegranate, and tea exports may benefit.

Tropical fruits and juices, tea, and spices were among the imports that won’t be hit by reciprocal tariffs, the White House announced on Friday.

The other items mentioned in the White House Factsheet were coffee and tea, cocoa, oranges, tomatoes, and beef.

Trump imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on imports from India and added a punitive 25 per cent for buying Russian oil.