World News

NAIROBI (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga led Kenya's presidential race, official election results showed on Saturday, pushing Deputy President William Ruto into second place.

BEIJING (AP + Diplomat.so) — China said Monday it was extending threatening military exercises surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and substantially raised concerns about the potential for conflict in a region crucial to global trade.

London (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - Britain's first scheduled flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda was set to depart on Tuesday, with the government warning that anyone who avoided it through last-minute legal challenges would be put on a later plane despite an outcry from critics.

GOMA, DRC (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - The armed forces of Democratic Republic of Congo have accused Rwanda of sending 500 special forces in disguise into Congolese territory, the latest accusation in an escalating dispute between the neighbours.

DUBAI (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - The United Arab Emirates' de facto leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was elected president of the Gulf Arab state by a federal supreme council on Saturday, solidifying his rule over the OPEC oil producer and key regional player.

LONDON (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party lost control of traditional strongholds in London and suffered setbacks elsewhere in local elections, with voters punishing his government over a series of scandals.

SEOUL (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - North Korea fired a "hypersonic missile" this week that successfully hit a target, state news agency KCNA reported on Thursday, its second such test as the country pursues new military capabilities amid stalled denuclearisation talks.

Manila (AFP + Diplomat.so) - The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year surged to 375 on Monday, as desperate survivors pleaded for urgent supplies of drinking water and food.

Tokyo (AFP + Diplomat.so) – Twenty-seven people were feared dead after a blaze swept through a commercial building housing a mental health clinic in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday, fire officials said.

Washington (AFP + Diplomat.so) – The Pentagon said Monday that no US troops or officials would face disciplinary action for a drone strike in Kabul in August that killed 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children.

Managua (AFP + Diplomat.so) - Nicaragua switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China on Thursday, meaning just 14 nations now recognize the democratic island that Beijing has vowed to one day seize.

MADRID (AP + Diplomat.so) — Spain's prime minister on Monday urged people to "remain prudent" about COVID-19 over the holidays, as Christmas festivities at one Spanish hospital are suspected of infecting dozens of staff.

Geneva, Switzerland (AFP + Diplomat.so) - The Omicron variant has been detected in 38 countries but no deaths have yet been reported, the WHO said on Friday, as authorities worldwide rushed to stem the spread of the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain.

Addis Ababa (AFP + Diplomat.so) - Britain on Wednesday urged its nationals to leave Ethiopia as soon as possible, citing the potential for fighting to move closer to the capital.

Addis Ababa (FBC + Diplomat.so) – The Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) has called on the former military personnel to register and join the national army in the fight against the terrorist TPLF Group forces.

Kabul (AFP + Diplomat.so) - A Taliban military commander in Kabul was among the fighters killed when his men responded to an Islamic State attack on a hospital, officials said Wednesday.

TRIPOLI (Xinhua + Diplomat.so) - Libya's High National Elections Commission (HNEC) on Sunday announced a plan for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

Kampala (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - A deadly blast in Kampala late on Saturday appeared to be an act of terrorism, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on Sunday.

Tel Aviv (AFP + Diplomat.so) - Israel plans to build more residences for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, a government ministry said Sunday, adding to those announced in August by the new ruling coalition.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP + Diplomat.so) — Ukraine's coronavirus infections and deaths reached all-time highs for a second straight day Friday, in a growing challenge for the country with one of Europe's lowest shares of vaccinated people.