Reuters

William Lai Ching-te takes office as Taiwan's president on Monday (May 20), facing a China that calls him a "dangerous separatist" while ramping up military drills, as well as a fractured parliament that's set to make running the democratically-ruled island more of a challenge. Diane To reports.

South Africa urged the U.N.'s top court on Thursday (May 16) to order a halt to Israel's offensive on Rafah, saying attacks on the southern Gaza city "must be stopped" to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people. Angela Johnston reports.

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would force President Joe Biden to send weapons to Israel, seeking to rebuke the Democrat for delaying bomb shipments as he urges Israel to do more to protect civilians during its war with Hamas. Ryan Chang has the details.

Britain's King Charles joined the cast and audience in applauding Antonio Pappano for his 22 years as Music Director in a celebration at London's Royal Opera House on Thursday (May 16).

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Harbin on Friday (May 17) (Thursday, May 16, GMT) on the second leg of his two-day state visit to China, his first foreign visit after victory in the presidential election.

Oscar-nominated Irish actor Barry Keoghan and German indie movie darling Franz Rogowski premiered their new film "Bird" at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday (May 16).

Donald Trump's lawyer on Thursday accused star witness Michael Cohen of lying at the former U.S. president's trial about a phone conversation he claimed to have had with Trump about a hush money payment to a porn star shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Zachary Goelman reports.

The United States anchored a temporary floating pier to a beach in Gaza on Thursday (May 16) to boost aid deliveries. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the pier "has been coordinated to support USAID's and the U.N.'s effort to deliver and distribute aid."

From Andy Warhol's colorful depiction of Queen Elizabeth II to Cecil Beaton's pictures of her sister Princess Margaret, a new exhibition looks at portrait photography of Britain's royal family over the last 100 years. Alesandro Nasini with the Royal Collection Trust said the exhibit "goes from the very private to the very public."

Actor Marisa Abela, who portrays the late British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse in the new film, 'Back to Black,' says her aim in the movie was to portray the "human behind the icon." Director Sam Taylor-Johnson says she tried to maintain authenticity in the film using very specific items and details.

Kimia Alizadeh made history by becoming the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic medal back in 2016. After defecting, the taekwondo athlete is aiming for gold at this year's Paris Games under Bulgaria's flag. Olivia Zollino has more.

German archeologists have unearthed the skeleton of a man who lived around 4,800 BC in a village in Lower Bavaria. The grave goods suggest he was probably a kind of village elder or even an early "mayor," which makes it a very special excavation, according to archeologist Florian Eibl.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned what they cast as increasingly aggressive U.S. behavior on Thursday (May 16) and pledged to deepen their countries' already close defense and military ties. Putin's two-day visit to Beijing comes as the war in Ukraine, where Russian forces are advancing on several fronts, rumbles on. Lauren Anthony reports.

Off the shore of Phuket, Thai scientists release nearly a dozen endangered leatherback baby turtles into the vast blue Indian Ocean, each equipped with a tiny satellite tag on its back. The project is part of an international initiative to study geographical areas frequented by baby sea turtles. Ilan Rubens has more.

France is aiming to regain full control of events in New Caledonia "in the coming hours," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Thursday (May 16). The announcement comes after a third night of deadly riots over a contested electoral reform that will let French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years vote in provincial elections - a move some local leaders fear will dilute the indigenous Kanak vote.

With South Africa's election fast approaching, residents in the village of Komati say they are the victims of efforts by the ruling African National Congress to balance the need to keep the lights on in a coal-driven economy with its global commitments to decarbonize. David Doyle has more.

Before and after satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies revealed the scale of Palestinian displacement from Rafah towards coastal areas further north as Israel intensifies its military operations. Israel has told Palestinians in parts of Rafah to evacuate to those areas, where an expansion of tents and shelters could be seen in the images.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was in a "very serious" but stable condition on Thursday (May 16), a hospital official said, after he was shot five times in an assassination attempt that has laid bare deep political divisions in the country. Sean Hogan has more.

A powerful explosion ripped through an apartment building in the western German city of Duesseldorf early on Thursday (May 16) and left at least three people dead and 16 others injured, two of whom were fighting for their lives, according to the local fire department. It was not immediately known what caused the explosion inside a ground floor kiosk of a six-storey building.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping at a joint news conference in Beijing on Thursday (May 16) that Moscow was grateful to China for trying to solve the Ukraine crisis.

Marvel royalty Chris Hemsworth walked the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet alongside star-of-the-show Anya Taylor-Joy to mark the world premiere of director George Miller's much-awaited "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga."

When Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton were preparing to film Season 3 of the regency era romance series “Bridgerton,” they knew they were going from supporting characters to main characters. And it was "scary," the pair told Reuters during an interview in London in April.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was in a "very serious" but stable condition on Thursday (May 16), Hospital Director Miriam Lapunikova said, after he was shot five times in an assassination attempt that laid bare deep political divisions in the country.

France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific island of New Caledonia on Wednesday after three young indigenous Kanak and a police official were killed in riots over electoral reform. Ryan Chang has the details.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks with Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Thursday (May 16) as the Russian leader began his two-day tour to the neighboring country.