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By Maya Gebeily and Aziz Taher, Reuters This picture shows the destruction from Israeli bombardments in Lebanon southern village of Khiam on 27 November. Photo: AFP A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah held on Wednesday after the two sides struck a deal brokered by the US and France, but Israel warned local residents not to return to the border area yet. The ceasefire agreement, a rare diplomatic feat in a region wracked by conflict for months, ended the deadliest confrontation between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group in years, but Israel is still fighting its other arch foe the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Cars and vans piled high with mattresses, suitcases and even furniture streamed through the heavily-bombed southern port c...

By Joseph Ax, Helen Coster and James Oliphant, Reuters Nearly 75,000 Americans died from synthetic drug overdoses in 2023, according to government figures. Photo: 123RF US President-elect Donald Trump's vow to impose tariffs on China and Mexico unless they stem the flow of fentanyl and migrants across the US border could impel deeper cooperation from those governments on drug policing, experts said. But the threat also carries risk, particularly concerning US-Chinese collaboration on fighting fentanyl, which had improved this year after bilateral negotiations between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In social media posts on Monday, Trump promised to impose additional 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports and 25 percent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods - t...

Melbourne teenager Bianca Jones died after suspected Laos methanol poisoning. Photo: Facebook Six tourists have died of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos, and more are still in hospital. An expert explains why methanol kills, and how to survive. Surviving methanol poisoning requires getting medical help fast - but getting that care is far from straightforward when you are miles away from a hospital. Six foreign tourists have died in the past week after consuming drinks containing methanol in Vang Vieng, Laos. Many more were caught up in the incident, including a Kiwi who has since returned home. Freelance journalist Erin Hale is based in Taiwan, but has spent time in Laos. She says that while there is a clinic in Vang Vieng, she does not think it is equipped to handle a case as ser...