The United States on Thursday sharply ramped up sanctions aimed at curtailing North Korea's nuclear weapons drive, targeting the regime's trading partners with a sweeping ban on business.

Oil-producing countries from inside and outside OPEC meet in Vienna on Friday as signs grow that their landmark agreement to cap output may finally be boosting the price of crude.

One in 12 global deaths over a five-year period can be prevented through 30 minutes of physical activity -- which can include house-cleaning or walking to work -- five days a week, researchers said on Friday.

Puerto Rico grappled with the prospect of more flooding on top of an island-wide power outage following Hurricane Maria as the death toll from the powerful storm hit 21, most of them on the tiny Caribbean island of Dominica.

Iraq has begun an offensive to retake Hawija, one of two remaining bastions of the Islamic State (IS) group in the country, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Thursday.

New Zealanders go to the polls on Saturday in a cliffhanger election that sees conservative Prime Minister Bill English battling a challenge from charismatic young rival Jacinda Ardern.

French unions will stage new protests on Thursday against an overhaul of the country's labour code, hoping to build pressure on President Emmanuel Macron days before his signature reform is expected to become law.

A landmark free trade deal linking EU and Canada went into effect on Thursday despite lingering opposition from activists worried about the pact's consequences on the environment and health.

The United Nations on Wednesday launched a new push to bring stability to Libya, which has been ravaged by chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi.