The French government has surprised labour unions by announcing voluntary buyouts for some of the country's five million civil servants, an unprecedented move against jobs which are largely considered secure for life.

Many children and teenagers are among those missing after a ferry sank in the remote Pacific, official figures have revealed, with victims described as their region's "youngest and brightest".

A showdown over US immigration policy loomed on Wednesday after President Donald Trump laid out a tough deal in his State of The Union address that offers citizenship to 1.8 million "Dreamers" in exchange for sharp overall cuts to immigration.

President Donald Trump made a pitch for national unity and strong borders in his maiden State of the Union address Tuesday, calling for "one team, one people, and one American family" after a year plagued by acrimony, division, and scandal.

More than 5,000 federal security forces are being deployed across Mexico this week as violent crime has surged in popular tourist areas such as Los Cabos and Cancun, the interior minister said Tuesday.

Grieving parents testified on Tuesday at the first trial stemming from the 2015 Paris attacks, moving the two defendants to tears as they described losing their children to bombs and bullets.

More than 80 people were aboard a ferry that sank in the remote Pacific, officials confirmed on Wednesday, as a senior Kiribati lawmaker called for an independent inquiry into the vessel's disappearance.

South Korea will adopt a tracking system for poultry meats and their eggs to provide consumers with information about the complete supply chain and minimise fallout from contagious animal diseases, the agriculture ministry said  on Tuesday.

The UK government was under pressure on Tuesday to publish its latest Brexit analysis after a leaked internal report said Britain would be worse off whatever deal it strikes with the EU.