The United Nations Security Council is considering a French-drafted resolution that would task peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo with helping to prepare credible elections.

North Korea has broken its silence on the diplomatic thaw with Washington and Seoul, saying it is driving the "peace offensive" and rejecting suggestions that sanctions forced it to the negotiating table.

Nineteen people were killed and 21 others injured when a passenger bus lost control and plunged off a cliff in the central Philippines, police said on Wednesday.

A sixth explosion further rattled the city of Austin, Texas late Tuesday, but authorities quickly determined it was not related to a series of package bombs that have killed two people.

US President Donald Trump brushed aside concerns about a Democratic wave in this year's congressional elections, telling Republican lawmakers on Tuesday there is "no reason" they cannot win.

The United States is not seeking a trade war over tariffs but does not fear one, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday after a meeting of G20 finance ministers.

French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy was detained for questioning on Tuesday (Mar 20) over allegations the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi financed his 2007 election campaign, including with suitcases stuffed with cash, a source close to the inquiry told AFP.

A compromise could be reached as soon as this week between the European Union and United States over the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on steel and aluminum, a German minister said on Monday.

Turkey vowed on Monday to expand its operation in northern Syria to other Kurdish-held areas after its troops and allied forces seized control of the city of Afrin in a major blow to the Kurds.