President Joe Biden on Wednesday cancelled the final overseas trip of his presidency just hours before he was set to depart for Rome and the Vatican, choosing to remain in Washington to monitor the response to devastating fires raging in California.

A fast-moving fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, threatening one of Los Angeles' most iconic spots as firefighters battled to get under control three other major blazes that killed five people, put 100,000 people under evacuation orders and ravaged the city from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena.

Rome: An Italian journalist detained in Iran for three weeks was freed Wednesday and returned home, after her fate had become intertwined with that of an Iranian engineer arrested in Italy and wanted by the United States.

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has warned that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the hostages being held by Hamas are not released by Inauguration Day.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked outrage on Monday by declaring that parts of the occupied West Bank "must look like Gaza's Jabalia," referencing the extensive destruction inflicted on the besieged enclave during Israel's ongoing military operations.

Rescue workers in the cold, high-altitude Tibet region in western China searched for more survivors and victims Wednesday, one day after a strong earthquake levelled thousands of houses and killed at least 126 people.

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he will use “economic force” to make Canada a part of the United States, a comment that attracted sharp reaction from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Dhaka: Bangladesh's interim government on Tuesday said it has revoked the passport of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 96 others over their alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and the July killings.