Egypt and Qatar issued a joint statement on Wednesday affirming their ongoing mediation efforts to address a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.Egypt and Qatar said their efforts are closely coordinated with the United States to reach an agreement that ensures civilian protection and humanitarian aid.

The Israel Air Force intercepted a drone coming from the East, the military said on Wednesday.

China called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and put peace and stability first, its foreign ministry said in response to the military escalation between the South Asian countries.The Chinese ministry said in a statement it regrets India's military action and is concerned about the current situation.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Paris on Wednesday, his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, as he seeks international support for his efforts to bring greater stability to his war-shattered country.Sharaa, who will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, received an exemption from the United Nations to travel to Paris as he remains on a terrorism sanctions list for his previous leadership of the Islamist armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate.The two leaders will discuss how to ensure Syria's sovereignty and security, the handling of minorities after recent attacks against Alawites and Druze, counter-terrorism efforts against Islamic State terrorists, and the coordination of aid and economic support, including an easing of sanctions, French officials said.

Roman Catholic cardinals will begin the task on Wednesday of electing a new pope, locking themselves away from the world until they choose the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church.

Former US president Joe Biden said his successor Donald Trump's pressure on Ukraine to give up territory to Russia is a form of "modern-day appeasement" that will never satisfy Moscow.In an interview with the BBC broadcast on Wednesday, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Ukraine is part of "mother Russia" and "anybody who thinks he's going to stop is just foolish.""I just don't understand how people think that if we allow a dictator, a thug, to decide he's going to take significant portions of land that aren't his, that that's going to satisfy him," he told the BBC. "I don't quite understand."

A Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet crashed in northern Finland on Wednesday, the country's Air Force said in a statement.The pilot used an ejection seat and has been located, it added.