US Vice President Kamala Harris will head the new federal office, as she and Biden gear up for the 2024 election. The White House efforts towards gun control are unlikely to be effective without the support of Congress.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was optimistic about the prospect of reaching an agreement with Saudi Arabia, even as the peace pact still faces major hurdles.

During a speech in France, the Catholic leader urged a humane pan-European response to migration. French President Emmanuel Macron attended the address as his government deliberates a harsher response to asylum-seekers.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the US takes "very, very seriously" incidents of "transnational repression," adding that he wants to ensure "accountability."

An explosion erupted at a warehouse for smuggled fuel in southern Benin. Benin's informal economy is heavily reliant on selling smuggled Nigerian fuel on the black market.

Pakistan's parliamentary elections will be held next January, the country's election authority announced on Thursday, delaying the vote that was initially tabled for November. The Election Commission of Pakistan said the elections are scheduled for the last week of January.