Fresh testimony Wednesday from survivors of a deadly shipwreck in the Mediterranean raised the likely death toll for the past 48 hours to 240 people, confirming fears of rescuers who had warned dozens probably died.

Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims are fleeing a military crackdown in western Myanmar to Bangladesh, trying to escape an upsurge of violence that has brought the total number of dead confirmed by the army to more than 130.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will run for a fourth term next year, a lawmaker in her conservative party said, though her spokesman brushed off the comments and said she would address the issue "at the suitable time".

New Zealand emergency services and defence personnel evacuated hundreds of tourists and residents from a small South Island town amid more strong aftershocks on Tuesday, a day after a powerful earthquake killed two people.

Pakistan has ordered Turkish teachers at schools with alleged links to a Turkish cleric opposed to President Tayyip Erdogan to leave the country, as it prepared to host the Turkish leader on Wednesday.

Filipino and US troops began training exercises this week, the Philippines military said on Wednesday, despite President Rodrigo Duterte's threats to end joint war games and kick American soldiers out of his country.

Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday threw his weight behind a massive rally planned for this weekend to demand that scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak resign.

The number of people across the globe suffering from high blood pressure has almost doubled over the past four decades, with the biggest rise in south Asia and Africa, researchers said on Wednesday.

The world's first pizza drone delivery was claimed on Wednesday by the New Zealand division of fast food giant Domino's, as it looks to grab a slice of a potentially hot future market.

Pakistan's top foreign affairs official has said he plans to visit India next month for a regional conference, the first high-profile visit since tensions spiralled between the arch-rivals after a deadly attack on an Indian army base.

India's foreign minister said on Wednesday she was in hospital being treated for kidney failure and undergoing tests for a possible transplant, an announcement that raises questions over how long she can stay in the job.

A suicide bomber on foot struck a government vehicle in Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding 10 others, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.