NEW YORK, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Uncertainty and anxiety loom over the 2024 U.S. presidential election as the Iowa caucus on Monday kicked off the official race for the White House.

Only 31 minutes after the caucuses in the Midwestern U.S. state had begun Monday evening, former President Donald Trump was projected to easily win the first major test of the 2024 Republican primary race.

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/: Russia is gaining allies around the world, as most countries support the idea of a multipolar world, so Russian parliamentarians need to build and develop relations with them, Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said, speaking at the first plenary session of the chamber's spring meeting.

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces rebellion from senior lawmakers in his Conservative Party over his stalled plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda, a controversial and expensive policy that the British leader has made central to his attempt to win an election this year.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 16 (NNN-XINHUA) – UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, yesterday again called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, as the conflict turns 100 days.

There is one solution to help address all the issues of the unprecedented level of civilian casualties and catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the fate of the hostages, and the tensions that are spilling over across the region, he told reporters. “We need an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.”

ABOARD A FRENCH AIR FORCE AWACS (AP) — Off in the distance, Ukraine, fighting for its survival. Seen from up here, in the cockpit of a French air force surveillance plane flying over neighboring Romania, the snow-dusted landscapes look deceptively peaceful.

The dead from Russia’s war, the shattered Ukrainian towns and mangled battlefields, aren’t visible to the naked eye through the clouds.

BAGHDAD, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Three armed drones were shot down Tuesday near a military base hosting U.S. and other international troops in northern Iraq, the Iraqi regional counter-terrorism service reported.

A statement from the service of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region did not say if there were any casualties or damage to infrastructure due to the attack, which happened at the Erbil International Airport.

DAVOS, January 16. /TASS/: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine as extremely difficult for the Ukrainian army and called for not underestimating Russia.

VIENTIANE, Jan 16 (NNN-KPL) – Six people suffered serious injuries, when a landmine detonated, as people prepared land for the planting of cassava in southern Laos’ Attapeu province.

The incident took place in Viengxay village of Phouvong district in Attapeu province, some 560 km south-east of the Lao capital, Vientiane, on Jan 11, Lao national radio reported, today.

The explosion wounded three females and three males, two of whom were children, according to the report.

DAVOS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday the kingdom could recognise Israel if a comprehensive agreement were reached that included statehood for the Palestinians, ambitious talk as the war between Israel and Hamas shows no sign of easing.

"We agree that regional peace includes peace for Israel, but that could only happen through peace for the Palestinians through a Palestinian state," Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Tuesday convicted the son of Somalia’s president over the death of a motorcycle courier and sentenced him to 2 1/2 years in prison. The sentence, however, was immediately commuted to a fine.

Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was charged with “causing death by negligence” after a diplomatic car he was driving hit Yunus Emre Gocer on a highway in Istanbul on Nov. 30. An arrest warrant was issued for Mohamud after Gocer died six days later, but the president’s son had already left Turkey.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Malaysian authorities said yesterday, they had seized 528 kg of drugs worth 19 million ringgit (4.06 million U.S. dollars) hidden in a forest reserve in Perlis state, near the border with Thailand.

Four suspects had been arrested in connection with the case, with four vehicles and seven motorcycles seized as well, Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director, Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said.

LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defeated an initial right-wing rebellion in his party on Tuesday over legislation to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, refusing to cede ground in a battle that prompted two of his vocal supporters to resign.

The resignations of two Conservative vice-chairmen underlined the deep divisions in Sunak's governing party over legislation he believes is crucial in turning round his party's popularity before an election this year.