World News Roundup: Pakistan recalls ambassador from Iran after airspace violation; Blinken says US in demand as he mourns 'gutwrenching' scenes in Gaza and more

The National Bureau of Statistics said the total number of people in China dropped by 2.08 million, or 0.15%, to 1.409 billion in 2023. Azerbaijan accuses EU of meddling by criticising treatment of jailed journalists Azerbaijan's foreign ministry on Wednesday accused the European Union's ambassador to the oil-rich country of interfering in its judicial system after the envoy said he was "appalled" by reports of the way jailed journalists were being treated.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Pakistan recalls ambassador from Iran after airspace violation

Pakistan on Wednesday said it will recall its ambassador in Tehran after Iran violated its airspace, the Pakistani foreign ministry said. Pakistan will also not allow to Iran's envoy in Islamabad, who is visiting his home country, to return, the ministry's spokesperson said in a statement.

Blinken says US in demand as he mourns 'gutwrenching' scenes in Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told business and political leaders in Davos on Wednesday he could not think of a time in his career when there had been more global challenges, ranging from war in Gaza and Ukraine to tensions over Taiwan. Blinken said that almost none of the problems that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration wanted to address could be tackled in isolation, echoing comments on Tuesday by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who called for greater global cooperation.

Germans protest nationwide after far-right meeting on deportation plan

Protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany party are gaining momentum in the wake of a report that two senior party members joined a meeting to discuss plans for the mass deportation of citizens of foreign origin. While the party has long railed against immigrants, the proposals for "unassimilated citizens" to be deported to "a model state in north Africa", reported by outlet Correctiv, have struck a nerve in Germany. Some have compared them to the Nazis' initial plan to deport European Jews to Madagascar.

Putin and Iran's Raisi to sign new interstate treaty soon - Russia

Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it expected President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart to soon sign a new interstate treaty between the two countries which was in the final stages of being agreed. Putin held five hours of talks in the Kremlin with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi last month amid growing political, trade and military ties between Moscow and Tehran that the United States and Israel views with concern.

Winter weather snarls air, train travel across Germany

Freezing rain in central and southern Germany grounded hundreds of flights and restricted train traffic on Wednesday as the weather service warned of slippery roads and heavy snowfall.

At Frankfurt airport, 570 of the 1,047 scheduled arrivals and departures were cancelled, while 254 flights were scratched at Munich airport and a smaller airport in the southern city of Saarbruecken ceased operations completely.

Argentina's Milei to meet UK foreign minister, IMF on Davos trip

Argentina's President Javier Milei will meet British foreign minister David Cameron and IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva on his trip to Davos, where he is expected to pitch his ultra-liberal government programme in a special address later on Wednesday. His foreign minister Diana Mondino will also meet Cameron, as well as the foreign ministers of the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Lithuania and the Swiss secretary for economic affairs, according to her agenda.

Macron's economic plan avoids tough budget questions

French President Emmanuel Macron steered clear of tricky budget questions about where billions of euros in cost savings will be found when he sketched out his plans for the rest of his term in office. France needs to find huge budget savings each year for the rest of Macron's term ending in 2027 if it has any hope of sticking to a commitment of bringing the budget deficit in line with EU rules by then.

Jordan says southern Gaza hospital badly damaged by Israeli shelling nearby

Israel stepped up its assault on Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Wednesday, pushing tanks westwards and prompting accusations from Jordan that its field hospital in the city had been badly damaged by nearby shelling. The Jordanian army said it held Israel responsible for a "flagrant breach of international law" in what it said was the damage to the facility as a result of Israeli shelling in the vicinity. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

China's population drops for 2nd year, with record low birth rate

China's population fell for a second consecutive year in 2023, as a record low birth rate and a wave of COVID-19 deaths when strict lockdowns ended accelerated a downturn that will have profound long-term effects on the economy's growth potential. The National Bureau of Statistics said the total number of people in China dropped by 2.08 million, or 0.15%, to 1.409 billion in 2023.

Azerbaijan accuses EU of meddling by criticising treatment of jailed journalists

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry on Wednesday accused the European Union's ambassador to the oil-rich country of interfering in its judicial system after the envoy said he was "appalled" by reports of the way jailed journalists were being treated. Ten journalists have been arrested in Azerbaijan since late November, with two detained in January, pat of what critics say is a crackdown on independent media ahead of a presidential election.