Police and military forces in Arab countries are being urged to feed data - including biometric markers - into an international database with nearly 44,000 terrorist profiles, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Secretary General Jurgen Stock told officers at a meeting of the Arab Interior Ministers Council (AIMC) in Tunis on Wednesday.

Berlin police have enhanced security measures at Christmas fairs following Tuesday's shooting in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, local media reported, citing a police spokesperson.

A prominent human rights watchdog urged the Thai authorities on Wednesday to lift restrictions imposed on free speech in light of the upcoming elections in the country.

The Philippine Congress granted President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend martial law in the country's south until the end of 2019 on Wednesday, ignoring opposition warnings of a creep towards authoritarian rule.

Separatist Papuan rebels who killed at least 16 construction workers at a remote jungle camp refused Indonesia's demand to surrender Wednesday, as claims surfaced that the military murdered civilians after the massacre.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was charged on Wednesday with tampering with the 1MDB strategic development company's final audit report, in addition to corruption charges that Najib pleaded not guilty to, local media reported.