Hong Kong democracy activists kicked off a weekend of fresh protests on Saturday in a major test for the movement following criticism over an airport protest earlier this week - and as concerns mount over Beijing's next move.

President Donald Trump met with his top national security advisers on Friday to review a US-Taliban peace plan that could end America's longest running war - but also trigger a surrender for the US and a betrayal of the Afghan government, critics say.

North Korea rejected further peace talks with Seoul Friday on the same day it launched at least two projectiles - the sixth such test in a month, according to South Korea's military. The statement from North Korea followed a speech on Thursday by South Korean President Moon Jae-in marking the 74th anniversary of Korean independence. In it, Moon vowed reunification of the Korean peninsula by 2045 - a subject that Pyongyang views as provocative.

The top Democrat in the US Congress Nancy Pelosi warned Wednesday that lawmakers would block any trade pact with Britain if its exit from the EU undermines Northern Ireland's peace accord, which has brought the 30-year conflict in the region to an end.

In a speech marking the 74th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's rule from 1910 to 1945, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Thursday urged Japan to contemplate its wartime past and offered to engage in talks to repair strained ties, while Japan pledged to never repeat the horrors of war.

Canada's ethics commissioner on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of improperly pressuring the country's former attorney general to halt the criminal prosecution of a major engineering firm that has been accused of bribery to secure contracts.

Four European countries and the United States urged Kosovo and Serbia on Tuesday to re-launch their dialogue on normalizing ties if they wish to advance their bid for EU membership, news wires reported. "The status quo prevents progress on Kosovo's and Serbia's path toward the European Union (EU) and is simply not sustainable," the so-called Quint group of the US, Italy, France, Germany and Britain said in a joint statement.

Pro-democracy protesters retreated from Hong Kong's airport after holding two days of hugely disruptive rallies that turned violent and plunged the global financial hub further into turmoil. The protests ended early Wednesday morning following a series of clashes in which a policeman drew his gun after being beaten by demonstrators and other officers fired pepper spray, AFP reports.

The administration of US President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping rule on Monday that some experts say could cut legal immigration in half by denying visas and permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of people for being too poor, news wires reported.

Beijing on Monday warned that escalating violence by anti-government protesters in Hong Kong, especially against the police, was showing “signs of terrorism” and reiterated its support for the city’s force to take resolute action to crack down on “rioters”, news wires reported.