World News is the news media jargon for information about events occurring outside of a nation’s borders or concerning a subject of global importance. This is a very broad category that includes events of political, economic and military importance, as well as natural disasters. News of this type is generally distributed by a global news agency or, in the case of war, by a national press service. The term “world news” is often used to distinguish international coverage from domestic coverage, although it is sometimes difficult to make a distinction between the two.

Qatar mediates a push for a pause in Israel-Hamas fighting. Plus, protesters demand their city councils pass resolutions pressuring the Biden administration to act on the conflict. Also, House Republicans continue the process of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

A doping ruling clears the way for U.S. figure skaters to get their first team gold medal at the 2022 Olympic Games. Plus, a company’s decision to bypass the Red Sea threatens Yemeni ports and hurts business partners. And a member of a rock band criticizing Russia is locked up in Thailand.

The news media of the 17th century focused largely on foreign affairs, as evidenced by the name of some early newspapers in Europe: the Daily Courant (England), the Nieuwe Tijudinger (Antwerp), and the Relation oder Zeitung (Strasbourg). With innovations in telecommunications, such as the telegraph, it became easier to report news from abroad.

Today, major news agencies, such as Reuters, AP and AFP prepare hard news stories and feature articles that can be used by other news organizations with little or no modification. They then distribute the stories to other news organizations by electronic means, originally by telegraphy and now mostly via the Internet. Individuals, companies and intelligence agencies may also subscribe to the services of major news agencies. In this way, the major news organizations serve as a sort of central nervous system for reporting on the world.