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Asian, European markets rise as Fed eases fears of huge rate hike

Markets rallied Thursday after the US Federal Reserve played down chances of a huge interest rate hike in the near future, while oil extended gains as the European Union moved to ban imports from Russia.

Romania Black Sea port becoming Ukrainian export hub

Like a giant elephant trunk, a huge hose sweeps above the hold of a ship in Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta, spilling tons of corn into the vessel before it sets sail.

Swiss Guard tailor stitches papal defenders' pantaloons

Under the watchful gaze of former popes in framed photographs hanging on the walls, tailor Ety Cicioni races to stitch the brightly coloured uniforms for pontifical Swiss Guard recruits ahead of their swearing-in ceremony.

Australian PM urges calm after Solomons leader cites 'invasion' threat

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged a calm response Thursday after the Solomon Islands' leader cited an "invasion" threat and said his nation was being treated like an infant wielding a handgun.

UK voters head to polls with historic N.Ireland result predicted

Polls open across the UK on Thursday in local and regional elections that could prove historic in Northern Ireland and heap further pressure on embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Russian ceasefire to begin at besieged Mariupol steel plant

A Russian-announced ceasefire was due to begin Thursday at the besieged steel plant in the devastated Ukrainian city of Mariupol, to allow civilians to flee even as its defenders vowed to fight to the end.

The inmate and the officer: Alabama's improbable prison escape

A guard with a spotless record and a convict accused of murder -- this unlikely pair has vexed US law enforcement for days as they investigate an Alabama prison break seemingly planned down to the last detail.

Russia's relentless hunt of Chechens decades after Putin's war

Twenty years after Vladimir Putin flattened their capital Grozny in the same way that his forces are now destroying Mariupol, Chechens refugees in Europe still live in fear of Russia's long arm.

Trading strikes as tension builds in Ukraine no-man's land

The blaze in a football field-length storage building had been burning at least a day -- but there are no firefighters in Temyrivka because everyone has evacuated, leaving the black smoke to rise unhindered.

Brazil's Lula says Zelensky shares blame for Ukraine war

Brazilian presidential front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin bear equal responsibility for the war in Ukraine, putting the leftist icon at odds with Western powers.

Mexico enlists private sector to help tame inflation

Mexico announced Wednesday an agreement with members of the private sector aimed at maintaining prices of staple foods in the face of the highest inflation in two decades.

EU eyes Russian oil import ban as Azovstal under fresh fire

The European Commission proposed a gradual ban on Russian oil imports to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine Wednesday, as officials in the destroyed city of Mariupol reported heavy fighting at the Azovstal steel plant.

Cuban wrestling champ absconds in Mexico

Olympic wrestling champion Ismael Borrero has become the latest Cuban athlete to abscond while abroad, leaving the delegation in Mexico for the Pan-American Wrestling Championships, sports officials said.

Will Brazil's Bolsonaro stage a comeback election win?

A few months back, President Jair Bolsonaro was getting crushed in the polls for Brazil's October elections, trailing his nemesis, ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, so badly it seemed he might lose in the first round.

Stocks waver as Fed rate looms, oil soars on EU embargo

Global stock markets wavered on Wednesday as investors braced for an expected half-point interest rate hike from the inflation-fighting US Federal Reserve.

Burundi says 10 troops killed in attack on AU base in Somalia

Ten Burundian peacekeepers were killed in Tuesday's attack by Al-Shabaab jihadists on an African Union (AU) base in Somalia, Burundi's army said Wednesday.

French left reaches deal on alliance to hamper Macron

France's left-of-centre parties on Wednesday reached an alliance deal for June parliamentary polls, aiming for a strong enough showing to hinder President Emmanuel Macron's controversial reform plans.

US trade deficit hits highest on record as imports soar

A surge in imports of goods and services in March drove the US trade gap to the highest level ever recorded, with huge increases in purchases of autos, computers, furniture and clothing, the government reported Wednesday.

Myanmar junta court rejects Suu Kyi corruption appeal

A Myanmar junta court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi against a five-year sentence for corruption handed down last week, according to a source with knowledge of the case.

Patriarch Kirill, loyal Kremlin cleric facing sanctions

Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia's Orthodox Church now facing European sanctions over Ukraine, is a fervent supporter of President Vladimir Putin who once described his rule as a "miracle".

In east Ukraine, the war-weary listen out to stay alive

After hearing the shells raining down around her for weeks, 58-year-old Ludymyla is still learning to differentiate between the sounds of the explosions ripping apart towns in war-scarred Donbas.

Ukrainian supporters rally behind embattled Azov regiment

Valentyna Ocheretna has waited in vain for weeks for a call from her son Sasha. In March, he was wounded in battle against Russian troops in the strategic city of Mariupol. Since then, there's been silence.

Social media threatening press freedom: Nobel laureate

The rise of social media has allowed dangerous propaganda to flourish and left professional journalists facing constant threat of attack, according to Philippine journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Ressa.

Costa Rica president-elect says will not ratify environment treaty

Costa Rican President-elect Rodrigo Chaves said Tuesday that his government would not ratify the Escazu Agreement that establishes protection for environmentalists.

North Korea fires ballistic missile in latest show of force

North Korea fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, Seoul said, a week after Kim Jong Un vowed to boost Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal and just days before the South inaugurates a new, hawkish president.

Ukrainian tartan proves a hit in Scotland

At a tartan workshop in northeast Scotland, machines slowly unwind miles of the familiar criss-cross patterns of fabric in green, red, black, blue and white.

North Korea fires ballistic missile, Seoul says

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, just a week after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to boost Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal at the "fastest possible speed".

South Ukraine shows signs Russia has come to stay

A Russian military plane was flying in the skies over Berdyansk, a city in southern Ukraine, but no one took much notice.

Asian markets drift ahead of key Fed rate decision

Investors shifted cautiously in Asian trade Wednesday as they nervously awaited what is expected to be the biggest Federal Reserve interest rate hike in more than two decades.

Adoration turns to anger towards crisis-hit Sri Lanka's ruling clan

"Gota Go Home" -- graffiti calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit has appeared on the roads of Hambantota, the traditional stronghold of the family that dominates Sri Lankan politics.

Al-Shabaab claims deadly attack on AU base in Somalia

Al-Shabaab jihadists armed with guns and explosives stormed an African Union base in Somalia on Tuesday, triggering a fierce firefight that killed an unknown number of Burundian peacekeepers.

Survivors of Russian bombings cling on in flattened flats

Ukrainian literature teacher Tetyana Sobistiyanska has not washed since March 15.

Biden tours anti-tank missile factory, urges billions for Ukraine

Standing in front of stacks of Javelin missiles at an Alabama factory, President Joe Biden told workers assembling the weapon, which has been wreaking havoc on Russian tanks in Ukraine, that they are part of a historic battle for democracy.

Tears and relief, as Azovstal evacuees reach safety

Their bunker couldn't withstand a direct hit from ferocious Russian bombardment, food was running out and finding water could get them killed -- yet that ordeal finally ended Tuesday for Azovstal evacuees in the banal safety of a shopping centre car park.

Armenia detains 200 protesters as pressure on PM grows

Police in Armenia on Tuesday detained more than 200 anti-government protesters as opposition parties upped pressure on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over his handling of a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.

In eastern Ukraine, a funeral shop becomes a place of refuge

Antonina Boloto sits at a small table decorated with flowers solving a crossword in her funeral supply store, with a view of a building destroyed by Russian shelling in the east Ukrainian town of Severodonetsk.

On both sides of US abortion debate, protesters vow to 'fight'

Shouts of "My body! My choice!" clashed with "Abortion is violence" as rival demonstrators for and against abortion rights faced off outside the US Supreme Court for a second day on Tuesday.

Propaganda in Russia arguing for nuclear weapons use: Nobel laureate

Russian journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov decried Tuesday Russian propaganda arguing for using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, warning that would signal "the end of humanity".

US begins issuing first visas in Cuba in more than 4 years

The US embassy in Cuba began issuing visas on Tuesday for the first time since alleged sonic attacks against diplomatic staff more than four years ago.

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