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Japan PM expresses concern to Xi over South China Sea situation

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed "serious concerns" over the situation in the South China Sea to Chinese President Xi Jinping in their first in-person talks, Tokyo's foreign ministry said Saturday.

Mushroom houses for Gaza? Arab designers offer home-grown innovations

As winter descends on Gaza's tent cities, emergency housing made from mushrooms could keep out the cold -- just one of several sustainable, home-grown innovations put forward by Arab designers at an expo in Dubai.

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China says it has signed security pact with Solomon Islands

China said Tuesday it has sealed a wide-ranging security pact with the Solomon Islands, an agreement the United States and its regional allies fear could give Beijing a military foothold in the South Pacific.

War in Ukraine: From invasion to battle for Donbas

Russia invaded Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, setting off the worst conflict in Europe in decades.

Russia launches major 'offensive' in eastern Ukraine

Moscow launched dozens of air strikes across eastern Ukraine overnight, its defence ministry said Tuesday, after Kyiv accused Russian forces of unleashing a major new offensive in the Donbas region.

Six killed in blasts at Shiite school in Afghan capital

At least six people were killed and 11 wounded Tuesday by two bomb blasts at a boys' school in the Afghan capital, with social media showing grisly images from the Hazara Shiite neighbourhood.

French government to resign if Macron wins: PM

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said Tuesday that his government would tender its resignation if Emmanuel Macron is re-elected president, in a bid to provide a "new impetus" for Macron's centrist party ahead of parliamentary elections in June.

UK's Johnson to face MPs' fury over 'Partygate'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face angry lawmakers on Tuesday for the first time since being fined for breaking his own coronavirus laws by attending a party at his Downing Street office.

Casualties feared as blasts rock school in Afghan capital

Several casualties were feared after two bombs rocked a boys' school in a Shiite Hazara neighbourhood of the Afghan capital on Tuesday, police said, with social media showing grisly images of dead and wounded at the scene.

'We need help': Sierra Leone faces hardship amid Ukraine war

Iyesatu Turay, who lives in a sprawling slum of corrugated-iron shacks in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, says she doesn't have enough food to feed her family.

Russia's Donbas offensive advances with fall of Kreminna

The capture of the city of Kreminna may have heralded the start of a widely anticipated major Russian offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as fierce fighting raged in neighbouring Rubizhne.

UN to debate move to limit veto power of Security Council permanent members

Liechtenstein is to convene the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to debate a draft resolution -- backed by Washington -- requiring the five permanent members of the Security Council to justify their use of the veto.

Israel hits Gaza after rocket attack as Jerusalem tensions spike

Israel carried out its first air strikes on the Gaza Strip in months early Tuesday in response to a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave as tensions soar after a weekend of violence around a Jerusalem holy site.

Russia unleashes offensive into east Ukraine: Zelensky

Russia launched a major offensive into eastern Ukraine on Monday, authorities in Kyiv said, as Moscow opened a new phase of its invasion after being thwarted in efforts to capture the capital.

Biden has 'no plans' to visit Ukraine: W.House

President Joe Biden is not planning to visit Kyiv, despite Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky urging him to demonstrate US support for the fight against Russia by traveling to the embattled capital, the White House said Monday.

Several dozen hurt in days of unrest in Sweden

Several days of unrest in Sweden, sparked by a far-right group's burning of the Koran, have injured at least 40 people, police said on Monday, calling for more resources to deal with the violence.

US firm on nuclear accord as Iran casts blame

The United States on Monday appeared to dismiss a key Iranian demand to salvage a nuclear accord as Tehran blamed Washington for the prolonged impasse.

Gaza-Israel rocket fire intercepted as Jerusalem tensions spike

Gaza militants fired a rocket into Israel Monday, the Israeli army said, the first such incident in months and a sign that a wave of violence around a Jerusalem holy site could escalate further.

Three hurt in brazen Brazil robbery attempt

About 30 would-be robbers armed with machine guns terrorized a small Brazilian city overnight Sunday to Monday, injuring two police officers and a bystander in a brazen but ultimately failed assault on an armored cash van, authorities said.

As major economies meet, US looks to increase pressure on Russia

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen this week will call on her counterparts in major economies to ramp up the economic pain on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, a senior official said Monday.

Putin honours brigade accused of atrocities as strikes hit western Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday lauded a brigade accused by Ukraine of committing atrocities near the capital Kyiv as his forces pounded targets across the country, killing at least seven people in the western city of Lviv.

Mexico president decries 'treason' after power reforms defeated

Mexican lawmakers rejected constitutional electricity reforms at the center of diplomatic tensions with the United States, in a blow to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who accused his opponents Monday of betraying the nation.

Ukraine stares down Russia at Kharkiv's 'point zero'

From a muddied hideout on the edge of Kharkiv a Ukrainian officer peers at the horizon, tracing the Russian lines with his outstretched finger.

World Bank planning new $170 bn crisis fund: Malpass

The World Bank is seeking to create a $170 billion emergency fund to help the poorest nations being buffeted by multiple crises, the bank's President David Malpass said Monday.

Shabaab claims mortar attack as Somalia's new parliament meets

Somalia's parliament came under mortar fire on Monday as the country's newly elected lawmakers were meeting for only the second time since taking office, an attack claimed by the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab.

Deadly strike disrupts relative safety of Ukraine's Lviv

Inside a hotel housing displaced families in western Ukraine, a cleaner swept away shattered glass between washing machines and drying racks after a Russian missile hit a nearby garage during breakfast.

Air strikes hit western Ukraine as Russian forces mass in the east

Air strikes killed at least seven people in Ukraine's western city of Lviv on Monday, as Russia pounded targets across the country and massed forces for an expected all-out assault in the east.

US announces global Covid summit May 12

A global summit to chart an end to the Covid-19 crisis and plan for future upheavals will occur May 12, the White House said Monday, even as President Joe Biden struggles to get vital pandemic funding from Congress.

France's presidential rivals gird for high-stakes debate

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen traded barbs Monday as they returned to campaigning for the French presidency ahead of a prime-time debate that is likely to prove decisive ahead of Sunday's second-round run-off.

Ukraine shows video of detained Putin ally calling for Mariupol swap

Ukraine on Monday aired a video showing Viktor Medvedchuk, a detained pro-Russia tycoon and ally of President Vladimir Putin, seeking to be exchanged in return for an evacuation of civilians and troops from the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Air strikes hit western Ukraine as Russia forces mass in the east

Air strikes killed at least six people in Ukraine's western city of Lviv on Monday, as Russia pounded targets across the country while massing forces for an expected all-out assault in the east.

Ukraine says Russia wants to 'destroy' Donbas as Mariupol prepares final defence

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of wanting to "destroy" the entire eastern region of Donbas, as the last remaining forces in the strategic port of Mariupol prepared Monday for a final defence.

France's presidential rivals gear up for final week's campaigning

The two remaining contenders in the French presidential race return to the fray Monday after a brief Easter pause in campaigning and ahead of a high-stakes televised debate.

Mexican power reforms opposed by US face crunch vote

Mexican electricity reforms at the center of diplomatic tensions with the United States faced a major test as opposing lawmakers prepared Sunday to vote on the proposed constitutional amendment.

Putin and Maduro burnt as 'Judas' in Caracas

A four-headed mannequin carrying the faces of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was burnt in Caracas on Sunday as part of traditional "burning of Judas" celebrations at Easter.

New clashes over anti-immigration rally in Sweden

Swedish police said officers wounded three people Sunday in the eastern city of Norrkoping as demonstrators protested plans by a far-right group to burn copies of the Koran.

Israel government faces new split amid Jerusalem violence

Israel's fractious governing coalition faced a new split on Sunday when Arab-Israeli party Raam "suspended" its membership, after violence around a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site that wounded 170 people over the weekend.

'This is my third war': Ukraine's elderly are conflict's forgotten victims

Shuffling down the corridor of a refugee centre in Ukraine with his grey tracksuit sleeve rolled to his shoulder, 71-year-old Vladimir Lignov reveals the remains of a severed limb he says he can still feel.

Ukraine vows to fight to the end in Mariupol as ultimatum expires

Ukraine on Sunday vowed to fight to the end in Mariupol after a Russian ultimatum expired for remaining forces to surrender in the southeastern port city where Moscow is pushing for a major strategic victory.

Afghanistan death toll in 'Pakistan strikes' rises to at least 47: officials

The death toll from Pakistani military air strikes in the eastern Afghanistan provinces of Khost and Kunar has jumped to at least 47, officials said Sunday, as Islamabad urged Kabul to act against militants launching attacks from Afghan soil.

Ukrainian forces will 'fight to the end' in Mariupol: PM

Ukraine's prime minister said Sunday that the strategic port city of Mariupol "has not fallen" and that the encircled forces defending the city from Russian attack will "fight to the end."

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