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Israel orders Beirut residents to flee after Hezbollah targets Haifa area

Israel issued evacuation orders Sunday for parts of south Beirut where it is targeting Hezbollah militants, hours after the Iran-backed group said it fired on several Israeli military bases around the coastal city of Haifa.

Trump and allies return to New York for UFC fights

US President-elect Donald Trump was greeted by chanting fans as he attended the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

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Conservative Yoon wins tight South Korean presidential race

The opposition conservative Yoon Suk-yeol has won South Korea's presidential election, Yonhap reported early Thursday, propelling a political novice and avowed anti-feminist to the helm of Asia's fourth largest economy.

Britain urges all G7 members to ban Russia oil imports

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday called on the entire G7 to ban Russia oil imports, saying the world's leading economies should "go further and faster" in punishing Moscow for invading Ukraine.

Two years on, WHO warns pandemic 'far from over'

The pandemic is far from over, the WHO's leader insisted Wednesday, two years after he first used the term to wake the world up to the emerging threat of Covid-19.

Spain an option as EU tries to cut reliance on Russian gas

With its undersea pipeline links to Algeria and vast network of liquified natural gas terminals, Spain is well placed to help Europe reduce its dependence on Russian gas imports.

'We will win': Ukraine families mourn their fallen soldiers

"My sunshine, my little one, we are going to win," sobs a woman, stroking the wooden coffin.

Stocks rebound, oil falls in volatile trading

US and European stocks surged on Wednesday while oil fell after days of market turmoil over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Biden orders work to begin on future digital dollar

President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered government agencies to begin work on creating a digital US dollar, weighing the risks and benefits of a move that could be a game changer for the global financial system.

Israel's president on landmark Turkey trip to 'restart' ties

Israel's president met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday, in the first visit by an Israeli head of state to Turkey since 2007, as the countries seek to mend fractured ties.

Turkey hosts top Russia, Ukraine diplomats in bid for peace

The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers will Thursday hold face-to-face talks in southern Turkey in the first high-level contact between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia invaded its neighbour two weeks ago.

Canada pledges more military gear for Ukraine

Canada will send an additional $50 million worth of military equipment to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday in Berlin.

'Brothers forever': many in Serbia back Russia amid global outcry

Amid the thunder of pro-Russian slogans and anti-NATO chants in the streets of Serbia's capital Belgrade, Marko Vezmar was unrepentant in his support for President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.

Davos cold shoulders Russians over Ukraine war invasion

The World Economic Forum said Wednesday it was freezing all relations with Russian entities, and would not allow anyone on the sanctions list to take part in the annual high-powered meeting in Davos.

South Korea's two presidential candidates in tight race as polls close

A scandal-plagued liberal and an anti-feminist conservative were locked in a dead heat Wednesday in the race to become South Korea's next president, with exit polls showing the two leading candidates less than a percentage point apart.

China to provide Ukraine about $790,000 in aid: official

Beijing said Wednesday it will provide war-torn Ukraine with about $790,000 in humanitarian aid, with the first shipment already on its way, though China has yet to condemn Russia's invasion of the country.

Ireland offers leukaemia treatment hopes for young Ukrainian boy

Five-year-old Leonid Shapoval had been due to have a bone marrow transplant to treat life-threatening leukaemia this week, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced his family to flee.

Urban warfare 'nightmare' looms if Russia enters Ukraine cities

The next step in Russia's invasion of Ukraine could lead to urban warfare, an immense challenge for even numerically superior armies with deadly consequences for civilians caught up in the fighting, experts say.

Heineken, Universal Music join Russia exodus

Dutch brewer Heineken and Universal Music Group have become the latest Western firms to halt operations in Russia over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

IS suicide bomber of Pakistan mosque was Afghan: police

An Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber who killed 64 people at a Shiite mosque in northwest Pakistan last week was an Afghan exile who returned home to train for the attack, police said Wednesday.

How Russian 'safe corridors' worked in bitter Syria war

Russia's offer of "humanitarian corridors" for civilians to flee the Ukrainian cities it has besieged is a well-tried approach Moscow adopted during Syria's devastating civil war.

Ukraine refugee influx sparks rare EU unity

The flood of refugees escaping war in Ukraine for the European Union has sparked a rare show of unity from the bloc's 27 nations after years of disputes over the sensitive issue of migration.

Israel's president flies to Turkey in bid to 'restart' ties

Israel's president left for Turkey Wednesday to meet his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first visit by an Israeli head of state since 2007, as the countries seek to mend fractured ties.

Fresh evacuation efforts for devastated Ukraine cities

Russia and Ukraine agreed to open more humanitarian corridors on Wednesday to evacuate terrified civilians from bombarded cities as Moscow said some progress was being made in talks with Kyiv.

'Big threat': air defences take centre stage at Saudi arms show

Air defence systems have been front and centre at Saudi Arabia's first defence show as drone and missile attacks increase in the energy-rich Gulf.

Harris heads to Poland as US rejects fighter-jet offer

US Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Poland on Wednesday to discuss how to provide "military assistance" for Ukraine, White House officials said, hours after Washington rejected Warsaw's offer of Soviet-era fighter jets.

Stock markets mixed, oil extends gains with focus on Ukraine

Equities were mixed Wednesday as three days of painful losses gave way to a semblance of stability, though oil prices extended gains after the United States and Britain moved to ban imports of Russian crude.

South Korea votes in tight presidential race with inequality top concern

South Koreans are voting Wednesday in a tightly fought presidential election with the deciding votes set to be cast by young people, whose top concerns are economic inequality and unemployment -- not recent sabre-rattling from the nuclear-armed North.

Lacking oversight, Telegram thrives in Ukraine disinformation battle

Two days after Russia invaded Ukraine, an account on the Telegram messaging platform posing as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his armed forces to surrender.

$In fractured Bosnia, Croats call for change$

In fractured Bosnia, Croats call for change

In deeply divided Bosnia, the country's Croats have unleashed new calls for sweeping electoral reforms along with threats of a potential boycott of upcoming polls, sparking fears that a new period of instability awaits the impoverished Balkan nation.

Asian markets rally fades, oil extends gains with focus on Ukraine

Asian equities were mixed Wednesday as three days of painful losses gave way to a semblance of stability, though oil prices extended gains after the United States and Britain moved to ban imports of Russian crude.

Two Americans released from Venezuelan prison after US officials visit

Two Americans, including a former executive of oil giant Citgo, were released from prison in Venezuela Tuesday, just days after a high-level US delegation met with President Nicolas Maduro.

South Korea chooses new president with inequality key concern

South Koreans were at the polls electing a new president Wednesday with economic inequality a top concern especially among young swing voters, despite growing sabre-rattling from the nuclear-armed North.

Putin nuclear threats 'extremely dangerous', 'blackmail': ICAN

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using nuclear "blackmail" to keep the international community from interfering in his Ukraine invasion, the head of the Nobel prize-winning group ICAN said.

Now a refugee, Eurovision's Jamala lifts Ukraine spirits from abroad

When her husband woke her up at 5:00 am saying Russia had invaded, Ukraine's Eurovision winner Jamala didn't know what to do first: pack, find their passports or take care of her two toddlers.

Freedom's choice for Afghans: Over the wall or through the desert

Amid a roar of engines and clouds of dust, Sattar Amiri clambers into a pickup truck with his wife and infant son in a remote Afghan frontier town, ready for a perilous drive through the desert.

Boric begins Chile presidency alongside student comrades

Former student leader Gabriel Boric will take on Chile's greatest challenge since the end of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship when he is sworn in as the youngest president in his country's history on Friday.

Airbnb users send money to Ukraine through reservations

Thousands of Airbnb users have booked vacation rentals in war-battered Ukraine, not to visit but to provide aid to local hosts struggling to survive the Russian invasion.

McDonald's, Coca-Cola join US firms halting Russia operations

McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Starbucks on Tuesday bowed to public pressure and suspended their operations in Russia over Moscow's internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine.

Oil prices surge as US bans Russian energy imports

Crude oil prices surged Tuesday as the United States banned Russian energy imports, while nickel prices rocketed to a record peak on Russian supply fears.

Ukrainian former beauty queen calls for help in Russia onslaught

A former Miss Ukraine on Tuesday called for global support for her country in the face of Russian attacks, highlighting the plight of mothers and children as the world marked International Women's Day.

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