RUSSIA

Nikki Haley's strong condemnation of Trump's disparaging NATO remarks highlights a growing divide within the Republican party.

Nepali mercenaries are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, lured to kill far from their Himalayan homeland by promises of a passport and cash, but wounded returnees warn anyone tempted to join the war: "Do not come."

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Thursday that workers from Ukraine's atomic energy operator Energoatom have been barred from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Russia's accusation last week that France was funding mercenaries to fight in Ukraine has been widely echoed on social media, but French officials see it as the start of a new disinformation campaign.

All those on board the Il-76 transport plane that crashed in the Belgorod region were killed, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel.

Top Ukrainian junior Yelyzaveta Kotliar said she was "deeply sorry" after her tennis federation criticised the 16-year-old for shaking the hand of a Russian opponent at the Australian Open.

Turkey's parliament on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO aspirations after a year of delays that upset Western efforts to show resolve in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Dozens of Russian communists gathered in Red Square on Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of Vladimir Lenin's death, in one of the few official events commemorating the Soviet founder.

Ukraine said it was behind a drone strike that sparked a huge inferno at an oil depot in western Russia on Friday, the latest in a series of escalating cross-border attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korea's top diplomat in the Kremlin on Tuesday in the latest sign of deepening ties between the two authoritarian states.

The US special envoy for Ukraine's economic recovery said Monday that tapping frozen Russian assets would be an "easy" source of money for Kyiv, but the G7 must first agree collectively to do it.

On December 30, the city centre came under attack in the deadliest strikes inside Russia since the start of the conflict on February 24, 2022.

Ukraine's military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview published Friday that Kyiv's attacks in Russian-annexed Crimea were set to intensify, adding that Moscow's economy was proving surprisingly resilient despite sanctions.

Two Russian missiles struck a hotel in Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, injuring 13 people including foreign journalists, local authorities said Thursday.

Authorities in the Russian border city of Belgorod began evacuating hundreds of children Wednesday after weeks of deadly shelling from Ukrainian forces.

US oil output continues to reach new heights; Houthi attacks in the Red Sea persist; OPEC's eighth-largest producer is leaving the cartel.

Russia on Tuesday rained missiles on the Ukrainian capital and other cities killing two people and injuring over 50 as strikes damaged high-rise buildings and sparked fires.

Russian former city councillor and pro-peace politician Yekaterina Duntsova vowed to form a political party on Wednesday after authorities confirmed she would not be able to run in the elections in 2024.

After President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Western countries hit Russia with a slew of sanctions including a European Union embargo on its seaborne oil deliveries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that maintaining close ties with Russia is a "strategic choice", calling for deeper bilateral cooperation during a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, state media reported.

New solar installations have accelerated the transition away from natural gas and coal in two of Europe's leading economies.