WORLD

In power as president or prime minister since the final day of 1999, the former KGB agent is casting the election as a show of Russians' loyalty and support for his military assault on Ukraine, now in its third year.

The crew was not injured and the vessel continued its journey, said the British navy's United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, and security firm Ambrey, after the incident west of the rebel-held port of Hodeida in the early hours of Friday.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said Thursday that his country has stored more than $400 million in bitcoin in an offline "cold wallet" as the cryptocurrency forges new record highs.

As the northern hemisphere edges toward spring and millions flock to the beach, headlines have dubbed the southeastern US state of Florida the world's most likely place to be bitten by a shark.

A high-ranking Turkish delegation held talks in Baghdad on Thursday, discussing key security and energy issues ahead of an expected visit by Turkey's president, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said.

In Antarctica, a scientist waits patiently for two frolicking humpback whales to poke their tails out of the icy waters so she can take a photographic "fingerprint" of the unique colors and patterns that allow researchers to identify individuals of the species.

Conditions affecting the nervous system -- such as strokes, migraines and dementia -- have surged past heart disease to become the leading cause of ill health worldwide, a major new analysis said on Friday.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Thursday that the Ukraine war could be decided in the coming months, urging during a visit to Washington for allies to rush aid to Kyiv.

Bertha Aguilar is harvesting potatoes on the shores of Lake Titicaca when her phone rings.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that limiting support for Ukraine in its war against Russia could lead to Kyiv's defeat and destroy Europe's credibility and security.

The leader of the US Senate called Thursday for Israel to hold new elections in the most strident criticism yet by a senior American official of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza.

Politicians pressed on Thursday with crucial talks aimed at forming an interim governing body to rescue Haiti from a breakdown in law and order sparked by rampaging gangs and violence.

France's parliament on Thursday backed a string of measures making low-cost fast fashion, especially from Chinese mass producers, less attractive to buyers.

Yuri Feniuk's relatives pleaded with him not to return to the front line in eastern Ukraine when he finally made it home, demoralised and weakened, after nearly one year in Russian captivity.

South Africa's biggest opposition party has triggered a furious row by appearing to call into question the country's hard won reputation for holding fair elections.

Once a bustling Palestinian town with sought-after restaurants and auto mechanics, Huwara in the occupied West Bank has been hit hard by the fallout from Hamas's October 7 attack.

Spanish MPs on Thursday approved an amnesty law for Catalan separatists with their figurehead Carles Puigdemont already mulling his return after years of self-imposed exile to avoid prosecution over the 2017 independence bid.

Italy's competition authority on Thursday fined TikTok 10 million euros (nearly $11 million), saying the hugely popular video app had failed to sufficiently protect minors.

It's Day 160 of the raging war in Gaza – the Israeli army continues to target high-ranking officials of Hamas as the U.S. continues to pressure the Netanyahu government against launching an all-out ground invasion of civilian-packed Rafah.

Taiwan and China are carrying out a joint search-and-rescue mission for two missing crew members after a Chinese fishing boat capsized Thursday near an outlying Taiwanese island, killing two, Taipei's coast guard said.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday urged Russians to stay the course in the face of a "difficult period", hours before polls open in a vote set to extend his hardline rule.

Gangs that control most of the capital Port-au-Prince launched an armed campaign almost two weeks ago saying they intended to topple Prime Minister Ariel Henry, sending the nation into violent conflict with warnings of possible famine and civil war.

China on Thursday slammed the approval of a US bill that would ban TikTok unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company, blasting Washington's "bandit" mentality and vowing Beijing would "take all necessary measures" to protect the interests of its companies overseas.

In a remote corner of Myanmar a line of farmers move through a field of nodding poppies, making small cuts in the greenish-purple pods to release opium resin.

A first boat loaded with 200 tonnes of food aid was making slow progress towards the Gaza Strip on Thursday as efforts grew to bring more humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory besieged by Israel.

SpaceX plans on Thursday to attempt another launch of Starship, the world's most powerful rocket that is vital to NASA's plans for landing astronauts on the Moon later this decade -- and Elon Musk's hopes of eventually colonizing Mars.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un drove a "new-type main battle tank" while overseeing military training exercises, state media said Thursday, as Seoul and Washington wrap joint drills to improve deterrence.

OpenAI on Wednesday announced partnerships with French daily Le Monde and Spanish conglomerate Prisa Media, saying it intends to develop news-related uses of its ChatGPT artificial intelligence tool.

The UK government on Thursday unveiled a new definition of extremism, as church leaders warned it risked disproportionately affecting Muslim communities.