WORLD

US President Joe Biden hosts urgent talks with top Congress leaders at the White House Tuesday, in a bid to unlock billions of dollars in stalled Ukraine aid and avert a government shutdown at home.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday it was urgent for G7 countries to jointly seize profits from frozen Russian assets and redirect them to Ukraine, as the group prepared to meet on the issue.

Thousands of Nigerians rallied against soaring living costs on Tuesday as the worst economic crisis in a generation leaves many struggling to afford food.

These nations often have diverse industries, strong infrastructure, and stable political systems, contributing to their economic prosperity.

Dutch drug kingpin Ridouan Taghi received a life sentence on Tuesday over a series of murders committed by his gang that shocked the Netherlands.

Britain's Prince William, whose wife Catherine is recovering from surgery and father King Charles III is undergoing cancer treatment, on Tuesday pulled out of attending a memorial service, citing a "personal matter".

It's Day 144 of the Israel-Hamas war, and a new ceasefire deal may be closer than it has ever been in the past week. However, tensions in the Middle East remain at a vexatious high as Iranian-backed groups run amok in the Israel-Lebanon border and waters around the Red Sea.

As Iranians head to the polls for legislative and other elections on Friday, candidates have promised them on campaign posters to "fight corruption" and "fix the economy".

A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced top human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov to two and a half years in jail for denouncing Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Veteran Russian dissident Oleg Orlov, who was sentenced on Tuesday to two and a half years in prison, has been a campaigner since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Almost 500 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa last year, up 11 percent on 2022, despite government efforts to tackle the illicit trade in horns, ministers said Tuesday.

Days ago, Tala Assaad could hear Israeli strikes near south Lebanon's coastal city of Sidon.

An apple farmer, an airline caterer and an out-of-work graduate are among the Indian nationals hired by Moscow, with the help of recruiters around the world, for the Russian army in Ukraine.

South Korea granted nurses new powers and legal protections Tuesday and launched an investigation into a patient's death, as hospital chaos caused by striking trainee doctors entered a second week.

US President Joe Biden said Monday he hoped a ceasefire in Gaza could start by the beginning of next week, adding that Israel was ready to halt operations during the Muslim month of Ramadan as part of any deal.

The closed talks will take place on the second day of the World Trade Organization's 13th ministerial conference which is scheduled to run until Thursday but could go into over-time amid divisions.

The SEC's Gensler is reportedly set to meet his South Korean counterpart in May as the Asian nation mulls potential updates to its cryptocurrency and virtual assets regulations.

Senegal's President Macky Sall has proposed a general amnesty bill for political protesters arrested since 2021, as he holds talks to end fresh turmoil over delayed elections.

Australian police are investigating claims Taylor Swift's dad assaulted a photographer when the star and her entourage were disembarking a superyacht in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could start as soon as Monday, US President Joe Biden said, in a deal that could include the exchange of dozens of hostages held in Gaza for several hundred Palestinian detainees.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday new steps to boost Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, saying not even the sending of Western ground troops was ruled out to achieve Europe's goal of defeating Moscow.

Despite moving to a new country in 2007, Simon never forgot about the land he came from and the struggles of his people. He remained active in Biafran circles, both in Finland and elsewhere, and continued supporting the independence movement.

Hungary's parliament grants approval for Sweden's NATO membership, marking a significant geopolitical shift and dealing a blow to Russia.

The European Union is expected to agree to seize Russian profits generated in the bloc, a key step to backing Ukraine that stops short of calls to confiscate assets outright, a Greek envoy told AFP on Monday.

Hezbollah on Monday fired a volley of rockets at an Israeli military base, the Lebanese group said after Israel's first strikes on Lebanon's east in months of hostilities linked to the Gaza war.

The "collective punishment" of civilians in Gaza was not justifiable, the UN chief told the Human Rights Council on Monday, amid mounting fears of an Israeli invasion of Rafah.

Everton's penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules has been reduced from 10 points to six following an appeal, giving them a major boost in their relegation battle.

Farmers faced off with riot police in Brussels streets paralysed by tractors on Monday, as EU ministers huddled to try to streamline rules and red tape that are fuelling protests across the bloc.

Allies of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said Monday that a deal to free him as part of a prisoner swap had nearly been reached when he died in prison.