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Suicide bombing in Somalia town kills 14 on eve of vote
A suicide bomber killed 14 people in a popular restaurant in the central Somali town of Beledweyne on Saturday, on the eve of a round of voting there, police said.
Ukraine urges West to back 'shield' against Russia after invasion warning
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that his country was a "shield" against Russia and deserved more support in the face of a feared Russian invasion, as Moscow test-fired nuclear-capable missiles in a defiant show of force.
10 killed in bombing in Somalia town on eve of vote
Ten people were killed Saturday in a suspected suicide bombing on a popular restaurant in the central Somali town of Beledweyne, on the eve of a round of voting there, police said.
Russia test fires missiles as US warns Moscow 'poised' to invade Ukraine
Russia test fired nuclear-capable missiles on Saturday as President Vladimir Putin oversaw a dramatic military exercise and as the United States again warned that it believes Moscow plans to invade Ukraine within days.
On Russia's border, evacuees from rebel-held Ukraine hope for quick return
The loud explosions and wailing sirens in rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine were getting more frequent, so when the evacuation order came Elena Sokela decided it was time to get her son to safety.
Nearly 60 rebel fighters 'neutralised' in Mali: army
Eight soldiers and 57 "terrorists" were killed in clashes at a rebel base in northern Mali where rival jihadist groups, including the so-called Islamic State, are active, the Malian army said on Saturday.
Russis test fires missiles as US warns Moscow 'poised' to invade Ukraine
Russia test fired nuclear-capable missiles on Saturday as President Vladimir Putin oversaw a dramatic military exercise and as the United States again warned that it believes Moscow plans to invade Ukraine within days.
Russian troops 'poised to strike' Ukraine: US defence chief
Russian troops on Ukraine's border are "uncoiling" and "poised to strike", US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Saturday during a visit to Lithuania.
Putin oversees missile drills as US steps up Ukraine invasion warnings
Russia was staging another show of military might on Saturday with President Vladimir Putin overseeing drills involving nuclear-capable missiles, hours after the United States warned that it was now sure that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine within days.
Violence in Sudan's Darfur lays bare deepening crisis
Attacks on UN facilities, a surge in tribal clashes, lootings, rape, and anti-coup protests -- Sudan's Darfur region is reeling from a widening security gap after last year's coup.
Ukraine showdown casts shadow over Qatar gas summit
Leading gas producers meet in Qatar from Sunday to discuss how to answer frantic world demand, with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to stay away as Ukraine tensions soar, diplomats said.
Russian parliament's call for east Ukraine independence sparks alarm
Possible Russian recognition of separatist "republics" independent from Kyiv is threatening to derail an already fragile peace process, as fears grow of large-scale conflict in eastern Ukraine.
How Covid-wracked Hong Kong is reeling two years into pandemic
Hong Kong is in the throes of its worst-ever coronavirus outbreak, as residents are suddenly confronted with a severely overstretched healthcare system and a tightening of restrictions even as much of the world opens up.
Biden says Putin has decided to invade Ukraine
President Joe Biden said Friday he is "convinced" that Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine within the week, an event that would trigger Western sanctions set to turn Russia into what a US official called a "pariah."
Clashes at international far-right meeting in Bogota
Police clashed Friday with masked and hooded anti-fascism protesters who threw stones and broke windows at a hotel hosting a meeting of far-right political groups from Spain and Latin America.
Shelling, evacuations fuel tensions on Russian-Ukrainian border
Artillery shelling in the east of Ukraine and orders from Russian-backed separatists for civilians to evacuate the region ratcheted up already crackling tensions over the massing of Russian troops Friday ahead of what the United States says is a likely invasion.
Fed formally adopts investment rules for officials after outcry
Top officials at the US Federal Reserve will be banned from holding individual stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies and certain other investments under new rules adopted Friday, after controversial trading activity led to high-profile resignations last year.
Israeli police scatter Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem
Israeli police on horseback scattered protesters Friday in the flashpoint east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where demonstrators poured in to support Palestinians facing eviction by Jewish settlers.
US military aims to reassure rattled eastern NATO allies
At the Powidz base in Poland, US soldiers said they hoped the growing US presence in a key NATO ally bordering Ukraine would reassure the region as a whole amid security tensions with Russia.
Stocks buckle on ongoing Ukraine fears
Stock markets retreated on Friday at the end of a highly volatile week rocked by twists and turns in the Ukraine crisis and concerns about interest rate hikes.
French first lady sues over trans claims
Brigitte Macron, France's first lady, has filed a lawsuit against two women who claimed she was transgender, sparking a wave of online rumour-mongering weeks ahead of her husband's expected re-election campaign, a legal source said Friday.
Russian invasion fears rise as rebels accuse Ukraine of preparing attack
The United States on Friday accused Russia of seeking a pretext to invade Ukraine, as shellfire rang out in the east of the country and Moscow-backed rebels ordered a civilian evacuation of their breakaway enclaves.
Police move in to clear trucker-led protests in Canada capital
Canadian police on Friday began a massive operation to clear the trucker-led protests against Covid health rules clogging the capital for three weeks, with several arrests made and trucks towed away.
Russian court orders Navalny brother jailed in absentia
Russia on Friday sentenced in absentia the brother of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to one year in prison for violating terms of a suspended sentence, expanding a protracted opposition crackdown.
Iran nuclear talks nearing 'decision point'
Several world powers have indicated that a deal -- at least in principle -- to revive the Iran nuclear accord may be just days away, but experts warn that failure still cannot be ruled out.
Mali asks France to pull out troops 'without delay'
Mali's army-led government asked France on Friday to withdraw its forces from the Sahel state "without delay", calling into question Paris' plans to pull out over several months.
Attack on Ethiopia refugee camp kills five, displaces thousands: UN
Fighting in northern Ethiopia's Afar region has "engulfed" a camp housing refugees from neighbouring Eritrea, the UN said Friday, killing five people and forcing thousands to flee.
Sleepless night under falling shells at Ukraine front
The ripped power lines hanging from wooden poles betray a sleepless night without electricity for the residents of this frontline Ukrainian town, where renewed shelling attacks have put it under a global spotlight.
Putin hosts Belarus strongman for security talks, drills
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed his close ally Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to the Kremlin on Friday, announcing the leaders would discuss military cooperation and oversee upcoming war games.
Hoping for peace: Italian craftsman claims Putin's table
Russian leader Vladimir Putin's oversized table has become an unlikely star of diplomatic efforts to ease the Ukraine crisis, and a source of pride for the small Italian firm that claims to have made it and hopes it will help peace efforts.
Shellfire as Putin turns up heat on Ukraine and West
Shellfire rang out in eastern Ukraine on Friday as the army and Moscow-backed separatists accused each other of provocations and US warnings of an imminent Russian invasion stoked international tension.
Ukraine and separatists trade claims of new shelling
The Ukrainian military and their Russian-backed separatist foes traded allegations of fresh ceasefire breaches on Friday, a day after the shelling of a kindergarten sent international tensions soaring.
Olympic sponsor Airbnb profits from Xinjiang, Tibet listings
Olympic sponsor Airbnb has hundreds of listings in Xinjiang and Tibet, two regions where China stands accused of widespread human rights abuses and forced cultural assimilation, new research reveals.
Markets mixed as Ukraine fears return, oil extends losses
Equity markets were mixed Friday following a steep drop on Wall Street fuelled by renewed fears that Russia will soon invade Ukraine, adding to long-running angst about the Federal Reserve's plans to hike interest rates.
India court sentences 38 to death over 2008 bombings
An Indian court sentenced 38 people to death on Friday over a string of bomb blasts in 2008 that killed dozens in the city of Ahmedabad, in one of the country's biggest mass death sentences.
Istanbul skyline row erupts over new build near iconic mosque
The soaring minarets of the 16th-century Suleymaniye mosque paint the postcard image of Istanbul, but that is now blighted by rickety wooden scaffolding at a nearby construction site, sparking fury on social media.
Germany accuses Russia of 'Cold War demands' before security conference
Germany accused Russia on Friday of endangering Europe's security with demands that recall the Cold War, as Western leaders arrived for a Munich Security Conference set to be dominated by the Ukraine crisis.
Tunisians fear more economic pain as IMF talks loom
Every day at the family grocery stall in a Tunis market, Bilel Jani sees the reality of a biting economic crisis, which for many has overshadowed Tunisia's latest political turmoil.
Asian markets drop as Ukraine fears return, oil extends losses
Asian markets fell Friday following a steep drop on Wall Street fuelled by renewed fears that Russia will soon invade Ukraine, adding to long-running angst about the Federal Reserve's plans to hike interest rates.