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MOSCOW, Russia — The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday said he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had discussed the need to protect civilians during Moscow’s operations in Ukraine.

BRUXELLES, Belgium — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded Thursday with NATO leaders to send weapons “without restrictions” as the alliance sought to bolster Kyiv and strengthen its eastern flank in the face of Russia’s war.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired what could be its largest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, Tokyo and Seoul said, a dramatic return to long-range testing that sparked outrage from neighbours and the United States.

BEIJING, China — Beijing on Thursday accused the NATO chief of “spreading disinformation” with claims that China has backed Russia’s war against Ukraine, amid growing international pressure to distance itself from Moscow.

SYDNEY, Australia — Australia accepted on Thursday a long-standing New Zealand offer to take hundreds of refugees detained for years in remote camps under Canberra’s “Pacific solution” immigration policy.

SHANGHAI, China – A top doctor in China’s pandemic fight who came under pressure last year for questioning the country’s zero-Covid policy has called again for balancing anti-virus measures with maintenance of normal life as China struggles with an Omicron surge.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of making a “big mistake” by invading Ukraine, as leaders gathered to discuss overhauling the alliance’s eastern defences.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Thursday, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said, the first time Pyongyang has launched such a powerful weapon since 2017.

TOKYO, Japan – A suspected North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fired on Thursday afternoon landed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, west of the country’s north coast, the government said.

SINGAPORE, Singapore — Singapore will lift restrictions for all vaccinated travellers from next week, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday hailing it as a “major milestone” in the aviation hub’s efforts to live with Covid-19.

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Madeleine Albright, who came to the United States as a child refugee and rose to be the first female secretary of state, shaping American foreign policy at the end of the 20th century, has died at the age of 84.

WASHINGTON, United States — Tributes poured in Wednesday from diplomatic players around the world remembering Madeleine Albright, the first female US secretary of state and one of the most influential stateswomen of her generation, who has died at age 84.

GENEVA, Switzerland — The humanitarian crisis unleashed so far by Russia’s month-long war in Ukraine is just the tip of the iceberg, the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday.

KABIUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban ordered girls’ secondary schools in Afghanistan to shut on Wednesday just hours after they reopened, sparking heartbreak and confusion over the policy reversal by the hardline Islamist group — and international condemnation.

MOSCOW, Russia — President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Russia will only accept payments in rubles for gas deliveries to “unfriendly countries”, which include all EU members, after Moscow was hit by unprecedented sanctions over Ukraine.

WASHIGNGTON, United States — Covid is making its latest comeback in parts of the northeastern United States as the BA.2 coronavirus variant becomes dominant in the country, officials said Wednesday, while urging Congress to pass new funding or risk the supply of future treatments and vaccines.

WASHINGTON, United States — US biotech firm Moderna on Wednesday said it was pursuing regulatory approval for its Covid vaccine in children under six years old after the two-shot regimen was found to be safe and produced a strong immune response.

SHANGHAI, China — Shanghai authorities on Wednesday called for calm as worried citizens swamped online grocery platforms to stock up on food over fears of impending lockdowns in a city struggling to halt a Covid spike.