Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Kyiv had not fixed a date for a summit that would set parameters to end the war because Kyiv was working to bring as many nations as possible to the table.

NATO said on Thursday it was ready to send more troops to an ethically divided region of Kosovo where dozens of people were injured in violence this week, while Pristina and Belgrade accused each other of fuelling tensions there.

The conflict between rival military factions quickly overran the capital from April 15, trapping civilians amid aerial bombardments, ground battles, marauding paramilitaries and widespread looting.

Like most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo has no universal health coverage, and most cannot afford what limited care there is.

A half-century of intensive poaching has decimated wildlife populations in Africa's third-largest national park, as it has across much of the continent, with Kafue's free-roaming big cats among the victims.

Russia said Ukrainian artillery hit a Russian town for a third time this week and drones struck two oil refineries in an uptick in attacks on Russian territory as Ukraine prepares a Western-backed push to end Russia's invasion.

They said in a joint statement at the end of a fourth ministerial TTC meeting that they were ready to address non-market practices together and multilaterally.

President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged on Wednesday that France should have paid more attention to Eastern European nations, which warned about a belligerent Russia before Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine.

Tensions between the United States and China are expected to loom over Asia's top security meeting this week, as China has declined a bilateral meeting between the superpowers' defence chiefs.

South African authorities confirmed that foreign ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa are attending Thursday's meeting in Cape Town.

The White House on Wednesday announced the latest in a series of aid packages for Ukraine that includes up to $300 million worth of air defense systems, ammunition and other defense equipment.

South Africa is mulling its options over an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin should he accept an invitation to a BRICS summit in August, a government official said on Wednesday. One option gaining traction among South African officials would be to ask the group's previous chair China to host the summit, said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked whether Putin would attend the gathering, the Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia would take part at the "proper level".

U.S. peacekeepers stood behind a barbed-wire barrier as protestors gathered outside a municipal hall in ethnically divided northern Kosovo, where days of unrest have prompted NATO to send additional troops to stave off violence.

The army and the RSF had agreed to extend a week-long ceasefire deal by five days just before it was due to expire late on Monday.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Moscow and Kyiv last July to help tackle a global food crisis aggravated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a leading global grain exporter.

Stopping small boat arrivals across the Channel from France is a priority for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Illegal Migration Bill was approved by parliament's lower house in April.

Grossi, who spoke at the U.N. Security Council, has tried for months to craft an agreement to reduce the risk of a catastrophic nuclear accident from military activity like shelling at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant.

The number of child migrants crossing a dangerous stretch of jungle dividing Colombia and Panama has rapidly increased during the first four months of this year, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

There used to be one family in Fanna Hamit's compound, now there are 11 families struggling to get by selling roasted crickets after she took in relatives fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

Fighters from Somalia's al Shabaab insurgent group attacked a military base on the outskirts of a town in the centre of the country, leading to at least 17 deaths, a resident said.

Bridget Magasu is the first to arrive for the training session, clutching a rugby ball while she waits for other members of her all-female rugby team to arrive.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people were injured, one of whom was hospitalised, in the early morning attack.

More than 350,000 people have already fled across Sudan's borders since war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15, with most heading to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea deal for an initial 120 days in July last year to help tackle a global food crisis that has been aggravated by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, one of the world's leading grain exporters.

Kyiv's peace plan is the only way to end Russia's war in Ukraine and the time for mediation efforts has passed, a top aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

North Korea's Ri said the drills required Pyongyang to have the "means capable of gathering information about the military acts of the enemy in real time."

In the second deadly assault on the Ukrainian capital in May and 17th since the start of the month, one person died when falling drone debris hit a high-rise apartment building, sparking fire, officials said.

Police fired tear gas on demonstrators who built makeshift barricades along one of Dakar's main highways and in one neighbourhood set cars and a ministerial building on fire.

"I know there are many limitations regarding weapons support, but those principles should not be applied to defence systems and equipment for protecting our assets," Zelenskiy told the newspaper through an interpreter.