WORLD

The United States on Wednesday announced a new $1.3 billion military aid package for Ukraine featuring air defense systems, anti-tank missiles, drones and other equipment.

Ukraine expects its fight to regain land lost to the Russian invasion to be long and grinding, a senior presidential aide in Kyiv told AFP Wednesday.

A gunman killed two people and wounded six others at a building site in central Auckland Thursday, hours before New Zealand's biggest city was to host the opening match of the 2023 FIFA football World Cup.

Two people were killed on Wednesday following anti-government protests in Kenya, a hospital official said, as the interior ministry announced the arrest of over 300 others in connection with the demonstrations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend a BRICS nations summit in South Africa next month, the country's presidency said on Wednesday, ending months of speculation.

Concerns about a possible influx of Sudanese refugees to the West are misplaced, a senior US official told AFP on Tuesday, as millions in the war-torn nation flee their homes.

Extreme heat was forecast across the globe on Wednesday, as wildfires raged and health warnings were in place in parts of Asia, Europe and North America.

Arresting Vladimir Putin would amount to a declaration of war on Russia, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote in court papers released on Tuesday as the country wrangles over hosting the Russian leader.

Britain's controversial plan to deter migrants without papers from landing on British shores was on Tuesday poised to become law, prompting criticism from the United Nations.

Chikunga further explained that both countries also agreed to "support the use of railway as an alternative to decongest the Kasumbalesa road network and the development of a dry port."

Global warming poses a threat to all humankind and requires a new kind of cooperation between China and the United States, US climate envoy John Kerry told Chinese officials on Tuesday.

The new head of the World Bank said Tuesday that growing divides between rich and poor nations risked deepening poverty in the developing world, at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in India.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Monday that millions of people facing hunger will "pay the price" of Russia's decision to exit the Ukraine grain deal.

According to government autopsies, starvation appears to have been the main cause of death, although some victims, including children, were strangled, beaten or suffocated.

The collapse of the Black Sea export corridor, which allowed the export of more than 32 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain over the past year, should have little immediate impact but over the medium term create market tension and push up food prices.

A rare Somali wild ass has been born in a zoo in Chile, the fourth specimen of the critically endangered species to be born in the South American country, the zoo owner said.

James Anderson returns on his Old Trafford home ground to lead an ageing England attack in a must-win fourth Ashes Test.

A Kenyan court on Monday acquitted a controversial self-styled preacher who claimed he could help infertile couples conceive "miracle babies" through prayer, citing insufficient evidence from prosecutors.

Ukraine on Sunday said fighting had "intensified" on the eastern front as Russian President Vladimir Putin deemed Kyiv's counteroffensive a failure.

From the co-founder of retail giant Marks & Spencer to the owners of a family-run Chinese takeaway, a new exhibition is showcasing migrant entrepreneurs and the role they played in moulding Britain.

A beloved monument to Ethiopia's traditional cabaret culture, the historic nightclub Fendika is running on borrowed time, having just escaped demolition.

"When discussing the Istanbul package agreements, Vladimir Putin stressed that the obligations envisaged in the relevant Russia-UN memorandum to remove obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers remained unfulfilled," Kremlin noted.

Russia took control of shares belonging to French agribusiness Danone and Danish brewer Carlsberg, according to a decree published on Sunday.

Libyan border guards have rescued dozens of migrants who have been left in the desert by Tunisian authorities without water and food, and their numbers are "rising", an officer said Sunday.

As Egypt said more than 250,000 people crossed in from Sudan -- fleeing ceaseless air strikes, street battles, rampant looting and sexual violence -- property owners in Cairo saw an opportunity. Many others reported similar ordeals in Egypt, where its worst-ever economic crisis has pushed property owners to squeeze a profit wherever they can -- including from war refugees. Inflation in Egypt hit a record high of 36.8 percent in June, and the pound has lost half its value against the US dollar since early last year.

The clock was ticking down Monday on the deal that allows Ukraine to export its grain via the Black Sea, with the agreement set to expire at midnight Istanbul time (2100 GMT).

China's economy showed further signs of weakness in the second quarter as data Monday showed growth missed expectations and consumers remained cautious, adding pressure on leaders to unveil further stimulus.

The first 32-team Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday, with the United States favourites to win an unprecedented third consecutive title in a landmark month for women's football.

G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs opened talks on Monday discussing debt restructuring deals, multilateral bank reform and finance to tackle climate change, aiming to bolster a sagging global economy.