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China is under intense diplomatic pressure from the US and its European allies to pull its lifeline from an isolated Russia but, three weeks after the invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has shown few signs of abandoning its friends in the Kremlin.

Washington police arrested a suspect on Tuesday over the shooting of five homeless men in the US capital and in New York, officials said.

Russian captain Artem Dzyuba has asked to be left out of the squad for friendly matches later this month because of the "difficult situation in Ukraine", coach Valery Karpin said on Tuesday.

Tens of millions of people were under lockdown across China on Tuesday, as surging virus cases prompted the return of mass tests and hazmat-suited health officials to streets on a scale not seen since the start of the pandemic.

A series of powerful explosions rocked residential districts of Kyiv early Tuesday killing two people, just hours before talks between Ukraine and Russia were set to resume.

Christian Eriksen will return to the Danish squad later this month for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during Euro 2020 last June, Denmark's football association said Tuesday.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Switzerland to shed taboos, with calls for rearmament and unprecedented sanctions putting its deeply engrained neutrality to the test of a war in Europe.

A former top government adviser condemned Hong Kong's leader on Tuesday, calling for her to "resign in shame" over a deadly Covid-19 wave that has clogged the city's healthcare system and sent elderly deaths soaring.

Eight South African cricketers with Indian Premier League contracts will play in a one-day series against Bangladesh before leaving for India.

Opener Abdullah Shafique and skipper Babar Azam kept Australia at bay as they guided Pakistan to 104-2 at tea on the fourth day of the second Test in Karachi on Tuesday.

Iran has arrested several suspected members of a spy network linked to arch foe Israel, foiling its attempt to sabotage a key underground nuclear facility, state media reported.

After a fast-tracked rise to the top of his father's secretive government, Serdar Berdymukhamedov has posted a commanding victory in a presidential election marking the start of a dynasty in authoritarian Turkmenistan.

Britain's unemployment rate has fallen below its pre-pandemic level, data showed Tuesday, but wages are eroding at the fastest pace in eight years as inflation soars.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo took a camping trip to the country's future capital, he said on social media Tuesday, posing for photographs in a forest at the site of the new city.

Equity markets fell Tuesday, with Hong Kong tech firms leading another collapse in the city's Hang Seng Index following the Covid-19 shutdown of tech hub Shenzhen and worries over Russia's military outreach to China.

On Cape Town's beaches, swimmers shower off sand from their feet. Irrigation pipes water the region's famed vineyards. And Shadrack Mogress fumes as he fills a barrel with water so he can flush his toilet.

A series of powerful explosions rocked residential districts of Kyiv early Tuesday killing two people, just hours before talks between Ukraine and Russia were set to resume.

Australia grabbed the key wicket of Imam-ul-Haq after setting Pakistan a record 506 runs to win the second Test in Karachi on Tuesday.

Asian markets fell Tuesday, with Hong Kong tech firms leading another collapse in the city's Hang Seng Index following the Covid-19 shutdown of tech hub Shenzhen and worries over Russia's military outreach to China.

A Shanghai pedestrian swarmed by hazmat-clad health officials, police tape wrapped around entire blocks, and panic buying at a Shenzhen shopping centre: China is returning to virus controls many hoped it had long left behind.

An Indian court upheld a local ban on the hijab in classrooms on Tuesday, weeks after the edict stoked violent protests and renewed fears of discrimination against the country's Muslim minority.

The huge blue-and-yellow mural covering the side of a Paris apartment block is a reminder, says Paris-based artist C215, of the human cost of the war in Ukraine.

A series of powerful explosions rocked Kyiv early Tuesday even as talks between Ukraine and Russia were set to resume.

Karl-Anthony Towns erupted for a career-high 60 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves ran riot against the San Antonio Spurs in a night of high scoring across the NBA on Monday.

Thai energy company PTTEP has said it will take over the running of Myanmar's vital Yadana gas field following the withdrawal of global giants Chevron and TotalEnergies in January.

The 2022 Formula One season is about more than just the renewed battle between reigning champion Max Verstappen and the man he dethroned, Lewis Hamilton.

An Australian court on Tuesday threw out a landmark legal ruling that the country's environment minister had a duty to protect children from climate change.

Australia routed the West Indies by seven wickets in Wellington Tuesday to maintain their perfect record at the Women's Cricket World Cup.

Daniil Medvedev was sent crashing out of the ATP/WTA Indian Wells Masters in a stunning defeat to Gael Monfils on Monday that ended the Russian's three-week reign as world number one.

Nearly 30 million people were under lockdown across China on Tuesday, as surging virus cases returned mass tests and hazmat suited health officials to city streets on a scale not seen since the start of the pandemic.

Asian markets struggled again Tuesday, with Hong Kong tech firms leading another sharp equity selloff in the city following the Covid-19 shutdown of tech hub Shenzhen and worries over Russia's military outreach to China.

Kandaka the lioness was once sick and emaciated in a rundown zoo in Sudan's capital, but thanks to wildlife enthusiasts she now thrives in a reserve watching her cubs grow.