WORLD

Georgia was set to adopt a "foreign influence" bill on Tuesday despite mass protests against a law criticised for mirroring repressive Russian legislation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday in Kyiv on an unannounced visit to assure Ukraine of continued American support and the flow of much-needed weapons as Russia presses on with its new offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

A French climber died on Mount Makalu, the world's fifth-highest peak, expedition organisers said Tuesday, the second fatality of this year's spring climbing season and both on the same mountain.

IMF staff have reached an agreement with Argentina on a loan program review that should unlock almost $800 million in much-needed funds for the Latin American country, the Washington-based financial institution said Monday.

New Caledonia announced a night-time curfew Tuesday and a ban on public gatherings after protests against proposed voting reforms in the French Pacific territory erupted into overnight riots, with vehicles torched and shops looted.

Rescuers recovered more bodies on Tuesday after flash floods and cold lava flow on Indonesia's Sumatra island over the weekend killed at least 50 people and left another 27 missing, the country's disaster agency said.

Demolition experts used explosives Monday to remove part of a collapsed bridge in Baltimore and free a cargo ship that has been trapped since it rammed into the structure in March.

Michael Cohen worked for years as Donald Trump's fixer, a problem solver who was involved in every aspect of the real estate tycoon's business, even saying he would "take a bullet" for the billionaire.

On Monday, an area of Jerusalem's national military cemetery where soldiers killed in Gaza are buried was filled with mourners and emotion as Israel marked a painful day.

Thousands fled northern Gaza on Monday as renewed shelling pounded areas where Israel says Hamas militants have regrouped, despite having announced them cleared months ago.

Donald Trump's one-time fixer and the star prosecution witness in the former president's historic criminal trial testified Monday in a dramatic courtroom face-off with his former boss.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted on Monday that his beleaguered governing Conservative party can win a general election despite polls consistently indicating the opposite, but refused to set a date for the vote.

Russia pounded over 30 villages and towns in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region after launching a ground offensive in the border region, forcing almost 6,000 to evacuate, the governor said on Monday.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hit out Monday at North Macedonia's new nationalist president for refusing to use her country's new name when she took her oath of office.

Clashes also raged in northern and central areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, AFP correspondents and witnesses said, as Israel prepared to mark a somber Independence Day, beginning Monday night, more than seven months into the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack.

Around 1,000 protesters were still outside Georgia's parliament Monday morning after an all-night last-stand demonstration against a highly controversial Russian-style "foreign influence" bill.

No damage or casualties were immediately reported but images showed a column of ash soaring into the sky on Halmahera island in North Maluku province.

China does not tolerate political dissent and has used sophisticated tech tools as well as intimidation to crack down on domestic protesters and activists.

Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia's most active volcanos into two districts on Sumatra island Saturday evening, while flooding inundated roads, homes and mosques.

The explosion of misinformation on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram comes as reproductive rights take center stage in the looming presidential election, in a country where abortion is banned or restricted in nearly half the states.

Separately, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized Washington's concerns about an offensive in a call with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi.

India's six-week election is set to resume Monday including in Kashmir, where voters are expected to show their discontent with dramatic changes in the disputed territory under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Putin proposed economist Andrey Belousov as Shoigu's replacement, according to a list of the ministerial nominations published by the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament.

Sergei Shoigu, who is being replaced as Russia's defence minister, spearheaded Moscow's offensive in Ukraine and has been the country's longest-serving minister, as well as being one of Vladimir Putin's few close friends.

Lyuda Zelenskaya and Liuba Konovalova, both in their 70s, held each other through "terrifying" Russian attacks on their village near Vovchansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, where Russia launched a surprise ground offensive.

Georgia's government on Sunday issued a warning to protesters that it would arrest anyone who blocked the parliament, ahead of an expected late-evening rally against a Russian-style "foreign agent" bill.

North Macedonia's first woman president was inaugurated on Sunday, with the new nationalist leader angering Greece after a speech that did not acknowledge her country's new name.

The recent scene in a Paris theatre was loud and tumultuous with hundreds of spectators backing their favourites in the Miss Ivory Coast/France 2024 contest, one of many events at which France's African diaspora celebrate their dual culture.

War-weary Gazans flooded towards coastal areas of the Gaza Strip's southern city of Rafah on Sunday, fleeing heavy bombardment in eastern zones after Israel ordered them to evacuate.