WORLD

Donald Trump faced having assets seized in a humiliating blow to his carefully cultivated image as a self-made tycoon as his lawyers acknowledged Monday he doesn't have the cash to appeal a $464 million fine for fraudulently inflating his wealth.

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday that a major ground offensive in Gaza's Rafah would be a "mistake," as the two leaders spoke for the first time in a month amid growing tensions.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Monday Israel had blocked him from entering the war-torn and besieged Gaza Strip where the United Nations has warned of impending famine.

Fourteen bodies were found Monday in a suburb of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, after an attack by gang members who have ravaged the country for weeks, an AFP correspondent reported.

The mystery of so-called Havana Syndrome, which struck down dozens of US diplomats, deepened Monday as new research found no tangible evidence of brain injury in those affected.

Israel's military reported gun battles Monday between troops and fighters on the grounds of Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital, where troops launched a raid they said targeted senior Hamas militants.

The EU and Switzerland formally kicked off negotiations to deepen ties between the trade partners on Monday despite objections from the Alpine country's main political party.

It's Day 164 of the Israel-Hamas war, and Israel has assassinated another Hamas senior official as the Israeli army targets high-ranking officials in the Palestinian terror group.

Russia's election commission on Monday hailed what it said were "record" results for President Vladimir Putin, guaranteeing the former spy a fifth term in office after a vote that featured no credible opposition.

Friends and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were quick to congratulate him on his election win but Western leaders denounced what they called an illegal election.

Fighting disinformation including AI-enabled content is a "vital" national security interest and diplomatic priority for the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday at a democracy summit in Seoul.

Seoul's Unification Ministry on Monday added its voice to growing speculation around Kim Jong Un's succession plans, saying they have not "ruled out" that his daughter could be next in line to lead North Korea.

Bukele once again made a bold statement regarding El Salvador's Bitcoin strategy, even as the country's Bitcoin City has not started construction work two years after the plan was announced.

Ukraine is relying on the massive use of drones to compensate for an artillery shell shortage and undermine Russian military capabilities, but experts warned they cannot tip the balance.

The Israeli army launched Monday an operation around Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, with witnesses reporting air strikes on the devastated neighbourhood where it is located.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a rare visit to New Zealand on Monday, stressing the need to work with "friends" in the face of the "tumultuous international situation".

It's a task of grave importance, but there's nothing to stop New Zealanders having a laugh as they work on DIY caskets in the country's "coffin clubs".

Palestinians "need the bombs to stop," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Sunday as he made an impassioned plea for a ceasefire in Gaza, speaking during a St Patrick's Day reception at the White House.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Monday, Seoul's military said, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea to meet top officials and attend a democracy summit.

Putin asserted that his victory in the election would enable Russia to enhance its strength and effectiveness.

The agreement would be distributed over a span of four years and is partially intended to enhance border controls.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the interception of 35 Ukrainian drones, with four of them located in the Moscow region.

Earlier, Israel's ruling Likud party too had responded to Schumer. Defending the prime minister, the party stated Israel was "not a banana republic".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli troops would pursue a planned ground offensive in southern Gaza's Rafah that has spurred fears of mass civilian casualties.

The EU chief and five European leaders visited cash-strapped Egypt on Sunday to announce a 7.4-billion-euro financial package focussed on boosting energy trade and stemming irregular migrant flows to the 27-member bloc.

Queues formed outside Moscow polling stations on Sunday as some voters heeded a call by supporters of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny to cast protest votes in Russia's presidential election.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Sunday in South Korea on the first stop of a brief Asia tour also including the Philippines, as Washington moves to reinforce ties with two key regional allies.

Memories of the UK's once-mighty mining industry are fading but 40 years after an epoch-defining strike, Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band still embodies the close ties that once bound the community.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has over the past two decades built up a system of domestic repression and confrontation with the West that is almost certain to guarantee a fifth term in office on Sunday.