Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has called a White House order to unfreeze $3.5bn in Afghan assets held in the United States for families of 9/11 victims an atrocity against the Afghan people.

The stakes in the fight against global warming are higher than ever, the UN’s climate science chief said yesterday as nearly 200 nations met to finalise what is sure to be a harrowing report on climate impacts.

Russia said yesterday that a diplomatic solution to Moscow’s standoff with the West was still possible and that some of its military drills were ending, after tensions over Ukraine reached fever pitch.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen yesterday destroyed a communications system used for drone attacks and located near the telecoms ministry in Sanaa, it said in a statement.

Iran yesterday said talks with world powers in Vienna to restore the 2015 nuclear deal are “complicated and difficult” but have not hit an impasse.

Despite a recent uptick in bilateral dialogue, relations between Moscow and Washington are "lying on the floor", the Kremlin told Russia's RIA news agency, amid Western objections to ongoing major Russian military drills near its borders with Ukraine.

Ukraine said on Sunday it wanted talks with Russia and members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) within 48 hours to discuss Russia's military build-up.

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions, with US President Joe Biden warning that Russia faces “swift and severe costs” if its troops carry out an invasion.

Paris police said they arrested 97 people who defied a ban on a Canada-style protest convoy over coronavirus regulations to try block traffic in the capital, with 81 still in custody yesterday.

The Swiss yesterday voted to tighten their notoriously lax tobacco laws by banning virtually all advertising of the hazardous products, partial results showed.

Tunisian President Kais Saied yesterday officially replaced a key judicial watchdog and gave himself powers to sack judges, as well as banning them from going on strike.

The Kremlin yesterday denounced US “peak hysteria” surrounding the Ukraine conflict but said Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Joe Biden had agreed to continue dialogue.

Some airlines have canceled or diverted flights to Ukraine amid warnings from the West that an invasion by Russia is imminent despite intensive weekend talks between Moscow and Washington.

Protesters opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions withdrew their vehicles from a key US-Canadian border bridge Saturday but still blocked access while other demonstrations ramped up in cities across Canada, including the capital, where police said they were awaiting more officers before ending what they described as an illegal occupation.

US President Joe Biden told Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the West would respond decisively to any invasion of Ukraine, adding such a step would produce widespread suffering and isolate Moscow.

The United States will re-establish an embassy in the Solomon Islands, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday, in an effort to counter China’s influence in the politically troubled Pacific island.

The Ukrainian government yesterday urged citizens to stay calm and united, saying the armed forces are ready to repel any attack on the country amid concern that Russia may be poised to invade.

The head of the World Health Organization said the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year, if around 70 percent of the world gets vaccinated.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a legal questionnaire from police investigating claims of lockdown-breaking parties in his Downing Street office, his spokesperson said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to speak with his US and French counterparts yesterday after the United States warned that Moscow could invade Ukraine in days.