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Ukraine said on Tuesday it was fighting off dozens of attacks, after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces were exploiting delays in Western military aid and called the situation "extremely difficult".

Fly-half Sam Costelow has been recalled to the Wales starting line-up for Saturday's Six Nations clash against Ireland in Dublin.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was Tuesday absent due to illness from a London court hearing his final appeal against extradition to the United States to face trial for publishing secret military and diplomatic files.

Julian Assange, the 52-year-old Australian fighting extradition from Britain to the United States, is for some a fearless campaigner for press freedom. For others, he was reckless with classified information, possibly endangering sources.

Ukraine said Tuesday it was fighting off dozens of attacks, after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces were exploiting delays in Western military aid and called the situation "extremely difficult".

The director of a new film conjuring the ghost of a hippopotamus owned by Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar was shocked to learn how unpredictable and threatening the beasts can be.

Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange rallied Tuesday outside the London court hearing his final appeal against extradition to the United States to face trial over publishing secret military and diplomatic files.

Carlos Alcaraz says he needs to improve "many things" after suffering a surprise semi-final loss in Buenos Aires last week to Nicolas Jarry.

A second trial of four Egyptian security officers accused of kidnapping and murdering an Italian student in 2016 began in Rome Tuesday, as Italy once again attempts to secure justice in the brutal killing.

The Eiffel Tower, one of the world's top tourist attractions, will remain closed for a second straight day Tuesday as staff extend a strike, a union representative told AFP.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has vowed to bar US petroleum giant ExxonMobil from the waters off the oil-rich region of Essequibo, which Caracas claims from Guyana as its own.

Papua New Guinea's prime minister labelled a mass tribal killing in the country's highlands an act of "domestic terrorism" Tuesday, while vowing tougher measures to tackle mounting "lawlessness".

China's shares finished higher on Tuesday as its central bank announced a record cut to a benchmark lending rate in a bid to boost its struggling economy.

Captain Mitchell Santner vowed Tuesday that his "underdogs" New Zealand will put up a "fight" in their three-match Twenty20 home series against a full-strength Australia.

The world's first chemical tanker ship fitted with massive rigid aluminium "sails" has left Rotterdam, its owner hoping to plot a route to bringing down the shipping industry's huge carbon footprint.

Dotting the asphalt, they come in various shapes and sizes, costing drivers a fortune in vehicle repairs and even lives. In Britain, potholes are increasingly a scourge and an obsession.

Israel hit Gaza with new air strikes on Tuesday as world powers grappled with how to broker a ceasefire ahead of a UN Security Council vote.

The glittering diamonds sparkle the same but there are key differences: mined natural gems are more than a billion years old, while laboratory-made rocks are new and cost less than half the price.

Ange Capuozzo is best known for his attacking forays down the touchline but the Italian full-back showed the other side of his game when he leapt to the defence of Italy's record in the Six Nations.

A frail 80-year-old retiree does not fit everyone's idea of a tech-savvy Wikipedia writer, but Jirina Kadnerova is a devoted contributor to the online encyclopedia.

Lee Chong Wei says he "feels like giving up" on Malaysian badminton and warned ahead of the Olympics that "drastic" changes were needed to rescue the sport in the country.

China's first domestically produced passenger jet was presented at Asia's biggest airshow, which opened in Singapore on Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to woo international buyers.

South Korean hospitals turned away some patients and delayed surgeries on Tuesday as hundreds of trainee doctors stopped working in a protest against medical training reforms.

Taiwan called on Beijing to "be rational" on Tuesday following a deadly incident involving a Chinese boat and the Taiwanese coast guard, with the island's premier insisting it would protect its waters.

Lionel Messi denied his absence from a match in Hong Kong two weeks ago that angered China was a political snub, but was caused by an injury.

China's central bank on Tuesday cut a key benchmark lending rate used to price mortgages, as Beijing seeks to rescue its housing market from a deepening crisis and boost flagging growth in the country's economy.

Mainland China's shares fell on Tuesday as its central bank announced a record cut to a benchmark lending rate in a bid to boost its struggling economy.

US banking giant Capital One announced Monday it will acquire financial services company Discover in a $35.3 billion all-stock deal combining two of America's major credit card firms.

Australia on Tuesday outlined a decade-long plan to double its fleet of major warships and boost defence spending by an additional US$7 billion, in the face of a quickening Asia-Pacific arms race.

On February 20, 1991, demonstrators in Tirana pulled down the immense statue of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, marking the end of the communist regime and sparking an emigration wave towards Italy.

China's central bank on Tuesday cut a key benchmark lending rate used to price mortgages, as Beijing seeks to boost its flagging growth.

Martin Odegaard has urged Arsenal to use the momentum from their recent goal spree to fuel the club's historic bid for Champions League and Premier League glory.