WASHINGTON, Jan 9 — United States (US) President Joe Biden is expected to unveil new sanctions targeting Russia's economy this week, according to a US official, as part of measures to bolster Kyiv's war effort against Moscow before Donald Trump takes office.

GAZA, Jan 9 — The Israeli occupation army committed three massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, resulting in the killing of 70 civilians and the injury of 104 others, according to medical sources.

VATICAN CITY, Jan 9 — Pope Francis today stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave “very serious and shameful”.

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 — The process of returning inflation to the US Federal Reserve's (US Fed) two per cent long-term goal "could take longer than previously anticipated," according to the latest minutes released on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 9 — Raging wildfires surrounding Los Angeles spread to the Hollywood Hills yesterday, after other fires in the area killed at least five people, destroyed hundreds of homes and stretched firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit.

LONDON, Jan 9 — Rising cases of common respiratory illnesses in China and elsewhere around the Northern Hemisphere are within the range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

COPENHAGEN, Jan 8 — Greenland may become independent if its residents want, but it will not become a United States (US) state, Denmark's Foreign Minister said on Wednesday after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out force to take control of the Arctic island.

BERLIN, Jan 8 — Panama's government has flatly rejected United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump's claims to the Panama Canal, reported the German News Agency (dpa).

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Demographic challenges currently faced by Asean economies are among the vital points to be addressed in the Asean Community Vision (ACV) 2045 for the next 20 years.

CALIFORNIA, Jan 8 — Social media company Meta Platforms yesterday scrapped its US fact-checking programme and reduced curbs on discussions around contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity, bowing to criticism from conservatives as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office for a second time.

OTTAWA, Jan 8 — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday dismissed a suggestion by United States president-elect Donald Trump that he might use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st US state.

SINGAPORE, Jan 7 — The Malaysia-Singapore Joint Technical Committee on the Implementation of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Judgement on Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks, and the South Ledge (MSJTC) continues to be an important platform for both countries to have constructive discussions on outstanding matters.

PARIS, Jan 7 — France on Tuesday commemorated the victims of the deadly assault on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine 10 years ago that began a spate of Islamist militant attacks on the country and stoked a debate on press freedoms that still rages today.

JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Jan 7 — Hamas stood by its demand on Tuesday that Israel fully end its assault on Gaza under any deal to release hostages, and said United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump was rash to say there would be "hell to pay" unless they go free by his January 20 inauguration.

BANGKOK, Jan 7 — Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has dismissed rumours of a potential Cabinet reshuffle, affirming that coalition parties remained united.

SINGAPORE, Jan 7 — Singapore will regulate the sale of flick knives and knuckledusters when the Guns, Explosives, and Weapons Control Act comes into effect in the first half of this year, the Parliament was told today.

SEJONG, Jan 7 — South Korea’s transport minister said today that he intends to step down to take responsibility for the deadly crash of a Boeing jet operated by Jeju Air on December 29.

SYDNEY, Jan 7 — Australia’s ice hockey federation said today it had cancelled a planned international qualifying tournament due to safety concerns, with local media reporting the decision was linked to the participation of the Israeli national team.

WASHINGTON, Jan 7 — US President Joe Biden's administration slashed the prisoner population at Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba by nearly half yesterday, sending 11 detainees to Oman.

LONDON, Jan 7 — Creating and sharing sexually explicit “deepfakes” will become a criminal offence in Britain, the government said today, in a bid to tackle a surge in the proliferation of such images, mainly targeting women and girls.