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The EU wants to vastly reduce Russian gas imports this year, a top official said, as political pressure mounts to sever Russia's main economic lifeline over its invasion of Ukraine.

Desperate civilians fled besieged Ukrainian cities on Tuesday after Russia offered "humanitarian corridors", as the number of refugees leaving the country since Moscow's invasion passed two million.

Over six million people have died worldwide from Covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Tuesday.

Energy giant Shell said Tuesday it will withdraw from Russian gas and oil and immediately stop purchases of its crude, citing the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Around 2,000 women rallied Tuesday in the Pakistan city of Lahore despite efforts by authorities to bar the protest and withdraw security for an event frequently the target of violence.

Imam-ul-Haq cracked a century in each innings and his opening partner Abdullah Shafique hit a maiden hundred as Pakistan's first home Test against Australia in 24 years ended in a tame draw in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

More than two million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, according to the latest data from the United Nations on Tuesday.

Harry Kane has outlined his desperation to return to the Champions League as Tottenham launch a late bid to finish in the top four of the Premier League following a frustrating season.

European equities attempted to rebound Tuesday from recent Ukraine-driven losses, while nickel prices rocketed to a record peak on Russian supply fears.

Russia is directly targeting Ukraine's nuclear facilities in a strategy to undermine Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion but the tactic carries grave risks, observers say.

The UN rights chief said Tuesday she would make a long-delayed visit to China in May, including to Xinjiang, where Western lawmakers have accused Beijing of genocide.

German sportswear group Adidas is temporarily closing its stores in Russia and shut its online shop, joining a growing list of companies suspending their activities following the invasion of Ukraine.

Malaysia will re-open to all vaccinated tourists from April 1, authorities said Tuesday, joining a growing number of countries removing restrictions in an attempt to live with Covid.

Afghanistan marked International Women's Day in muted fashion Tuesday, with activists cowed by the threat of arrest or detention at the hands of the country's new Taliban rulers.

Sitting at a windswept terrace of a tiny bar in Georgia's capital Tbilisi, Russian exile Roman Mikhailov said he had no choice but to leave his country "immediately" when Moscow invaded Ukraine.

As a growing list of US multinational businesses -- from Apple to Levi's -- suspend activities in Russia, some companies choose to stay in the country despite the risks to their reputation.

The London Metal Exchange on Tuesday suspended trade in nickel after the base metal rocketed to a record peak above $100,000 as Russian supply concerns sparked sharp volatility.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has been named in the squad for the Champions League last 16 second leg clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday despite nursing a sore left foot.

Desperate civilians began fleeing a besieged Ukrainian city through a humanitarian corridor opened by Russia on Tuesday, as the number of refugees to flee the country hit more than two million.

Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique amassed another century stand in batting-practise conditions as Pakistan's first home Test against Australia in 24 years headed toward a tame draw in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

It was a bittersweet day for Ukraine at the Winter Paralympics with nine medals and a clean sweep of two biathlon events Tuesday -- just as one athlete learned her father had been taken prisoner by Russian troops.

The Kremlin's war against Ukraine has pushed some priests in the country to call for a break from the Russian Orthodox Church, to which their parishes have belonged for centuries.

When nearly blind teenager Neil Simpson hurtles 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour down the ski slopes at the Winter Paralympics he knows he is in safe hands -- his older brother Andrew is navigating.

South Korean supergroup BTS return to the stage in Seoul to play for their adoring home-grown fans for the first time since 2019 on Thursday, after tickets for the three-night stadium concerts sold out in minutes.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced the resumption of talks with the opposition, which were halted five months ago after the extradition of a presidential ally.

Australia underlined their status as Women's Cricket World Cup favourites Tuesday with a convincing seven-wicket win over Pakistan in Mount Maunganui.

Paris Fashion Week, which ends on Tuesday, has been over-shadowed by the war in Ukraine, with designers struggling for ways to balance declarations of solidarity with the glamour and spectacle of their shows.

Pakistan's first home Test against Australia in nearly a quarter of a century headed for a tame draw with the hosts 76 without loss at lunch on the fifth and final day Tuesday.

Asian markets fell further Tuesday, oil prices rallied again and nickel surged to above $100,000 as investors try to assess the impact of the Ukraine war on the world economy.

A US delegation met with Venezuelan government officials in Caracus at the weekend for talks that included a discussion of energy supplies, the White House said Monday as Washington looks for ways to reduce its imports of Russian oil.

The United States believes Russia is digging in for a protracted war, and Washington wants to help Kyiv resist, but an overarching goal remains -- limiting the conflict to Ukraine to avoid spillover that could provoke "World War III."

Russia planned to open humanitarian corridors in Ukraine Tuesday for civilians to flee besieged cities, but Kyiv insisted the move was a publicity stunt and people would not be able to escape.