- A senior Russian diplomat warned Thursday that increasing Western support for Ukraine could trigger an open conflict between nuclear powers. Speaking at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denounced the US and its allies for openly declaring the goal of defeating Russia in a hybrid war.

- Italian prosecutors have closed a COVID-19 investigation that accuses officials, including a former premier and a regional governor, of wrongdoing for failing to extend the lockdown zone in the early days of the pandemic to the northern city of Bergamo and adjacent industrial valleys.

- US Ambassador Sidney McCain was appointed head Thursday of the UN World Food Program, world's largest humanitarian organization which aims to help nearly 150 million people confronting conflicts, disasters, and impacts of climate change this year.

- The presidents of China and Belarus joined in urging a ceasefire and negotiations to bring about a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict. That amounted to an endorsement of a Chinese 12-point peace proposal issued Friday that. calls for the territorial integrity of all countries to be respected.

- Bracing for Italy's second consecutive year of drought for the first time in decades, Premier Giorgia Meloni huddled with ministers to start mapping out an action plan, joining France and other nations in Western Europe, grappling with scant winter rain and snow.

- The two top Democrats in Congress are asking Fox News executives not to spread grave propaganda about the 2020 elections, and are demanding that commentators who have falsely suggested that the election was stolen acknowledge on air that they were wrong.

- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, arrived in Beijing for a state visit that will be watched for hints about China's attitude to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. China claims neutrality in the war, but US officials have warned recently that it is considering sending military assistance to Russia.

- India. After seven Hindus were killed in early January in two consecutive attacks in Dangari village in the disputed region of Kashmir, hundreds of residents in the predominantly Hindu Tamil region staged angry protests. In response, Indian authorities revived a government-sponsored militia and began rearming and training thousands of villagers, including some teenagers.

- French Football Federation President Noel Lagrave resigned after a government audit found he no longer had the legitimacy to lead because of his behavior toward women and his management style. The 81-year-old Lagrave is under judicial investigation for alleged sexual and moral harassment.

- "Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered some of the most massive human rights violations in the world today". The head of the United States said on Monday as the war entered its second year with no end in sight, and tens of thousands of people were affected.

- The UK and the European Union sealed a deal on Monday to resolve their thorny post-Brexit trade dispute over Northern Ireland, hailing the agreement as the start of a new chapter in their often fractious relationship.

- World Cup champion Lionel Messi edged Kylian Mbappe again, this time to take FIFA's Best Men's Player award on Monday. The best women's player was Spain's Alexia Puteas for a second straight year. Messi won the best player vote against Mbappe and Karim Benzema and secured the FIFA prize for the seventh time in 14 years.

- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen are set to hold face-to-face talks with expectations high they will seal a deal to resolve a thorny post-Brexit trade dispute

- A wooden boat crowded with migrants smashed into rocky reefs and broke apart before dawn Sunday off, the Italian Coast Authority said. Rescuers recovered nearly 60 bodies and dozens more people were missing in the rough waters.

- Senior Arab lawmakers were in Syria on Sunday for talks with President Bashar al-Assad on bringing his country back into the fold of the Arab world. The visit follows many summits in Baghdad that affirmed the Arab League's intentions of having Syria return to the organization despite the country's devastating civil war.

- The UN General Assembly approved an unbinding resolution Thursday that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that Moscow's aggression must stop.

- Rescuers with backhouses and bulldozers dug through tons of earth and rubble Thursday for 48 people missing after a landslide buried an open-pit mine in northern China. State broadcaster CCTV reported that the confirmed death toll in the disaster rose to five.

- A fan ran onto the field in PSV Eindhoven's match against Sevilla and punched the Spanish team goalkeeper in the face before wrestling to the ground on Thursday. The incident happened late in the Europa League match at the PSV Eindhoven stadium.

- Russia has denied plans to test its new hypersonic missiles during naval exercises off the coast of South Africa. The exercises coincide with the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine and involve China's navy. This is happening during a time of tension in relations between Russia and the West, and between China and the United States.

- President Joe Biden has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for suspending his country's involvement in the last remaining U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control treaty. Biden characterized Putin's decision as a significant mistake.

- Microsoft plans to bring its new AI-powered chatbot to its bank smartphone app and the Edge internet browser app after making major fixes to prevent it from malfunctioning. Although people must sign up for a waitlist before using it, the technology is now considered stable enough for mainstream use.

- Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow's participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control pact in the United States, announcing the move Tuesday in a bitter speech, in which he made it clear he would not change his strategy in the war in Ukraine.

- The New York federal court convicted a former member of the Mexican presidential cabinet for accepting huge bribes to shield the violent drug cartels he was assigned to combat.

- Microsoft's Xbox video game division announced Tuesday new partnerships with Nintendo and chipmaker Nvidia, as it tries to persuade European regulators to approve its planned $68.7 billion takeover of game publishing giant Activision Blizzard.

- President Joe Biden swept and announced into Ukraine on Monday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in a defiant display of Western solidarity, with a country still fighting what he called a brutal and unjust war.

- The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the watered-down statement, strongly opposing Israel's continued construction and expansion of settlements Monday. The vote came after high-stakes negotiations by the Biden administration succeeded in derailing a legally binding resolution that would have demanded a halt to Israeli settlement activity.

- The governments of 34 nations released a statement Monday, calling on the IOG to clarify the definition of neutrality as it seeks a way to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes back into international sports and ultimately next year's Paris Olympics.

- North Korea said Sunday its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test was meant to further bolster its fatal nuclear attack capacity and threatened additional powerful steps over upcoming military drills between the United States and South Korea

- Estonia's Prime Minister insisted Sunday that once the war in Ukraine ends, Russia must be brought to justice for war crimes as well as for the decision to invade its neighbor if it is to have any chance of developing a normal relationship with the West.

- Meta is testing a new subscription service that would let Facebook and Instagram users pay for a verified account. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta verified on his media social account Sunday. Testing will begin in New Zealand and Australia this week and will roll out to other countries soon.