WORLD

Moscow has been calling its invasion in Ukraine a "special military operation" to "demilitarise" and "denazify" its neighbour. Kyiv and its Western allies call it an imperial-style aggression to grab land.

Brent crude was up 88 cents, or 1.1%, at $84.80 a barrel by 0253 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $80.44 a barrel, up 88 cents, or 1.1%.

Moscow on Monday said it had shot the drone down causing it to crash at the Engels air base, where three service members were killed. Under its usual policy on incidents inside Russia, Ukraine did not comment.

The incident occurred in Kafr Qassem, an Arab-Israeli city on the edge of Tel Aviv and just outside the occupied West Bank.

NATO member Turkey, which has friendly relations with both of its Black Sea neighbours, has positioned itself as a neutral player and tried to broker a truce.

The order threatened to suspend the operating licences of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that failed to implement the directive.

Three Russian military personnel were killed early on Monday by falling wreckage of a Ukrainian drone that was shot down as it was attacking a base in Russia's Saratov region, Russian news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry.

In an interview aired separately on Sunday, Putin said Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war, but said that Kyiv and its Western backers have refused to engage in talks.

Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones to carry out attacks against Ukraine.

Turkey is in talks with Russia to use the airspace above northern Syria for a potential cross-border operation against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.

This year, Israeli authorities have approved travel for nearly 600 Palestinian Christians in Gaza.

Nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini have ushered Iran into a new era of crisis.

North Korea's foreign ministry denied a media report it supplied munitions to Russia, calling it "groundless," and denounced the United States for providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, the North's official KCNA news agency reported on Friday.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 10 Russian naval entities over Russian operations against Ukrainian ports, the U.S.

Russian airlines have held exploratory talks with at least one major Western leasing firm about using state funds to buy some of the more than 400 aircraft stranded in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, according to documents and sources.

The thin attendance of Republicans for the Ukraine leader's congressional address, and Biden's reticence to provide him powerful offensive weapons, citing allies' concerns, showed there remained limits to the support.

Eva Kaili, a 44-year-old former newsreader who was booted from her post as parliamentary vice president after police raids earlier this month, has become the face of the case.

Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday he spoke with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of a conference in Jordan the previous day, the highest-level encounter reported between officials from the rival states since they cut ties in 2016.

Female university students in Afghanistan were turned away from campuses on Wednesday after the Taliban-run administration said women would be suspended from tertiary education.

The energy-rich state spent at least $200 billion on infrastructure projects ahead of the World Cup which rights groups claim were built by exploiting low-paid foreign labourers, who faced dangerous working conditions.

Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Wednesday he had secured a deal to form a new government after weeks of unexpectedly tough negotiations with religious and far-right coalition partners.

Biden also made clear to Zelensky -- who was on his first trip outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded in February -- that there were limits to the type of support that can be provided to Kyiv without risking divisions among its allies.

In Kabul, home to the country's largest universities, students gathered outside campuses dressed in the black cloaks and tight headscarves imposed by the Taliban since they took control last year.

Following his November 1 election win, Netanyahu secured a mandate to form a government backed by two ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and an extreme-right Zionist bloc.

Militants being held at the centre took control of the compound on Sunday after overpowering their interrogators and taking their weapons,

Pakistani army commandos on Tuesday stormed a counter-terrorism centre and killed militant detainees who had seized control of the facility, as well as rescuing their hostages, after talks failed to resolve a two-day standoff, the defence minister said.

As a corruption scandal rocks the European Parliament, lawmakers and campaign groups say a lack of asset declarations, little reporting on contacts with third countries and barely any sanctions created an environment where rule-breaking could go unpunished or undetected.

There are conflicting views in Russia on whether or not to launch a renewed offensive in Ukraine, a senior U.S.

Afghanistan's Taliban-run higher education ministry on Tuesday suspended access to universities by female students until further notice, drawing strong condemnation from the United States, Britain and the United Nations.