- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
Dozens of civilians evacuated from Mariupol steel plant
Roughly 100 civilians have been evacuated from the besieged Mariupol steel plant in eastern Ukraine and are heading out of Russian-controlled territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.
The announcement came after the UN said a "safe passage operation" was ongoing at Azovstal, where Ukrainian forces say they and hundreds of civilians have been sheltering from Russian bombardment.
"Evacuation of civilians from Azovstal began," Zelensky said on Twitter.
Zelensky said the group was expected to arrive in the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is under Ukrainian control, on Monday.
"Grateful to our team! Now they, together with UN, are working on the evacuation of other civilians from the plant," he said.
The Russian defence ministry earlier said 46 civilians had left the plant on Saturday.
"All of the civilians were given accommodation, food and necessary medical help," the ministry said.
A ministry video showed a convoy of cars and buses travelling in the dark, marked with a "Z", the letter used by the Russian forces in the conflict.
- 'Barbaric' bombing -
The fate of Mariupol, a strategic port city linking Russian-held areas of southern and eastern Ukraine, has drawn worldwide condemnation.
Pope Francis on Sunday used his weekly Angelus prayer to renew his appeal for humanitarian corridors from the city, saying it had been "bombed and destroyed in a barbaric manner".
Thousands have been killed and millions displaced by Russia's invasion, which began on February 24.
Western powers have rushed to send military aid to Ukraine and imposed heavy sanctions on Russia.
"Do not be bullied by bullies," US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told reporters at a press conference in Rzeszow in southern Poland on Sunday after returning from Ukraine.
"If they are making threats, you cannot back down. That's my view of it. We are here for the fight and you cannot fold to a bully," she said.
Pelosi met Zelensky on Saturday, becoming the most senior US figure to visit since the war began.
"We are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom... Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done," she told him.
Pelosi also promised to enact the $33-billion (31-billion-euro) arms and support package announced by US President Joe Biden last week.
- Russian ruble introduced -
The conflict is concentrated in the east and south of Ukraine, although there have been Russian missile strikes across the country, mainly targeting infrastructure and supply lines.
Russia's defence ministry also on Sunday said it had used high-precision Onyx missiles to strike a hangar at a military aerodrome housing arms from the United States and European countries and destroyed the runway.
Ukrainian authorities had reported the strike on Saturday but said only that it destroyed the runway.
Russia has moved to solidify its grip on areas it controls and from Sunday introduced the Russian ruble in the region of Kherson -- initially to be used alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia.
"Beginning May 1, we will move to the ruble zone," Kirill Stremousov, a civilian and military administrator of Kherson, was cited as saying earlier by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti.
He said there would be a period of four months in which the hryvnia could be used, but then "we will completely switch to settlements in rubles".
- 'Guard the line' -
On the front line in the east, Russian troops have advanced slowly but steadily in some areas -- helped by massive use of artillery -- but Ukrainian forces have also recaptured some territory in recent days, particularly around the city of Kharkiv.
One of the areas taken back from Russian control was the village of Ruska Lozova, which evacuees said had been occupied for two months.
"It was two months of terrible fear. Nothing else, a terrible and relentless fear," Natalia, a 28-year-old evacuee from Ruska Lozova, told AFP after reaching Kharkiv.
Kyiv has admitted that Russian forces have captured a string of villages in the Donbas region and has asked Western powers to deliver more heavy weapons to bolster its defences there.
"We cannot let the enemy move closer, we try to hold it with all our force."
D.Cunningha--AMWN