Nicknamed “Rental-san”, Shoji Morimoto has built a cult following by offering himself as a warm body who can simply be there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the siege of Mariupol would go down in history for what he said were war crimes committed by Russian troops.

China’s health authorities reported its first COVID-19 deaths since January 2021, as the country battles its worst outbreak in two years.

With the backing of independence hero Xanana Gusmao, another of the country’s founding fathers was seeking a return to the post a decade after he last held it.

The devastation continues in Ukraine as Russia targets cities in the country's west that were once seen as places of refuge amid the invasion.

Earth’s poles are undergoing simultaneous heatwaves, with parts of Antarctica and the Arctic 30 to 40 degrees warmer than average.

“Sometimes yellow is just yellow”, Russian authorities insisted.

An indigenous group criticised William over his links to their protest over a long-running land rights dispute.

The convicted swindler who claimed to be a German heiress to finance a posh lifestyle in New York is making a new bid to fight deportation.

Rowan Downing QC has accused the United Nations of an “attack upon the independence of the judiciary”.

Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore says Putin is threatening Russians with Stalinist purges while aspiring to an 18th century empire.

The stakes of the meeting – which took place as Russia laid waste to cities in Ukraine – cannot be overestimated.

The devastation continues in Ukraine as Russia targets cities in the country's west that were once seen as places of refuge amid the invasion.

Given a chance to escape, residents of Mariupol crammed nine or 10 to a car to travel north in search of food and safety.

As the fast food giant exits Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, a new burger chain emerges to replace it - “Uncle Vanya’s” - with its own golden arches.

Ukraine concedes the Russians have cut off access to the Sea of Asov, an important shipping route, as Mariupol mayor says residents were “hiding in bunkers”.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on what Christians believe is the crucifixion site, will get an archaeological dig as the ancient floor is repaired.

Samoa was among the last places on earth to remain COVID-free. But one by one the Pacific’s island nations have been succumbing to the virus.

The French election next month was going to be a battle for the far right. But war in Ukraine swung sentiment back to Macron.

The West’s preferred battleground against Russia is in the comfort zone of onanistic microaggression, but Australia could do something real against Putin’s paymaster, China.

Thailand is welcoming back overseas tourists, but destinations like Khaosan Road, the partying hub immortalised in The Beach, may never be the same.

Russian forces have resumed striking Ukrainian cities from a distance, as officials confirm 130 survivors of the theatre bombing in Mariupol.

Appearing in his now trademark khaki T-shirt, unshaven with dark rings under his eyes, Zelensky said the future of Europe was at stake.

“All schools are going to open to all boys and girls,” Aziz Ahmad Rayan, a spokesman for the Taliban-run Ministry of Education, said.

The country descended into chaos in January, amid a failed coup. Now Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is promising to shed his personal power.

Thousands of people have escaped the country’s armed forces refusing to shoot civilians and hoping to start a new, free, life elsewhere.

Officials had said earlier that some people had emerged. Ukraine’s ombudswoman, Ludmyla Denisova, said on the Telegram messaging app that the shelter had held up.

In the frozen woods of no-man’s land, the Ukrainian army, supplemented by civilians, uses high-tech weapons to fight an old-fashioned war. Anthony Galloway and Kate Geraghty report from the Donbas.

Prosecutors have accused Becciu of embezzling Holy See funds and placed him on trial along with nine other people accused of defrauding the Vatican of tens of millions of euros.

A person must be 14 years old in Texas to start taking classroom courses for a learner’s licence and 15 to receive that provisional licence to drive with an instructor or licensed adult in the vehicle

The Medicines Patent Pool said in a statement that agreements signed with 35 companies should help make Pfizer’s nirmatrelvir, or Paxlovid, available to more than half of the world’s population.

The sudden announcement prompted some of the employees to lock themselves aboard vessels.

Hundreds of people, including children, were sheltering in the theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol when the building came under attack from Russian bombs.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

Russian forces continue to rain fire on Ukrainian cities, even as the two sides project optimism over efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting.

The Russian dictator appears increasingly unstable as his invasion of Ukraine runs off the rails.

Driven by a false sense of security, the harbour city was slow to lock down, failed to vaccinate the aged and now its failures are angering Beijing.

The war is having a huge impact on the international ballet community. Several have left Russia where ballet’s roots are.

The Kremlin was swift to rebuke the US President as “the head of the country whose bombs killed hundreds of thousands of people”.

Several people died and dozens were injured in the tremor that occurred in the same region devastated 11 years ago.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has arrived back in Britain after “six years of hell”. Hers is one of the world’s highest-profile cases of hostage diplomacy.

Genome sequencing tests suggest the extinct flightless bird could be brought back to life, say scientists.

Aleksandr is passionately opposed to Putin’s increasingly authoritarian regime and his decision to invade Ukraine. His father believes what he sees on TV.

Authorities declared a 35-hour curfew in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, as Russian invasion forces continue to target major cities.

Alan Johnson, then the health secretary, revealed how he munched on the dog food following a meal at Windsor Castle.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cited Pearl Harbor as he appealed to the US Congress to do more to help Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

There will be lots of craic today as cities go green for St Patrick’s Day. But there’s nothing Irish about the tradition. For a start, St Patrick’s colour is really blue.

The pearly whites of Scott Charmoli’s patients were just fine. But fine wasn’t making this dentist enough money.

As China declares it will “always be a force for good for Ukraine”, Singapore has joined calls for Beijing to convince Vladimir Putin to cease his deadly invasion.

A couple who believed they had dug up the world’s largest potato in the garden of their small farm have had their dreams turned to mash by Guinness World Records.