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Cryptocurrency purchases in rubles are at a record high following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, raising questions about whether piling into the likes of bitcoin can help Moscow get around sanctions.

Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky hopes he doesn't have to use a gun after joining the fight to protect his country from the Russian invasion.

Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced nationwide seven-and-a-half hour daily power cuts, the longest in more than a quarter of a century, as its foreign exchange crisis leaves it unable to import oil.

Thousands of refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine have arrived in Budapest after abandoning their homes fearing for their lives as they seek safety elsewhere.

A fire in a shopping centre in the Syrian capital Damascus killed at least 11 people early Tuesday, the interior ministry said, in one of the deadliest blazes of recent years.

The Russian military advance on Kyiv has momentarily stalled, hampered by Ukrainian resistance as well as fuel and food shortages, a senior US defense official said Tuesday.

An apparent Russian airstrike aimed at Kyiv's main television tower killed five people on Tuesday, officials said, knocking out some broadcasts but leaving the structure intact.

Afghanistan and Myanmar are vote for a United Nations General Assembly resolution denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to diplomats.

Germany's Munich Philharmonic fired Russian conductor and Kremlin loyalist Valery Gergiev on Tuesday after he failed to denounce Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, while a top Russian soprano withdrew from concerts as the fallout from the war engulfed artists.

President Joe Biden will try to reboot his US domestic fortunes Tuesday in a tense State of the Union speech delivered under the shadow of the spiraling confrontation against Russia over Ukraine.

Russian air strikes hit a residential block in Kharkiv and the main TV tower in the capital Kyiv, Ukraine said on Tuesday, as Moscow stepped up attacks despite sanctions and warnings of a humanitarian crisis.

World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury accused Dillian Whyte of "showing the white flag" after the challenger failed to attend a press conference on Tuesday ahead of their April 23 WBC title bout at Wembley Stadium.

The Ukrainian special forces commander inspected the remains of a bridge his teams had blown up at the gates of Kyiv and explained his strategy for fighting Russian "saboteurs".

A first group of Ghanaian students evacuated from Ukraine arrived home on Tuesday as African governments stepped up efforts to extract stranded citizens following the Russian invasion.

They recount fears of a war they never imagined would happen and the kindness of strangers. The cars queue as far as the eye can see: thousands of Ukrainians desperate to cross into Poland and to safety.

Russian athletes were barred from all competitions by World Athletics on Tuesday over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a punishment the body's president said was "against the grain" but defendable.

In the mist and pouring rain, the usually bustling port of Taganrog in south-west Russia has come to a standstill. The Azov Sea, usually calm, has become a symbolic prize in Russia's war in Ukraine.

The tech industry is playing down fears of widespread raw materials shortages as a result of the war in Ukraine, after reports that chipmakers would face a severe crunch.

Dior's show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday struck a sombre tone, with designer Maria Grazia Chiuri telling AFP her focus on combining "beauty and protection" was apt for a time of war.

Queen Elizabeth II resumed public engagements Tuesday after falling ill with Covid, as her son and heir Prince Charles was quoted as saying that she is "a lot better".

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says it is "crazy" to even think about an unprecedented quadruple of trophies as he prepares his League Cup winners for Wednesday's FA Cup tie against Norwich.

Long portrayed as victims of climate change, indigenous peoples who have struggled for years to protect ancestral lands and ways of life from destruction are finally being recognised as playing an important role in defending precious environments.

Russian forces stepped up attacks on cities across Ukraine Tuesday and warned they would target security buildings in the capital Kyiv, as the West promised more devastating sanctions and the UN appealed for $1.7 billion for urgent aid.

On the sixth day of fighting in Ukraine Tuesday, Russia is striking cities and building up its forces near the capital Kyiv, vowing not to stop until "set goals are achieved".

Pakistan were hit with another blow Tuesday when fast bowler Haris Rauf tested positive for Covid, three days before the first Test against Australia in Rawalpindi.

The Taliban's chief spokesman on Tuesday rowed back comments he made suggesting Afghans would be barred from leaving the country, saying he had been misunderstood.

Top Russian tennis player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova voiced her opposition to the conflict in Ukraine due to last Thursday's invasion by Russia tweeting "Stop the war, stop the violence."

Manchester United football director John Murtough says a "thorough process" is under way to find their next permanent manager, pledging the club remains focused on challenging for "top trophies" again.

Northampton announced on Tuesday they had signed Australia second row Lukhan Salakaia-Loto for the 2022/23 English Premiership season.

The ambassadors of European Union nations to Pakistan appealed Tuesday for Islamabad to support an emergency resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine after the country abstained from an earlier vote on the crisis.

Germany scrapped compulsory military service just over 10 years ago, but the conflict in Ukraine has reignited the debate around whether young men and women should be required to fight for their country.

A Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars is "very unlikely" to launch this year due to sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency said.