Britain's Prince Andrew has settled a lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager, sparing him potential additional lurid accusations in a case that already caused his fall from grace.

Russia said Tuesday that some units participating in military exercises would begin returning to their bases, adding to glimmers of hope that the Kremlin may not be planning to invade Ukraine imminently, though it gave no details on the pullback.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday it was time to "defuse tensions" between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis, saying he was "deeply worried" about the threat of conflict.

Despite a recent uptick in bilateral dialogue, relations between Moscow and Washington are "lying on the floor", the Kremlin told Russia's RIA news agency, amid Western objections to ongoing major Russian military drills near its borders with Ukraine.

Ukraine said on Sunday it wanted talks with Russia and members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) within 48 hours to discuss Russia's military build-up.

Protesters opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions withdrew their vehicles from a key US-Canadian border bridge Saturday but still blocked access while other demonstrations ramped up in cities across Canada, including the capital, where police said they were awaiting more officers before ending what they described as an illegal occupation.

US President Joe Biden told Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the West would respond decisively to any invasion of Ukraine, adding such a step would produce widespread suffering and isolate Moscow.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak today, a White House official said, after Washington said earlier on Friday that Russia has massed enough troops near Ukraine to launch a major invasion.

French President Emmanuel Macron refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian Covid-19 test when he arrived to see President Vladimir Putin this week, to prevent Russia getting hold of Macron's DNA, two sources in Macron's entourage told Reuters.

Russia is now massing yet more troops near Ukraine and an invasion could come at any time, perhaps before the end of this month's Winter Olympics, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.

The United States has urged Americans in Ukraine to leave immediately due to the "increased threats of Russian military action" against Ukraine.

Britain said on Thursday the "most dangerous moment" in the West's standoff with Moscow appeared imminent, as Russia held military exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea following its military buildup near Ukraine.

French virologist Luc Montagnier, who won a Nobel Prize for his part in discovering the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, has died, French news agency AFP reported on Thursday.

Hundreds of people protesting vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions blocked streets outside New Zealand's parliament on Tuesday with trucks and campervans, inspired by similar demonstrations in Canada.

At least 14 people were killed and 35 injured after a landslide covered several homes in central Colombia on Tuesday, the country's disaster management agency said.

Taiwan yesterday thanked the United States for selling up to $100 million worth of equipment and services to support its air and missile defence systems, as China ramps up incursions of warplanes into the island’s air defence zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described Monday's talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in the Kremlin as useful, substantive and business-like, and said that some of Macron's ideas could form a basis for further joint steps.

President Joe Biden said Monday “there will no longer be Nord Stream 2,” a crucial European gas pipeline, if Russia further invades Ukraine with “tanks or troops.”

Dumping plastic in waterways is “criminal” and must end if humanity wants to save the planet for future generations, Pope Francis said in a television interview

French President Emmanuel Macron flies to Moscow on Monday in a risky diplomatic move, seeking commitments from Russian President Vladimir Putin to dial down tensions with Ukraine, where Western leaders fear the Kremlin plans an invasion.