Tourism in Turkey is set to return to near pre-pandemic levels this year, boosting the crisis-hit economy with the help of a recent currency crash that has made it a more attractive destination than ever, industry officials say.   

Russia said on Tuesday some of its military units were returning to their bases after exercises near Ukraine. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that US assertions that Russia was poised to invade Ukraine were baseless hysteria.

* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said on Tuesday he had agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to pursue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions over Russia's military buildup near the border with Ukraine.

* Divisions between Russia and the West can be reduced, Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said on Tuesday after talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

* Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed the Ukraine situation during a telephone call on Tuesday, Japan's foreign ministry said.

* The European Union is ready to discuss Russia's security concerns, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Tuesday, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to heighten.

* Russian-German energy cooperation is a priority for Moscow, which views Berlin as one of its main partners, Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of talks in Moscow on Tuesday. Putin said gas exporter Russia was a reliable energy supplier.

* The economy in Australia did hit a speed bump in January as the rapid spread of the Omicron variant curbed consumer mobility, but spending has since recovered as cases levelled off.

* Japan's economy rebounded in the final three months of 2021 as falling coronavirus cases helped prop up consumption, though rising raw material costs and a spike in new Omicron variant infections cloud the outlook.

* Pollution by states and companies is contributing to more deaths globally than COVID-19, a U.N. environmental report published on Tuesday said, calling for "immediate and ambitious action" to ban some toxic chemicals.

* Indonesia reported 57,049 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, a record daily high, according to data from its COVID-19 taskforce. The Southeast Asian nation has recorded 4.9 million cases overall and more than 145,000 deaths.

* The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised against travel to six countries and territories including the Republic of Korea, Azerbaijan and Belarus due to widespread COVID-19.

* A new wave of infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is moving towards the east of Europe, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, urging authorities to improve vaccination and other measures.

* Thousands of nurses in Australia's most populous state walked off the job for the first time in nearly a decade to begin a 24-hour strike after talks with the government to plug staff shortages and secure a pay rise failed.

* Kuwait's cabinet has lifted many COVID-19 restrictions including a ban on foreign travel, a move that will also apply to those who are not vaccinated.

* The immune response to COVID-19 helps protect against reinfection, but that protection is weaker against Omicron than it was against earlier variants of the coronavirus, according to new data.

* Coronavirus case numbers have slightly dropped in Germany, as the government plans to loosen restrictions.

* British scientists this week will launch a study to evaluate the effects of new coronavirus variants on pregnant women and newborns, and look into the effects of COVID-19 vaccination on complications during pregnancy and following birth.

* Canada is planning to impose emergency measures not used for more than 50 years to cut off funding for truckers responsible for nationwide protests that have gridlocked the nation's capital for weeks.

* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, will no longer require people show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter many businesses beginning on Tuesday, its mayor said, joining a slew of local leaders who are dialling back pandemic restrictions as the Omicron wave ebbs.

* French wine and spirits exports hit a new record of 15.5 billion euros (17.59 billion USD) in 2021, up 28% on 2020 and 11% above 2019, the Federation of French Wine and Spirits Exporters (FEVS) said on Tuesday.

* Germany sees no reason to keep its troops in Mali if the country delays presidential and legislative elections by four to five years, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a statement on Tuesday.

* Ethiopia's parliament on Tuesday voted for an early end to a six-month state of emergency, effective immediately, adding to signs that a bloody conflict between the government and rebellious Tigrayan forces could be easing.

Reuters