The Republic of Korea posted a record 219,241 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, a sharp spike after the daily tallies hovered around 170,000.   

Fighting continues as Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine has entered the seventh day, while a new round of peace talks is reportedly to take place.

* Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday stressed diplomatic efforts to solve the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

* Conflict should end before Ukraine's application to join the European Union (EU) is discussed, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels on Tuesday.

* Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree banning cash exports of foreign currency from Russia exceeding 10,000 USD in value with effect from March 2, the Kremlin said in a statement.

* Belarus said on Wednesday it had stepped up security at its western and southern borders as Russia troops entering neighbouring Ukraine.

* Asian stocks came under renewed pressure and the price of oil surged past 110 USD per barrel as investors worried about the impact of aggressive sanctions against Russia for its troops entering Ukraine.

* India's factory activity growth accelerated in February as the threat from a third COVID-19 wave eased, while some softening of price pressures meant demand and business expectations strengthened, a private survey showed.

* Australia's economy rebounded strongly last quarter as the lifting of lockdowns unleashed a wave of consumer spending, momentum which should help underpin growth through the current bout of geopolitical stress.

* German unemployment fell in February, official figures showed on Wednesday, pointing to an ongoing recovery in the job market, though the figures did not yet reflect the war in Ukraine.

* Argentina's government will this week send an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to delay debt repayments to the South American country's Congress for approval, President Alberto Fernandez said on Tuesday.

* Tens of thousands of Australians fled from their homes and authorities evacuated a hospital on Wednesday as more torrential rains battered the east coast.

* A small study of patients suffering from persistent symptoms long after a bout of COVID-19 found that nearly 60% had nerve damage possibly caused by a defective immune response, a finding that could point to new treatments, US researchers reported.

* US President Joe Biden said his administration launched a new initiative that will allow Americans to get tested for COVID-19 at a pharmacy and immediately receive free pills if they test positive.

* Britain on Tuesday confirmed that a requirement for health workers to have a COVID-19 vaccination would no longer be introduced in April and care home workers would no longer be required to have the shots from March 15.

* Mexico reported 382 more deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll since the pandemic began to 318,531, according to health ministry data. The country also reported 13,115 new confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total to 5,521,744.

* Brazil has had 23,545 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 297 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Xinhua/Reuters/VNA