- Ghana a long way off from gender equality despite new law
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost economy
- Hamas weakened, not crushed a year into war with Israel
- Israeli economy struggles under weight of Gaza war
- Israelis united in trauma, divided by war after October 7
- New York Liberty riding WNBA boom into playoffs
- Union says new Boeing pay offer 'missed the mark'
- Environmental groups urge EU 'high risk' label for Sarawak
- Argentina seeks Maduro's arrest for crimes against humanity
- Morales issues Bolivian president 24-hour ultimatum to shake up cabinet
- Armenia and Azerbaijan see progress, but peace treaty seems distant
- World leaders gather at UN as Mideast tensions explode
- Biden's UN goodbye aims to 'Trump-proof' legacy
- Singapore ex-minister set for high-profile corruption trial
- Man Utd, Spurs eye respite from domestic woes in Europa League
- Guatemala picks Supreme Court judges with focus on anti-graft fight
- Jill Biden announces $500 million for women's health research
- Injured All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett out of Australia Test
- 'Lead the future': youth challenge world leaders at UN
- Goosebumps and stars as Paris Fashion Week kicks off
- Boeing boosts pay offer in effort to end strike
- Global markets inch higher on hopes of further rate cuts
- Amazon forest loses area the size of Germany and France, fueling fires
- 'Curious' Dupont eyes position change after claiming Top 14 award
- Man Utd stadium regeneration could add £7.3bn to British economy
- At COP16, Colombia seeks to lead by example on biodiversity
- Dupont caps off Olympic gold season with Top 14 player award
- Leeds to expand Elland Road to 53,000 capacity
- Mysterious 18th century diamond necklace set for auction
- World's oceans near critical acidification level: report
- California sues oil giant Exxon over plastic recycling 'myth'
- As wars rage, UN's critics say global body is failing its mission
- Amazon forest has lost an area the size of Germany and France
- Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
- Telegram's Durov announces new crackdown on illegal content
- African players in Europe: Ice-cool Jackson strikes twice
- Man City's Rodri 'out for season' after ACL injury: reports
- Venezuelan court issues arrest warrant for Argentina's Milei
- Arsenal not yet a match for Man City-Liverpool rivalry, says Silva
- Iran's new president calls Israel warmonger as he seeks talks with West
- Berlin warns UniCredit against Commerzbank takeover attempt
- Black Eyed Peas star harnesses AI for novel radio product
- England cricket captain Knight reprimanded over 'blackface' photo
- Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen set to miss season after knee operation
- 'I lived a lie', tearful witness tells French mass rape trial
- 274 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon
- Gunman revealed Trump plot months before golf course arrest: DOJ
- Trial opens in Italy student murder case that opened eyes to femicide
- Iran president accuses Israel of seeking conflict, says opposes war
- Swedish battery maker Northvolt to slash 1,600 jobs, quarter of staff
Russia refocusing on Donbas but no offensive yet: Pentagon
Russian forces are reinforcing around the Donbas, notably near the town of Izyum, but have not yet launched an offensive to seize control of the disputed region of eastern Ukraine, Pentagon officials said Monday.
"They're repositioning, they're refocusing on the Donbas," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby said a convoy of vehicles had been observed heading for Izyum but "it's not clear to us how many vehicles are in this convoy and what exactly they're bringing.
"It does seem to be a mix of personnel-carrying vehicles as well as armored vehicles and maybe some artillery," he said.
The Pentagon spokesman underscored that the Ukrainian military has been fighting Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region since 2014.
"The Ukrainians have been for eight years -- and still are -- fighting over that," he said. "And they show no signs of being willing to give that territory up."
A senior US defense official said earlier Monday that the United States does not believe a "new offensive" in the Donbas region has begun yet.
"We still assess that while there is fighting going on they (the Russians) are working to reinforce their capabilities and to add to it," the official said.
The official also confirmed that Russian general Alexander Dvornikov, a veteran of Russia's military intervention in Syria, had been named the overall commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.
"Our assessment is that the Russians have in fact appointed him to be the overall commander," the official said.
"But it remains to be seen, given the significant logistics and sustainment challenges, the operational maneuver challenges, the integration of fires challenges, the morale, the leadership, it certainly remains to be seen what sort of an effect he's going to be able to have," the official said.
Pentagon spokesman Kirby said he was unable to confirm a claim by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that "tens of thousands" of people may have been killed in the southern city of Mariupol.
"I don't think anybody's really going to know until Ukrainian authorities are able to get in there and look and see," he said. "It's still being fought over.
"But if you just look at the imagery, and you see how much the Russians have pounded Mariupol from the air, it's inconceivable to imagine that there aren't going to be civilian casualties, and that it could be a significant number," he said.
C.Meier--BTB