Canada's Basketball World Cup hopes have suffered a major blow with guard Jamal Murray, who helped the Denver Nuggets win the NBA title in June, pulling out of the event, saying...

“Shady deals” with Russia must be stopped as Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said in an emphatic address to the UN General Assembly. Notorious mercenary leader and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin died in an unexplained crash when a plane carrying him and some of his top lieutenants went down while flying between Moscow and St Petersburg in late August. Western leaders have suspected the Kremlin’s involvement in his death as the mercenary leader had attempted a coup in Russia just weeks before. “Evil cannot be trusted – ask Prigozhin if one bets on Putin’s promises,” Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday, claiming he was aware of “attempts to make some shady deals behind the scenes”. “Please, hear me. Let unity decide everything openly,” he said. The war-time leader told the UN assembly that Russia has no rights to hold nuclear weapons while it continues to blackmail other nations by weaponising food. “History shows that it was Russia who deserved nuclear disarmament. Terrorists have no right to hold nuclear weapons,” he told the UN member states gathered in New York. He called for a global front on the war and warned of dangers from Russia to the UN General Assembly. “The goal of the present war against Ukraine is to turn our lands, our people, our resources into a weapon against you, against the international rules-based order. Many seats in the General Assembly hall may become empty if Russia succeeds with its treachery and aggression,” he said. Mr Zelensky was addressing the gathering at a sensitive point in his country’s campaign to maintain international support for its fight against the invasion. Nearly 19 months after Moscow launched its war, Ukrainian forces have stepped up a counteroffensive that has continued for three months now amid comments that it has not gone on as fast or as well as initially hoped. “We must stand up to this naked aggression today and deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow,” US president Joe Biden earlier told the assembly. The world must remain united in defending Ukraine, he said, warning that no nation can be secure if “we allow Ukraine to be carved up”. This is not the first time Mr Zelensky has blamed the Russian regime under Mr Putin for Prigozhin’s death. Earlier this month, he said Mr Putin orchestrated the killing of Wagner boss Prigozhin. “The fact that he killed Prigozhin – at least that’s the information we all have, not any other kind – that also speaks to his rationality, and about the fact that he is weak,” he had said. Russia will get its chance to address the General Assembly on Saturday. Its deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky was in Russia’s seat during Mr Zelensky’s address. “Did he speak?” Mr Polyansky said when an Associated Press reporter asked about his reaction to the address. “I didn’t notice he was speaking. I was on my phone.” Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin ‘weaponising’ food as troops target cargo ship in Black Sea Russia is ‘weaponising’ food, energy and children in war on Ukraine, Zelensky tells UN Drones shot down over Russian cities near Ukraine border in overnight attack Russia’s UN ambassador plays on phone as Biden addresses Assembly Republicans at war over Ukraine funding as Zelensky flies into town

Amy Schumer is not holding back when it comes to celebrities and diet trends.

The divorce filing came as a surprise Jeannie Mai Jenkins, who is trying to save her marriage

Japanese golfer Ryo Hisatsune has posted a 5-under 66 to win the French Open by two shots from Jeff Winther of Denmark and Jordan Smith of England for his first victory on the European tour

More than 60,000 containers are stuck at sea waiting to be offloaded at South Africa's biggest port amid gridlock blamed on bad weather and equipment failures that is damaging the poor...

The Himalayan ice hack on TikTok makes lofty promises of helping to shed extra pounds without diet and exercise

Her tricky smile and timeless allure have inspired academic study and artistic emulation for more than five centuries. But the story of this perplexing portrait of 'Mona Lisa' is even richer than it looks.

In Muslim communities across the world, worshippers gathered at mosques for their first Friday prayers since Hamas militants attacked Israel, igniting the latest Israel-Palestinian war

SAVE 20%: As of May 26, Bissell is having a sitewide Memorial Day sale, with

By Steve Holland WASHINGTON President Joe Biden's re-election campaign attempted to set the tone for the battle to

President Joe Biden on Saturday called the Chinese spy balloon debacle “embarrassing” for the Asian superpower’s leaders – while highlighting his hopes for productive talks as Antony Blinken embarks upon the first high-profile diplomatic trip to Beijing since the 46th president took office. Speaking before boarding a plane to Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, President Biden told reporters that China “has some legitimate difficulties unrelated to the United States. “And I think one of the things that that balloon caused was not so much that it got shot down, but I don’t think the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on,” the President said. “I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional. And so I’m hoping that, over the next several months, I’ll be meeting with [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] again, and talking about legitimate differences we have – but also how ... to get along.” The already tense relations between the United States and China became further strained earlier this year when the US shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon flying over American soil. China persistently denied that the balloon, which was shot down in February over the Atlantic, had been used for spying. Presidents Biden and Xi agreed to Secretary Blinken’s trip at a meeting last year in Bali, but it was delayed by the balloon drama. Secretary Blinken will be the highest-level American official to visit China since President Biden took office and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years. He is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday, top diplomat Wang Yi, and possibly Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, according to US officials. “Yet prospects for any significant breakthrough on the most vexing issues facing the planet’s two largest economies are slim, as already ties have grown increasingly fraught in recent years,” the Associated Press news agency reported. “Animosity and recriminations have steadily escalated over a series of disagreements that have implications for global security and stability.” Speaking to the AP before Mr Blinken’s departure, two US officials downplayed hopes for major progress and stressed that the trip was intended to restore a sense of calm and normalcy to high-level contacts. “We’re coming to Beijing with a realistic, confident approach and a sincere desire to manage our competition in the most responsible way possible,” said Daniel Kritenbrink, the top US diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific. Kurt Campbell, the top Asia expert at the National Security Council, said “intense competition requires intense diplomacy if we’re going to manage tensions. That is the only way to clear up misperceptions, to signal, to communicate, and to work together where and when our interests align.” Read More Blinken set for high-stakes China visit with tensions rising and breakthrough prospects low China calls hacking report 'far-fetched' and accuses the US of targeting the cybersecurity industry Chinese premier meets with Palestinian president in effort to increase Middle East presence Blinken heads to China this weekend on mission to salvage sinking ties and keep communications open Beijing criticizes new US sanctions on companies over pilot training, weapons development