Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics on Thursday after refusing to back down over his banned helmet, which depicts victims of his country's war with Russia.

In a statement, the International Olympic Committee said Heraskevych is "not allowed to participate at Milano-Cortina 2026 after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines".

U.S. President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Wednesday that talks with Iran must continue, rebuffing the Israeli prime minister's push for a tougher stance against Tehran.

"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated," Trump said on social media after their three-hour meeting.

Russian strikes overnight cut heating to nearly 2,600 residential buildings in Kyiv and killed two in east Ukraine, officials said Thursday.

"After last night's massive attack, due to damage to critical infrastructure targeted by the enemy, nearly 2,600 more buildings in the capital have been left without heat," the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, said.

China said on Thursday it opposed "all attempts to annex" Palestinian territories, days after Israel's security cabinet approved measures to tighten control over the occupied West Bank.

"China has always opposed the construction of new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and opposed all attempts to annex or encroach upon Palestinian territory," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference.

U.S. House lawmakers voted Wednesday to reject Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, sweeping aside the president's last-gasp threat of election consequences for Republicans to deliver a rare rebuke on his signature economic policy.

The resolution brought by Democrats was approved by a vote of 219 to 211, with six Republicans joining the effort. Even if it passes the U.S. Senate, it would face a likely veto by Trump.

Germany on Wednesday criticized Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as "a further step towards de facto annexation", as international anger mounts over the move.

"Israel remains an occupying power in the West Bank, and as an occupying power it is a violation of international law to build settlements, including transferring certain administrative functions to civilian Israeli authorities," a German foreign ministry spokesman said in Berlin.

Libya granted several foreign companies new oil exploration and production licenses for the first time in 17 years on Wednesday, after more than a decade of political instability.

The hydrocarbon-rich country is seeking to draw major global energy companies back, while boosting daily oil production by 850,000 barrels over the next 25 years.

The EU parliament on Wednesday approved a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine, providing a financial lifeline to cash-strapped Kyiv four years into Russia's invasion.

Lawmakers voted by 458 to 140 in favor of the loan, intended to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financial needs for 2026 and 2027 and backed by the EU's common budget -- after plans to tap frozen Russian central bank assets fell by the wayside.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump on Wednesday to take a tougher stance in nuclear talks with Iran, after rushing to Washington to stiffen the U.S. president's resolve.

Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting -- set to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT)-- that he was weighing sending a second U.S. "armada" to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.

Qatar's ruler discussed regional de-escalation on a call with US President Donald Trump and later met with Iran's top security official, the emir's office said in two separate statements on Wednesday.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump focused on "the current situation in the region and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and strengthening regional security and peace", one statement said.