The sister of Iran's supreme leader has slammed his "despotic" rule and thrown her support behind protests ignited by Mahsa Amini's death, in a letter published Wednesday by her son.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of "ecocide" for the devastation he said its invasion has wrought on Ukraine's wildlife.

Time magazine named President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as "the spirit of Ukraine" as its 2022 person of the year on Wednesday, for the resistance the country has shown in the face of Russia's invasion.

Five years after it emerged from the Islamic State group's jihadist rule, Iraq's once thriving cultural center of Mosul has regained a semblance of normalcy despite sluggish reconstruction efforts.

The White House on Wednesday responded to the visit of President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia by warning that China's attempt to spread influence worldwide is "not conducive" to international order.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Wednesday that the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine might have become a "lengthy process," noting that Moscow would not use nuclear arms unless it comes under an attack of the same type.

Putin, however, praised Moscow's territorial gains.

Lebanon has arrested 185 people suspected of collaborating with enemy state Israel since its economic collapse three years ago left many Lebanese desperate for cash, two security sources told AFP Wednesday.

That number has jumped significantly from a previous average of four or five arrests a year, one of the sources said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit that is likely to focus on energy ties but also follows months of tensions with the United States.

Xi, recently reanointed as leader of the world's second biggest economy, arrived in the capital Riyadh, Chinese state media said, for a three-day visit that will include talks with the Saudi rulers and other Arab leaders.

Brazil's players paid tribute to legend Pele, who is receiving hospital treatment in Sao Paulo due to his ailing health, after sauntering to a 4-1 World Cup victory over South Korea.

Following Monday's last-16 match at Stadium 974 in Doha, the players unfurled a huge banner to the 82-year-old, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

Libya's state energy firm urged its foreign oil and gas partners to resume exploration and production Tuesday assuring them security had begun to improve dramatically after clashes earlier this year.