* The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed the fact that Kyiv has set out its demands for an end to the conflict in Ukraine in written form, but said there was no sign of a breakthrough yet.
* Ukraine established three humanitarian corridors on Wednesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.
* A Chinese envoy on Tuesday warned that indiscriminate sanctions over the Ukraine conflict will bring about new humanitarian problems.
* Russia will not immediately demand that other countries pay for its gas exports in roubles, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, promising a gradual shift and saying Russia should work on an idea to widen the list of its exports requiring rouble payment.
* As agreed by China and the European Union (EU), Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will hold the 23rd China-EU leaders' meeting with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen via video link on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced Wednesday.
* United Nations and United States envoys on Wednesday welcomed unilateral truce moves by Yemen's warring sides as encouraging steps, while stressing the need for a more comprehensive ceasefire that would help alleviate a dire humanitarian crisis.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit New Delhi on Thursday for a two-day trip, the Indian foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
* Malaysia's central bank trimmed its 2022 economic growth forecast to between 5.3%-6.3%, with its governor saying the country's continued recovery will be slightly offset by the economic expected impact of the Ukraine conflict.
* Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Wednesday, Draghi's office said, without giving further details.
* Finland's national railway operator VR Group will resume freight services between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg in Russia on March 30, but passenger services will remain suspended, it said on Wednesday.
* Singapore's Changi airport is gearing up to receive more passengers as the city-state eases travel and other COVID-19 restrictions, amid it hopes will see a return to pre-pandemic levels of traffic.
* Germany triggered an emergency plan to manage gas supplies in Europe's largest economy on Wednesday, an unprecedented move that could see the government ration power if there is a disruption or halt in gas supplies from Russia.
* Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong has called for efforts to investigate the cause of the China Eastern Airlines plane crash in a scientific manner and properly advance the settlement of the aftermath.
* Heavy rains deluged Australia's east coast on Wednesday, submerging entire towns, while thousands of people fled their homes for the second time within weeks after fast-moving flood waters burst river banks and broke over levees.
* Solar and wind power can grow enough to limit global warming to 1.5C if the 10-year average compound growth rate of 20% can be maintained to 2030, independent climate think tank Ember said in a report on Wednesday.
* Japanese retail sales fell in February for the first time in five months, as extended COVID-19 curbs hit service sector businesses, casting doubts over the prospects of a consumption-led recovery this quarter.
* Britain on Wednesday pledged 286 million pounds (374 million USD) for life-saving food and other aid in Afghanistan, a day ahead of an international conference seeking 4.4 billion USD, even as concerns mount over Taliban rule.
* A US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts left the International Space Station (ISS) together on a Soyuz capsule as they headed back to Earth on Wednesday, despite heightened US-Russian antagonism over the war in Ukraine.
* Coronavirus infections in Asia passed 100 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the region records a resurgence in cases, dominated by the BA.2 Omicron sub-variant.
* China’s Shanghai on Wednesday extended its shut downs to some western parts of the city, earlier than scheduled, as it reported a total of 5,982 new local cases.
* European health ministers urged the bloc's executive on Tuesday to back a fourth COVID-19 shot for people over the age of 60 to boost immunity in the absence of vaccines that specifically protect against the Omicron variant.
* Britain said on Tuesday that healthcare workers, social care staff and the most vulnerable will still get COVID-19 tests without any charge when it ends free testing for the general public next month.
* The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorised a second booster dose for people aged 50 and older of the two most commonly used COVID-19 vaccines, citing data showing waning immunity and the risks posed by Omicron variants of the virus.
* Brazilian health regulator Anvisa has recommended travel restrictions be eased due to a drop in cases and deaths, requiring only full vaccination and doing away with quarantine for unvaccinated travellers.
* Europe's drug regulator has started a real-time review of Spanish pharmaceutical firm Hipra's vaccine candidate.
* Air New Zealand Ltd AIR.NZ said on Wednesday it would raise 2.2 billion NZD(1.53 billion USD) to shore up its pandemic-hit balance sheet and repay a government-liquidity package of 2 billion NZD as New Zealand's international border reopens.
