World News Roundup: Ozon sees no significant risks to operations after warehouse fire; African monkeypox cases not concentrated among gay men, experts say and more

The exercises, China's largest ever in the Taiwan Strait, began as scheduled at midday and included live-firing in the waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan, bringing tensions in the area to their highest in a quarter century.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ozon sees no significant risks to operations after warehouse fire

Russian e-commerce company Ozon said on Thursday it was still assessing the economic damage from a huge fire at its warehouse near Moscow, but that there were no significant risks to its liquidity and operational activities. At least one person was killed and 13 injured in the blaze, the RIA news agency quoted a source in the emergency services as saying on Wednesday.

African monkeypox cases not concentrated among gay men, experts say

Monkeypox outbreaks in Africa are not concentrated among gay men, unlike in other parts of the world, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa CDC said on Thursday. Outbreaks of the viral disease have been reported from 78 countries, mostly in Europe, and 98% of cases outside the countries in Africa where it is endemic have been reported in men who have sex with men, the WHO says.

Saudis open airspace to more flights serving Israel

Cathay Pacific and Air Seychelles have overflown Saudi Arabia for Israel flights for the first time, aviation data showed on Thursday after Riyadh announced last month it would open its airspace to all airlines, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel. Opening Saudi airspace to flights to and from Israel was a focus of U.S. President Joe Biden's tour of the countries, which do not have formal ties, last month. Riyadh agreed in principle. Israel said implementation could take weeks or more.

Gaza faces more power cuts as the Israeli blockade enters third day

Gaza's sole power plant will have to shut down within 48 hours if a blockade imposed by Israel is not lifted, officials warned on Thursday, as border tensions simmered following the arrest of a Palestinian militant leader. Israeli authorities have closed all crossings into Gaza, cutting off access for the fuel trunks that supply the plant, over fears of retaliation attacks following Monday's arrest of Bassam Al-Saadi, a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.

Taliban says was not aware al Qaeda leader in Kabul, warns U.S.

The Taliban on Thursday said the government had no information about al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri "entering and living" in capital city Kabul and warned the United States to never repeat an attack on Afghan soil. The United States killed Zawahiri with a missile fired from a drone while he stood on a balcony at his Kabul hideout on Sunday, U.S. officials said, in the biggest blow to the militants since U.S. Navy SEALS shot dead Osama bin Laden more than a decade ago.

China fires missiles near Taiwan in drills after Pelosi visit

China fired multiple missiles near Taiwan on Thursday in its biggest ever military drills in the Taiwan Strait, a day after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-ruled island. The exercises began at midday and included live-firing waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. They brought volatility in the area to its worst in a quarter century.

Analysis-Beyond yachts and planes: U.S. turns to foreign agent laws to curb Russian influence

In the five months since the U.S. Department of Justice launched a task force to seize Russian oligarchs' assets to pressure Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, prosecutors also have targeted something less tangible: Russia's influence. Prosecutors in that period have charged five Russians with acting on the Kremlin's behalf without registering as foreign agents, as the Justice Department broadly ramps up enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and a related law known by its code number, 951.

Pelosi vows support to denuclearise N.Korea, plans to visit Korea border

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her South Korean counterpart vowed on Thursday to support efforts to maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea and achieve its denuclearisation. A joint statement was issued after Pelosi met South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo in Seoul, in which they expressed concerns over the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

Ukraine under pressure in east as NATO chief says Russia must not win

Ukraine said on Thursday it had repelled multiple Russian assaults on a strategic stronghold in the east of the country, and the head of the NATO military alliance said Moscow must not be allowed to win the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week described the pressure his armed forces were under in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as "Hell". He spoke of fierce fighting around the town of Avdiivka and the fortified village of Pisky, where Kyiv has acknowledged its Russian foe's "partial success" in recent days.

Japan protests after Chinese missiles land in its exclusive economic zone

Five ballistic missiles fired by China appear to have landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Japanese defence minister Nobuo Kishi said on Thursday, part of military exercises launched by China earlier in the day. The exercises, China's largest ever in the Taiwan Strait, began as scheduled at midday and included live-firing in the waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan, bringing tensions in the area to their highest in a quarter century.