World News Roundup: Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities kills five, officials say; Exclusive-Hamas proposes 135-day Gaza truce with complete Israeli withdrawal and more

Pakistan goes to the polls on Thursday amid rising militant attacks and the jailing of Imran Khan, the winner of the last national election, who has been dominating the headlines despite an economic crisis and other woes threatening the nuclear-armed country. Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities kills five, officials say Russia unleashed missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during Wednesday morning's rush hour, killing five people, wounding more than 30, and damaging residential buildings and energy infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Saudi Arabia: no Israel ties without recognition of Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia has told the United States it will not open diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Riyadh reiterated its call for permanent members of the U.N. Security Council that have not recognised a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital to do so, a ministry statement said.

Zimbabwe cabinet scraps colonial-era death penalty law

Zimbabwe's cabinet on Tuesday agreed to abolish the death penalty following months of debate in parliament, choosing instead to impose lengthy prison sentences for the worst offences. The cabinet passed a private member's bill introduced last year in the National Assembly to abolish the death penalty inherited from British colonial rule.

Sweden ends Nord Stream sabotage probe, hands evidence to Germany

Sweden on Wednesday dropped its investigation into the explosions in 2022 on Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany, saying it lacked jurisdiction in the case but had handed evidence it had uncovered over to German investigators. The multi-billion dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines transporting the gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of blasts in the Swedish and Danish economic zones in September 2022, releasing vast amounts of methane into the air.

Blasts near Pakistan candidates' offices kill 26 on eve of election

Two explosions near electoral candidates' offices in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan killed 26 people and wounded dozens on Wednesday, officials said, raising concerns over security on the eve of a general election. Pakistan goes to the polls on Thursday amid rising militant attacks and the jailing of Imran Khan, the winner of the last national election, who has been dominating the headlines despite an economic crisis and other woes threatening the nuclear-armed country.

Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities kills five, officials say

Russia unleashed missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during Wednesday morning's rush hour, killing five people, wounding more than 30, and damaging residential buildings and energy infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said. Four people were killed when debris from a missile hit an 18-storey residential building in Golosiivskyi district in the southwest of Kyiv, causing a fire and smashing windows, officials said. One person was killed in Mykolayiv in the south.

Exclusive-Hamas proposes 135-day Gaza truce with complete Israeli withdrawal

Hamas has proposed a ceasefire to quiet the guns in Gaza for four-and-a-half months, during which all hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip and an agreement would be reached on an end to the war. The militant group's proposal - a response to an offer sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and cleared by Israel and the United States - came during the biggest diplomatic push yet for an extended halt to the fighting.

Kremlin confirms Putin gave interview to ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson

President Vladimir Putin granted an interview to U.S. television host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, his first to an American journalist since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had agreed to the Carlson interview because the approach of the former Fox News host differed from the "one-sided" reporting of the Ukraine conflict by many Western news outlets.

Who are the key players in Pakistan's general elections?

Pakistan holds its national elections on Thursday as the country grapples with an economic crisis and political uncertainty following the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Here are some facts about the main political figures trying to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 241 million people.

UN says war-torn Sudan must not be forgotten, calls for aid funding

The United Nations on Wednesday urged countries not to forget the civilians caught up in the war in Sudan, appealing for $4.1 billion to meet their humanitarian needs and support those who have fled to neighbouring countries. A ten-month war in Sudan between its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the country's infrastructure, prompted warnings of famine and displaced millions of people inside and outside the country.

What UNRWA crisis means for Palestinian refugees beyond Gaza

The prospect of the U.N. agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) being forced to shut down services by the end of February is deepening despair in refugee camps across the Middle East, where it has long provided a lifeline for millions of people. It is also causing concern in Arab states hosting the refugees, which do not have resources to fill the gap and fear any end to UNRWA would be deeply destabilising.