The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly for an $895 billion bill setting policy for the Pentagon on Wednesday, despite the inclusion of a controversial provision on transgender medical care for minors.

The U.S. Congress is set to vote in the coming days on legislation restricting U.S. investments in China as part of a bill to fund government operations through mid-March, lawmakers said late on Tuesday.

The World Bank said on Wednesday its executive board approved $2.05 billion in Development Policy Operation funding for Ukraine that includes the first grant from a new $20 billion U.S. loan fund for Kyiv that is backed by income from frozen Russian sovereign assets.

A major earthquake has struck Vanuatu, causing major damage across its capital city.

After a powerful magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck near Vanuatu’s capital earlier this week, 148 Australian citizens have been assisted back home.

Russia said it had detained an Uzbek man who had confessed to planting and detonating a bomb which killed a top general, Igor Kirillov, in Moscow on the instructions of Ukraine’s SBU security service.

The United States, joined by Arab mediators, sought to conclude an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the 14-month-old war in the Gaza Strip where medics said Israeli strikes killed at least 20 Palestinians overnight.

Australia’s government on Wednesday trimmed its likely budget deficit for the current fiscal year, but flagged bigger shortfalls ahead due to “unavoidable spending” on health, cost-of-living relief and veterans care.

A high and drunk driver who sped through three red lights and killed a 16-year-old girl has been labelled “a grave danger to anyone” as he was jailed.

Two people have been rescued from floodwaters after a rain-hit state was again struck by storms ahead of the festive season.

Vanuatu has reportedly been hit by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake, a day after a 7.3 quake claimed about 14 lives.

New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday’s devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.