World News Roundup: Avdiivka, a Ukrainian town taken by Russia, shown in ruins; Greek farmers take tractors to Athens to protest rising costs and more

The town, once with a population of 32,000, fell to Russia on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin's biggest victory since Moscow captured the city of Bakhmut in May 2023. Continued US aid vital for Ukraine refugees returning home: UNHCR The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday it was vital for the United States to maintain its funding of humanitarian agencies to ease the refugee crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Avdiivka, a Ukrainian town taken by Russia, shown in ruins

The trees are splintered, the houses wrecked, the surviving civilians live in basements, NATO ammunition has been abandoned - this is the picture shown by footage released by Russia from the ruins of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka. The town, once with a population of 32,000, fell to Russia on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin's biggest victory since Moscow captured the city of Bakhmut in May 2023.

Continued US aid vital for Ukraine refugees returning home: UNHCR

The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday it was vital for the United States to maintain its funding of humanitarian agencies to ease the refugee crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago. UNHCR requires $993 million to fund its response to the crisis caused by the invasion, which marks its second anniversary on Saturday.

Israel to bar some Muslim citizens from Jerusalem mosque in Ramadan

Israel will cap the number of Muslim citizens who take part in peak prayers at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque during the upcoming Ramadan holy month, the police minister said on Tuesday, citing concern the flashpoint site could see protests at the Gaza war. Al Aqsa, one of Islam's holiest shrines, is part of East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in a 1967 war and the focus of Palestinian statehood hopes. The site is also revered by Jews as a vestige of their two ancient temples.

Fentanyl use spreads deeper into Mexico, on heels of US epidemic

The teenager who arrived at Jose de Jesus Lopez's drug rehab clinic in the industrial Mexican city of Monterrey in December had unusual symptoms. The 17-year-old's family had taken the boy to hospital a few days earlier when he'd had trouble breathing and then passed out after supposedly consuming cocaine, the director said. Now he was sweaty and nauseous. He'd been vomiting and couldn't sleep.

WHO completes second Gaza hospital evacuation amid fighting

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it had completed a second evacuation mission from Gaza's Nasser Hospital but voiced concern for nearly 150 patients and medics who remain at the site amid continuing fighting. The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza's second-largest, stopped working last week after a week-long Israeli siege followed by a raid, the U.N. agency said. WHO staff and other aid groups have so far evacuated a total of 32 critical patients including injured children and those with paralysis, but the agency is concerned for those left behind with supplies dwindling.

US envoy to visit Egypt, Israel for hostage talks, official says

U.S. Middle East envoy Brett McGurk will travel to the region this week for continued talks on securing the release of hostages held by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, a senior Biden administration official said on Tuesday. McGurk, who participated in earlier negotiations, will visit Egypt on Wednesday and Israel on Thursday, the official said.

Navalny's mother tells Putin: Hand over my son's body

Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of dead Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, demanded on Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin hand over her son's body so she could bury him. Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died suddenly on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony above the Arctic Circle where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said.

Swedish PM to visit Hungary before ratification of NATO bid

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will travel to Budapest on Friday to meet his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban before Hungary's parliament takes a long-delayed vote on Sweden's bid for NATO membership next Monday. Sweden applied to join the transatlantic alliance nearly two years ago in a historic shift in policy prompted by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Greek farmers take tractors to Athens to protest rising costs

Greek farmers were expected to drive into Athens with tractors on Tuesday to protest outside parliament over the impact of rising energy costs, competition from abroad and recent flooding. Their protest echoes grievances in other parts of Europe, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy, where farmers have staged similar demonstrations.

South Africa asks World Court to find Israeli occupation illegal

South Africa on Tuesday urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue a non-binding legal opinion that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, arguing it would help efforts to reach a settlement. Representatives of South Africa opened the second day of hearings at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, in the Hague. The hearing follows a request by the U.N. General Assembly for an advisory, or non-binding, opinion on the occupation in 2022. More than 50 states will present arguments until Feb. 26.