Top 10 world news: Biden visits Ukraine unannounced, Cyclone Freddy updates, and more

In the latest, US president Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. North Korea has once again fired twoballistic missile in continuation with its string of missilelaunches. Adding to the existing tensions,Kim Jong Un's sister has warned the US forces to halt military drills, saying the reclusive nuclear state could turn the Pacific into a "firing range." On the Turkey-Syria earthquake front, a group of volunteers have planted red coloured balloons all over the quake debris in remembrance of the kids who lost their lives in the calamity.

Click on the headlines to read more.

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's war in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has landed in Kyiv on a surprise visit. This is his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded the European country on 24 February last year.

Both Mauritius and Madagascar are taking cautionary measures as an approaching Cyclone Freddy is expected to bring heavy rains, floods and landslides to the island nations.While Mauritius has cancelled flights and has shut down its stock exchange, the emergency response teams in four vulnerable regions in Madagascar are in alert mode.

The massive earthquake that hit Turkey-Syria on February 6 has left behind a trail of devastation. The images and videos of the tragedy havebeen circulating on social media. While multiple rescue stories have made headlines, a sizable number of people have also lost their lives under the debris.

In the latest, a group of volunteers, in an effort to allay the pain of the tragedy have fixed red coloured balloons all over the earthquake debris in Turkey.The gesture is symbolic to the kids who lost their lives in the catastrophe. A video shared by the BBC showed multiple red balloons been planted around the rubble.

Science has progressed leaps and bounds; for couples and even singles who are looking to have children, there are a variety of methods available. One of these is sperm banks. These banks serve as a boon for many who are unable to have children by "natural means". The best thing about these so-called "sperm banks" is that prospective parents can choose from legitimate, verified donors with ease. But what if the donor lied?

Poland’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lukasz Jasina said that only Russian President Vladimir Putin can end the war against Ukraine, but quickly added that the hopes of achieving peace in the near term wasimpossible.

Speaking to WION, Jasina expressed hope that Russia will withdrawits troops and come back to the discussion table for achieving lasting peace.

An investigation by a UK media outlet has uncovered horrifying stories of dozens of women who are being subjected to sexual abuse at British-owned tea farms in Kenya.This was unearthed during an undercover investigation by BBC News Africa with the help of secret filming.

During the investigation, thelocal supervisors on tea plantations owned by Unilever and James Finlay & Co pressurised an undercover reporter for sex. Over 70 women on these Kenyan tea farms told the media outlet that they had been sexually abused by their supervisors.

A vast cache of Cambodia's Angkorian crown jewellery from the 7th Century, reappeared in London last summer, as reported by the BBC. The stolen artefacts belonged to British antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford. Experts revealed that they were stunned to know of the jewellery’s existence.The collection has been discreetly returned to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, and will be put on display in the country's national museum.

On Monday (February 20), Harmanpreet Kaur achieved a huge feat when India locked horns with Ireland in their last group stage match of the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. When skipper Harman came out for the coin toss, she became the first male or female player toplay 150 T20I matches. The swashbuckling right-hander had surpassed Rohit Sharma (148), the senior Indian men's captain, in the overall list of most T20I matches played by a player during India's previous encounter, versus England, before moving past him to create history.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape on Monday confirmed that some people have taken an Australian university professor as a hostage in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The Australian professor is an archaeologist who was working at an Australian university and had gone on a field trip along with many Papua New Guinean students from a local university who were also kept hostage, according to Reuters.

As China re-opens its doors to the world after a three-year hiatus, it is also looking to lure back talent not just from within country, but also its citizens residing in other countries. However, Chinese companies are facing a mounting problem, that of toxic work culture. This is why several Chinese workers are choosing to look for work outside the country, than dedicate long hours to companies in their home country.