North Korea on Tuesday test-fired two suspected cruise missiles in its fifth round of weapons launches this month, South Korean military officials said, as it displays its military might amid pandemic-related difficulties and a prolonged freeze in nuclear negotiations with the United States.

One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules, said South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials were analyzing the launches, but didn't provide further details. Another military official, who requested anonymity over similar reasons, said the tests were conducted from an inland area, but didn't specify where.

uropean stocks opened higher Tuesday after a day of steep losses in Asia as markets waited to hear from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell after a two-day policy meeting that ends Wednesday.

The possibility of conflict between Russia and Ukraine and concern over coronavirus outbreaks also were adding to uncertainties.

Pfizer has begun a study comparing its original COVID-19 vaccine with doses specially tweaked to match the hugely contagious omicron variant.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday.

Russia and China oppose "the politicization of sport and demonstrative boycotts" ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday in an address to his country's athletes.

The U.S. is among several countries which have said they will not send politicians or other representatives to next month's Games in a so-called diplomatic boycott, citing concerns over human rights in China. Putin plans to attend the Olympics and to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The last day of talks between the Taliban and western diplomats has begun in Oslo with a bilateral meeting with Norwegian government officials focused largely on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The three-day talks opened on Sunday with talks between the Taliban and members of Afghan civil society, followed on Monday by multilateral talks with western diplomats the EU, the U.S., Britain, France, Italy and hosts Norway. Bilateral talks with all parties including independent humanitarian organizations are expected on Tuesday.

Thailand on Tuesday became the first country in Asia to approve the de facto decriminalization of marijuana, though authorities have left a grey area around its recreational use.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that the Narcotics Control Board had approved the dropping cannabis from the ministry's list of controlled drugs.

Ukraine's leaders sought to reassure the nation that a feared invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and prepared to accept a shipment of American military equipment Tuesday to shore up their defenses.

Russia has denied it is planning an assault, but it has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine in recent weeks, leading the United States and its NATO allies to rush to prepare for a possible war.

Twice in the past week, Yemen's rebels have launched attacks with missiles and drones on the United Arab Emirates, a major escalation for one of the world's most protracted conflicts.

The attacks underscore how the war that has ground on for over seven years in the corner of the Arabian Peninsula can flare into a regional danger. One of this week's attacks targeted an Emirati military base hosting U.S. and British forces.

Rescue crews in Istanbul and Athens scrambled on Tuesday to clear roads that came to a standstill after a massive cold front and snowstorms hit much of Turkey and Greece, leaving countless people and vehicles in both cities stranded overnight in freezing conditions.

Highways and roads in and around Istanbul became clogged on Monday after the storm pounded the city of about 16 million people that straddles the European and Asian continents — accumulating more than 80 centimeters (31 inches) of snow in some areas.

Israeli settlers drove through a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, throwing rocks through the windows of vehicles and businesses and injuring a teenager, a Palestinian official said.

It was the latest in a series of settler attacks in recent months. On Friday, settlers attacked Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the West Bank and set a car on fire. Last month, a settler was shot and killed by a Palestinian gunman, setting off revenge attacks.