MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/: Russian and Venezuelan presidents Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Maduro in a phone conversation underscored their shared approaches to the establishment of a fair world order, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"During an exchange of views on the international agenda, an emphasis was placed on the shared approaches to the establishment of a fair multipolar world order, on rejection of illegal sanctions and interference in the internal affairs of countries," the statement said.

TOKYO, Dec 21 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s Toshiba Corporation, yesterday, was delisted from the Japanese stock exchanges, ending its 74-year-long history as a publicly traded company.

The electronics giant saw its common shares delisted from the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Premier Market of the Nagoya Stock Exchange, on the trading day.

On their last trading day on Tuesday, shares of Toshiba closed at 4,590 yen (about 31.98 U.S. dollars), down 0.1 percent from the previous day.

MIAMI (AP) — The United States freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the return of a fugitive defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard” who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.

The American detainees were back on U.S. soil late Wednesday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. Six of them arrived at Kelly Airfield Annex in San Antonio.

WARSAW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Poland's Culture Minister sacked the heads of three state media outlets on Wednesday, leading to protests from the conservatives.

The dismissals came one week after the new government led by Donald Tusk took power from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, following the country's parliamentary elections.

In a statement, the Culture Ministry justified the move with a parliamentary resolution adopted on Tuesday, which called on the government to "restore the impartiality and credibility of public media."

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Lengthy delays at the polls forced officials on Wednesday to extend voting in Congo’s presidential election as many residents in the mineral-rich West African nation struggled to cast ballots because of steep logistical and security challenges, raising concerns about the integrity of the process.

Polling stations that never opened on Wednesday will conduct voting on Thursday, Denis Kadima, chair of the electoral commission, said on local radio.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer’s 42-year-old son is facing additional charges in connection with the pursuit and crash that killed a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy this month.

Ian Cramer, who is in jail, is now also accused of theft, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment for allegedly taking a family vehicle and driving through a closed garage door of a Bismarck hospital’s ambulance bay. The new charges were filed Tuesday.

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called for intensifying efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Erdogan's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a phone conversation, the two leaders talked about "Israel's attacks on Palestinian territory and efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza," according to the statement.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — Hurricane Otis has killed 52 and left 32 missing in Mexico, Governor of Guerrero state, Evelyn Salgado, said.

The category 5 hurricane hit Mexico’s southern Pacific coast on Oct. 25, inflicting severe damage to hotels and housing infrastructure of Acapulco and Coyuca de Benitez.

Salgado said during a press conference from Acapulco that the tourist reactivation of the well-known seaside resort is fundamental after almost two months.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Wednesday said it had uncovered a major Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, inflicting what it described as a serious blow to the Islamic militant group as pressure grows on Israel to scale back its devastating military offensive in the coastal enclave.

The army said it had exposed the center of a vast underground network used by Hamas to move weapons, militants and supplies throughout the Gaza Strip. Israel has said destroying the tunnels is a major objective of the offensive.

DAJIA, Taiwan, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is ramping up exchanges with folk religious groups in rural Taiwan in an attempt to manipulate political opinion in Beijing's favour ahead of elections next month, according to Taiwan government documents and security officials.

BUDAPEST, December 21. /TASS/: Hungary proposes the European Union refrain from providing financial aid to Ukraine from the bloc’s budget for five years, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a news conference recapping the results of the past year.

He said EU leaders will reconvene for a special summit in late January or early February to discuss amending the EU budget for 2024-2027, which provides for the allocation of 50 billion euros to Ukraine.

MARRAKECH, Morocco, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Arab countries and Russia agreed on Wednesday to boost cooperation on international issues, including addressing the Gaza crisis, at the 6th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum held in the southern Moroccan city of Marrakech.

The meeting gathered foreign ministers of participating countries, including Russia's Sergey Lavrov, in addition to Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League.