SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired a suspected ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Sunday.

The JCS said it detected the ballistic missile launched from Pyongyang vicinity at 7:52 a.m. local time without providing any details. (DPRK-Missile-South Korea)

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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported 14,941 new community cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.

Among the 14,941 new community infections, 9,046 were in the largest city Auckland, according to the ministry. (New Zealand-COVID-19)

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WASHINGTON -- The White House announced Saturday that the United States, joined by European nations and Canada, will remove some Russian banks from SWIFT, the payment system used for most international financial transactions.

This is a major move to escalate the West's economic sanctions against Moscow for its ongoing military operations in Ukraine. (Ukraine Crisis-US-SWIFT)

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UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres promised on Saturday to provide more humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The secretary-general conveyed to the president the determination of the United Nations to enhance humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine," according to a readout about the secretary-general's call with Zelensky. (UN-Ukraine-Humanitarian Aid)

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BEIRUT -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday called on countries in the Arab world to help Lebanon overcome its unprecedented crisis, the Council of Ministers said in a statement.

He made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit at the Grand Serail. (Lebanon-Arab League-Crises)