Russia has assembled about 70% of the military capability needed for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the coming weeks, US officials say. The ground is expected to freeze and harden from mid-February, enabling Moscow to bring in more heavy equipment, the unnamed officials said.

A five-year-old Moroccan boy who was trapped in a well for four days has died, despite painstaking efforts to rescue him. A royal statement announced his death soon after his removal from the well. The bid to free the boy, named as Rayan, had gripped the country, with hundreds of

A light plane carrying sightseers for a tour of the Nazca lines in the Peruvian desert has crashed, killing all seven people onboard. Local police said that the deceased included three Dutch tourists, two Chilean tourists and two Peruvian members of crew. The plane went down near

China has joined Russia in opposing further Nato expansion as the two countries move closer together in the face of Western pressure. Moscow and Beijing issued a statement showcasing their agreement on a raft of issues during a visit by Russia's Vladimir Putin for the Winter

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the country will start reopening its borders in a phased plan beginning with its own citizens, as it relaxes a strict quarantine system that was imposed at the start of the pandemic. The five-stage plan will start with fully vaccinated New

Russia has condemned a US decision to send extra troops to Europe to support its Nato allies amid continuing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, BBC reports. Moscow said it was a "destructive" step which heightened tension and reduced the scope for a political solution.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has accused the US of trying to draw his country into a war in Ukraine. He said America's goal was to use a confrontation as a pretext to impose more sanctions on Russia. Mr Putin also said the US was ignoring Russia's concerns about

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised Western backing in the face of Russia's military build-up and announced an expansion of the army. "Support for Ukraine is the biggest since 2014," he told MPs on a day of visits by British, Polish and Dutch leaders.

Israel is carrying out “the crime of apartheid against Palestinians” and must be held accountable, Amnesty International says in a new report. Released on Tuesday, the 25-page report by the leading rights group details how Israeli authorities enforce a system of oppression

One year since the military coup in Myanmar, calls for international action are growing louder, notably from the National Unity Government (NUG), made up of elected politicians who were thrown out of office by the generals. “The world is doing nothing but just sitting and

There have been angry clashes between Russian and US envoys at the UN Security Council, after the US called a meeting to discuss Moscow's troop build-up on its borders with Ukraine. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the mobilisation was the biggest Europe had seen in

The head of NATO has said Europe needs to diversify its energy supplies, as the United Kingdom warned it was “highly likely” that Russia, the continent’s biggest natural gas supplier, was looking to invade Ukraine. The European Union depends on Russia for about a

A military court in Congo has condemned about 50 people to death nearly five years after the murders of United Nations investigators Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan in central Congo’s Kasai region. The President of the Kasai Occidental Military Court, Brig. Gen. Jean-Paulin

The United Kingdom is considering a major NATO deployment in a plan to strengthen Europe’s borders amid rising “Russian hostility” towards Ukraine, after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops to the country’s border. The UK has said that any Russian incursion

North Korea has conducted what is thought to be its biggest missile launch since 2017. South Korea reported that the launch took place at 07:52 local time on Sunday (22:52 GMT) off North Korea's east coast. Japan, South Korea and the US have all condemned the launch, the seventh

Canadian authorities believe the deaths of four Indian nationals found steps away from the Canada-US border are connected to a human smuggling scheme. Jagdish Patel, 39, Vaishailben Patel, 37, and their children Vihangi, 11, and Dharkmik, 3, died from exposure due to the frigid cold in

Top US General Mark Milley has said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific" and would lead to a significant number of casualties. Gen Milley described the build-up of 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine's border as the largest since the Cold War. But US

Top US General Mark Milley has said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific" and would lead to a significant number of casualties. Gen Milley described the build-up of 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine's border as the largest since the Cold War. But US

The US has rejected Russia's demand to bar Ukraine from Nato, amid warnings Russia might invade its neighbour. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was giving Russia a formal response to its demands to resolve the Ukraine crisis. Mr Blinken gave no concessions but said that he was

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed that a permanent ceasefire in eastern Ukraine must be observed "unconditionally" following hours-long talks in Paris on Wednesday. The announcement came after a meeting at the Elysee Palace of the so-called Normandy Format -- a