World

Satellite images reveal a build-up of Russia’s military presence in Crimea and western Russia as tensions continue to rise with Ukraine. The pictures show an increase in tents designed to accommodate troops at a number of Russian bases. Previous satellite images have shown that Russia has been deploying large equipment, such as military vehicles, to

Boris Johnson has urged Russia to “step back” from any military action against Ukraine, pledging that the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder” with Kyiv. During a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister said a Russian invasion would be a “political and humanitarian disaster” and a “military disaster as well”. A series

Planet Earth is home to 14% more tree species than previously thought, with thousands yet to be discovered, according to a global count conducted by dozens of researchers around the world. The new study, compiled by 140 researchers in 100 countries, estimates the world to have 73,300 species, with 9,000 not even yet discovered. But

A pregnant reporter shut out of her native New Zealand has said she will be returning home after being offered a place in the country’s quarantine system. Charlotte Bellis’s situation gained worldwide media attention after she said she was forced to turn to Afghanistan’s Taliban for refuge after being locked out of New Zealand due

The foreign secretary has announced new legislation which could be used to toughen the UK’s sanctions in response to the massing of Russian troops at Ukraine’s border amid fears of an invasion. Liz Truss said it means a much broader range of oligarchs and businesses could be sanctioned because of their significance to the Kremlin.

On 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup. Many democratically elected politicians including the country’s de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and President U Win Myint were detained. Others fled or were forced into hiding. The military regime said concerns of widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 vote was the reason it

A British woman found guilty of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has won her appeal to overturn the conviction at the country’s Supreme Court, her lawyers said. The then 19-year-old, from Derby, was given a suspended four-month jail term in 2020 after a judge found her guilty of public mischief following a trial. The

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone starts with a checkpoint and souvenir wagons. You can buy Chernobyl condoms that glow in the dark, keyrings and t-shirts. “Visit Chernobyl, die later” was the slogan on one. We had to set off early through driving snow from Kyiv, but despite the weather, the drive took little more than a

Boris Johnson will step up his presence in the Russia-Ukraine crisis by holding a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting the region “in the coming days”. The prime minister will “ramp up deterrence to avoid bloodshed” between the two former Soviet states and is determined to “accelerate diplomatic efforts” during the trip, a

The five children are all now orphans – and still very much in shock when we meet them. Their two-roomed home is silent apart from their weeping which is interspersed with stunned silences. Propped up in front of them is a photograph of their mother who was killed in a car bomb a few days

The mayor of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has told Sky News he is “very worried” about the situation with Russia and expressed concern that the West may not be united in its support of Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko, a previous world heavyweight boxing champion, criticised Germany for supplying Ukraine with 5,000 military helmets while stopping short of

A man has been charged by Irish police after the body of a pensioner was brought to a post office in an alleged attempt to collect his pension. It follows the arrest of two men in their 30s yesterday as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident that took place last week. The second

Warning: This article contains distressing content. In our first few days in Herat, we’ve met whole families who’ve sold their kidneys so they can eat. In one case, three brothers and their two sisters told us they flogged their organs for around £1,150 a piece to buy food for the rest of the family. We’ve

Kurdish-led forces have taken full control of al-Sina’a prison in Syria’s north-eastern city of Hasaka, ending a week-long assault by extremists on the detention facility. Spokesman Farhad Shami said all Islamic State militants had surrendered hours after 500 had given themselves up following clashes in some buildings. It comes a week after a breakout by

With a soldier on board, we were given directions to drive off main roads and along snow-covered tracks to a desolate spot and await further instructions.  The soldier’s telephone rang and he was given new orders, turning us around, then taking a sharp right down another track where a car was waiting for us. As

Boris Johnson has said the UK will “contribute” to any new NATO deployments if Russia invades Ukraine. The prime minister also told MPs that Western allies will react “in unison” to any Russian attack on Ukraine by imposing sanctions “heavier than anything we have done before”. He condemned Moscow for sending more than 100,000 troops

The Ukrainian soldiers speak in whispers as they trudge through the snow and mud of their trenches, keeping low as they pass the most exposed sections, past signs warning of sniper activity. Nothing has changed here for years. The daily exchanges with Russian-backed separatists and, what the Ukrainians are certain of, professional Russian soldiers, goes

With NATO bolstering its eastern flank, some UK and US embassy staff evacuating Kyiv and Britain warning of a Russian plot to install a puppet regime in Ukraine, signs of hostility seem far stronger than any signals of hope for a peaceful solution to a growing crisis with Russia. It was only last Friday that

The drive through snowy streets in the Afghan capital takes us through winding, narrow alleyways. It’s necessary to avoid the attention of the Taliban soldiers who man multiple checkpoints in Kabul. In the car’s back seat is the leader of one of the most unlikely and bravest of rebel groups. Her diminutive size hides a

Britain has accused Russia of a shadowy plot to install a pro-Kremlin government in Kyiv as Moscow weighs up a further invasion of Ukraine. In a highly-unusual move that appeared to be based on specially declassified intelligence, the Foreign Office alleged that a former Ukrainian MP was “being considered as a potential candidate” as a