World

About 200,000 people have gathered in Moscow to hear Vladimir Putin speak at a pro-war rally ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Huge crowds assembled in the capital as the Russian president took to the stage at the “Glory to Defenders of the Fatherland” concert, held at the Luzhniki Stadium on

Russia’s president had a message of defiance for the West as he suspended participation in the last major nuclear arms control treaty with the United States. Vladimir Putin also vowed to conduct nuclear weapons tests if Washington chose to do so and challenged the nuclear weapons posture of the UK and France. If anyone in

Vladimir Putin has blamed the West for starting the war in Ukraine and claimed Russia responded with force “in order to stop it”. In a speech describing his aims as the first anniversary of the conflict nears, the Russian president said Ukraine was in talks with the West about weapons before Russia invaded its neighbour

Russia’s president will give an update on what he calls his “special military operation” in Ukraine later. Vladimir Putin will address members of both houses of parliament, military commanders and soldiers – nearly one year after he sent troops into the country. Despite superiority in numbers, Russian troops have been defeated a number of times

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck the Turkey-Syria border two weeks after a massive quake in the same region left more than 45,000 people dead, the US Geological Survey has said. Turkey’s AFAD disaster management agency said the earthquake was centered around the town of Defne in the country’s Hatay province, which was devastated by

North Korea has fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast as Kim Jong Un’s sister warned of “using the Pacific as our firing range”. The missiles were launched on Monday morning local time and fell into the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the country’s coast guard said. There were no reports of damage

Six people have been charged with human trafficking after 18 Afghan migrants were found dead inside a truck dumped on a dirt road in Bulgaria. Officials said the driver had earlier refused to stop the truck despite strong and prolonged banging from the 52 people in hidden compartments. The head of the National Investigative Service

Rishi Sunak has said the UK stands “ready to support all allies if they can provide fighter jets to Ukraine now”. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he said the UK was already “leading” on training Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and reiterated his call for allies to “double down” in support. Earlier, Mr Sunak said

A man in the US is accused of holding a woman against her will for nearly a year before she escaped and asked for help at a petrol station. The woman ran to the store in New Jersey on 7 February where she alleged she had been kidnapped, the state attorney general’s office said. Security

Rishi Sunak will urge Western leaders to “double down” on military support for Ukraine, as troops on the front line plead for more weapons. The prime minister is set to tell the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that “advanced, NATO-standard capabilities” are needed to banish Russian forces. UK one of Russia’s ‘main targets’ – Ukraine

Police in Bulgaria have discovered an abandoned truck containing the bodies of 18 migrants who appear to have suffocated. The Interior Ministry said initial information suggests the lorry, which was found on a highway in Sofia, was carrying around 40 migrants, and the survivors were taken to nearby hospitals for emergency treatment. Three people have

Russia is due to take part in a joint naval exercise with China and South Africa that could see the test launch of a hypersonic cruise missile – as Western leaders assemble for a major security conference. A frigate armed with the Zircon weapon has been deployed for 10 days of joint drills in the

Rare footage has been released showing the Titanic on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The video, most of which has not been seen by the public before, was shot just months after explorers found the wreckage in September 1985. More than 1,500 people died when the Titanic, which was on its way from Southampton

The war in Ukraine has wiped out half of Russia’s fleet of modern battle tanks, say analysts presenting their annual assessment of military power in the world. The staggering estimate was made by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Its ‘Military Balance 2023’ is the much-anticipated annual bible for military observers. Ukraine war –

After two days of diplomacy and negotiations, NATO’s meeting broke up with lots of ideas, but no deal to send fighter jets to Ukraine. Despite the smiles and bonhomie of Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, NATO’s resolve didn’t buckle. The question of supplying planes remains “under discussion”, we are told, but other things took precedence.

Three objects shot down by fighter jets over North America in the past week probably had a “commercial or benign” purpose, the White House has admitted. The US said it destroyed the objects out of an abundance of caution after an alleged Chinese spy balloon drifted across its airspace earlier this month. Expensive Sidewinder missiles,

Indian tax officials have raided the BBC’s offices in New Delhi. Teams from the tax department surveyed the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting officials who were not identified. A BBC spokesperson said: “The income tax authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and

The US says it has recovered key sensors from the suspected Chinese spy balloon it shot down as tensions between the countries escalated. The Chinese balloon, which Beijing denies was a government spy vessel, spent a week flying over the US and Canada before President Joe Biden ordered it to be shot down off the

Rishi Sunak has said the UK is in “in touch” with allies after a minister claimed Chinese spy balloons may have already flown over the country. A number of flying objects have been shot down over North America during the past week, with a fourth taken out by fighter jets on Sunday on the orders

The World Health Organisation has said the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria has “overwhelmed everyone” – amid warnings the flow of aid must be urgently sped up to save lives. The number of people killed in both countries continues to grow and now stands at more than 33,000. Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s executive director,