New ways of putting pressure on Russia will be on the agenda when Boris Johnson meets with his Japanese counterpart on Thursday. The UK prime minister and Fumio Kishida are also set to agree a new defence partnership between the two countries. The reciprocal access agreement will

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for a prolonged truce to rescue the approximately 200 civilians and fighters sheltering in the bunkers of the Azovstal steel plant. Russia says its forces will halt hostilities at Azovstal and open a humanitarian corridor for three days.

The European Union’s top official on Wednesday called on the 27-nation bloc to ban oil imports from Russia in a sixth package of sanctions targeting Moscow for its war in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also proposed that Sberbank, Russia’s

The United States agrees with Russia that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a regular briefing on Monday. "I would say that the Russians themselves have, over time, including as recently as last year, made clear that no nuclear

Summary UK PM Boris Johnson will describe Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion as the country's "finest hour", in a virtual address to its parliament on Tuesday He will also give details of £300m in extra military support from the UK for Ukraine,

The US Supreme Court could be about to overturn the nationwide legal right to abortion, according to an unprecedented leaked draft of a court document. In a 98-page draft opinion, Justice Samuel Alito writes that the 1973 Roe v Wade decision legalising abortion across the US is

Hundreds of Muslims gathered in Makkah and Madinah to perform the Eid Al-Fitr prayers in the early hours of Monday morning, the Saudi Press Agency reported. In Makkah’s Grand Mosque, Imam Sheikh Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid led the prayer.  The Eid prayer at the

Dozens of civilians have been evacuated from Mariupol to both Russia-controlled and Ukraine-controlled territory after weeks under siege. Some have left the Azovstal steelworks, the last hold-out of Ukrainian troops in the strategically significant city. Russia said dozens of

Russia’s foreign minister has again urged the United States and NATO to stop supplying Kyiv with arms if they are “really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis”, Chinese state media has reported. “If the US and NATO are really interested in resolving the

A powerful blast hit a mosque in western Kabul during prayers, killing at least 10 and wounding 20, the latest in a spate of attacks on Afghan places of worship and civilian targets during the holy month of Ramadan. Besmullah Habib, deputy spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry,

The US defence department has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of acting with "depravity" in his invasion of Ukraine. Spokesman John Kirby became visibly emotional as he asked how anyone "moral" could justify the atrocities committed by Russia. Ukrainian

Any country trying to intervene in the Ukraine war will face a "lightning-fast" response, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned. "We have all the tools no-one can boast of... we will use them if necessary", he said, in what is seen as a reference to ballistic

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the visiting UN chief Tuesday (April 26) that he still had hope for negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine. "Despite the fact that the military operation is ongoing, we still hope that we will be able to reach agreements on the diplomatic

Russia’s Gazprom has suspended gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria, citing the two countries’ refusal to pay in Russian roubles, a demand made by President Vladimir Putin after the West sanctioned Moscow over its war in Ukraine. In a statement on Wednesday, the Russian

A court in military-ruled Myanmar has found former leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of corruption, the latest verdict in a series of secret trials. Ms Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since February 2021 when a military coup ousted her elected government. The 76-year-old Nobel

Russia’s foreign minister told the world not to underestimate the considerable risks of nuclear conflict, and Nato’s supply of weapons to Ukraine “in essence” meant that the Western alliance was engaged in a proxy war with Russia.   Interviewed by Russian

Summary Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin promise Ukraine $322m in military aid, after meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. They also say US diplomats will start returning to the western city of Lviv in the coming week. Ukraine will try to establish humanitarian routes

United States President Joe Biden will visit Israel following an invitation from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. While both governments confirmed on Sunday that Biden had accepted the invitation to visit Israel in the coming months, neither side gave a date for the expected

Emmanuel Macron has won five more years as France's president after a convincing victory over rival Marine Le Pen, who nevertheless secured the far right's highest share of the vote yet. He won by 58.55% to 41.45%, a greater margin than expected. The centrist leader told

France will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to give centrist Emmanuel Macron five more years as president or replace him with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. After a divisive election campaign, Ms Le Pen faces an uphill battle with her 44-year-old opponent polling