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
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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
Rafael Nadal has become the most successful man in tennis history by winning the Australian Open and his 21st Grand Slam title. He took on Daniil Medvedev in a gruelling five-hour and 24-minute marathon – the second-longest in the tournament’s history – to clinch the trophy. At the winning moment, Nadal dropped his racket to
Anastasiia Bezpalko’s most popular TikTok video is a guide on what to pack to be prepared if war breaks out in Ukraine. Filmed in her living room, the 19-year-old runs through how to make the perfect emergency survival bag. Image: The 19-year-old’s TikTok video sets out to answer ‘What is a bug-out bag and what
Surprise and shock; maximum lethal force; and objectives secured with speed – that is what could be expected if Russia’s military launches a new invasion of Ukraine, according to a well-regarded defence and security expert. There is still no certainty that Russian President Vladimir Putin will opt for new military action but Britain, the United
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
Britain’s cyber security centre has urged UK organisations to check their cyber defences because of concern about the potential for new Russian cyber attacks linked to tensions with Ukraine. The public-facing arm of the spy agency GCHQ encouraged everyone to read new guidance published on its website entitled: “Actions to take when the cyber threat
Boris Johnson has dismissed claims he approved the airlift of animals out of Afghanistan, saying they are “total rhubarb”, as Sky News obtained more emails which call into question the government’s account. Leaked messages appear to show that the prime minister‘s top parliamentary aide, Trudy Harrison, told Virgin Atlantic her efforts to secure a plane
They are taking the latest twists and turns in the diplomatic crisis over Ukraine in their stride here in the country’s capital. Kyiv feels like a city caught in a moment of time, suspended between humdrum normality and the threat of looming conflict. There are thousands of Russian troops just a few hours drive north
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
Fears are growing for hundreds of children trapped inside a prison in Syria that has been seized by Islamic State (IS) inmates. Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and US troops attempted to storm the Gweiran prison, in the city of Hassakeh, after it was seized by militants last Thursday. Around 850 children are thought to
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
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