“Any spark, any unplanned incident or any minor planned provocation can lead to irreparable consequences,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media.

The US says Russian front-line commanders have been ordered to begin final preparations for an attack.

In a letter to the UN, the US says targets would include exiled dissidents, journalists and “religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons”.

Perhaps Buckingham Palace would be wise to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to the monarch’s forthcoming engagements.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

The Prime Minister told protesters outside the Parliament that measures would not be lifting because of their actions, but because the need for them was passing.

A new archaeological report has raised serious concerns about the Australian National Maritime Museum’s declaration that the final resting place of Captain Cook’s Endeavour has been found.

The world is watching as Russian President Vladimir Putin amasses troops on the border with Ukraine.

The launch would restore Trump’s presence on social media more than a year after he was banned from Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

Julie and Rupert Wills, visiting Windsor to the west of London, said they loved the Queen “to bits”, with Rupert respecting her ability to just “quietly get on with” things.

Challenges remain for holidaymakers hoping to visit the popular Indonesian island, prompting some adventure-seeking families to hatch alternative plans.

They started with a diplomatic boycott, half a dozen cities in lockdown and a spectacle loaded with geopolitics, but by Sunday, China had made the most of its moment in the spotlight.

The Queen, 95, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, but expects to continue light duties, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Researchers have investigated the rumours circulating online and in Russian news media that could be the groundwork for an invasion of Ukraine.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

The claim was that in recent days tens of thousands of women, children and elderly residents in breakaway regions had fled an impending Ukraine “genocide”. The reality appears altogether different.

Exhausted, confused, isolated and depressed Americans are not buying the Democratic line that things are better than they look.

Like so many autocrats, over time the Russian leader has surrounded himself with cronies, yes-men and like-minded mini-mes.

Boris Johnson’s plan would make England the first major European country to allow people who know they are infected with COVID-19 to freely use shops, public transport and go to work.

In new signs that a war could start within days, Germany and Austria have told their citizens to leave Ukraine, while the US warns Russia is “poised to strike”.

One of Epstein’s main accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, said the death of well-known model scout Jean-Luc Brunel was “devastating”.

The Beijing Winter Games have survived a lack of snow, a pandemic, and very strict rules, to arrive at substantial wins for the Chinese Communist Party.

The US says Moscow has 190,000 troops ready. Biden says the Russian President has made up his mind. Scott Morrison says Russia’s bullying “is not something we can allow to stand.”

Sport glory and the threat of invasion of Ukraine seem worlds apart but are pieces of a Russian puzzle coming together while everyone watches on.

In Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah said the flight was a “reconnaissance mission”.

Quarantine facilities are at capacity and hospital beds are more than 95 per cent full, with elderly patients left on beds outside in chilly weather.

In Greece’s rural heartland, tractors have become a symbol of anxiety. Now they’ve started forming truck-style protest convoys.

It is an unusual gambit, in part because US President Joe Biden has repeatedly made clear he has no intention of sending US troops to defend Ukraine.

A new exhibition sheds light on a mysterious circle that England’s prehistoric ancestors constructed in a salt marsh.

Winds ripped off the roof of London’s O2 Arena, while plane-spotters under the Heathrow flightpath filmed live as plane after plane defied the weather.

Families of sailors lost on the famous World War II cruiser are resisting a proposal to open the wreck off the coast of Indonesia to marine tourism and diving.

The plot to oust Patricia Scotland as Secretary-General appears to have come undone after her Kenyan rival Monica Juma withdrew from the race.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns the UN Security Council that a Russian false flag operation could include a fake or real assault using chemical weapons.

Until last year, South Korea had never had reached 8000 new cases a day. But with Omicron, the daily caseload soared to 109,831 on Friday.

Authorities took into custody 1266 migrants “from different continents that were transiting irregularly”. More than 200 were minors travelling alone.

Australia has been slammed for backing a human rights watchdog in Phnom Penh that critics say will be used by as a propaganda tool by the Cambodia strongman.

As one prince hopes his legal woes are over, another - the heir to the throne - must deal with a police investigation into his own “cash for honours” scandal.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

Anti-racism classes in which white people must accept their inherent prejudice are just one way in which this American academic is trying to change behaviour.

Judge rules New York attorney general had “the clear right” to question the Trumps after having uncovered “copious evidence of possible financial fraud”.

Britain is struggling to contain asylum seeker boats crossing the English Channel from France.

What began as an enterprising teenager’s lockdown venture has awakened a family of five to how online fame can fuel real-world violence.

The creation of the FBI’s “virtual asset exploitation” unit comes after the Justice Department’s largest-ever financial seizure earlier this month.

It was not immediately clear how serious the incidents over the last 24 hours were. The US previously warned of a possible false-flag attack by Russia.

The shift is being helped by relatively high vaccination rates and milder symptoms caused by the Omicron variant, even if infection rates remain near peak levels in some countries.

There’s scant evidence of the Imperial City’s regal charms after it slammed by a deluge. Authorities said the number of dead could rise as searchers pick through the wreckage.

London police have launched an investigation into allegations linking one of Prince Charles’ charities to a “cash for honours” deal.

There are few historic parallels from which to draw inferences about the options for the Duke of York as he tries to salvage whatever dignity he has left.

Bannon and Guo Wengui joined forces to create the ‘New Federal State of China’ to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party in 2020.

Seven of the women are launching a lawsuit against Qatari authorities and say, through their lawyer, that they have been told their claims have no legal merit.