Live updates, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine with bombardments of key cities.

Making the decision to leave Kyiv as an invasion was under way was never going to be straightforward.

A high-rise apartment block was hit by a missile overnight in Kyiv as fighting raged between Russian attackers and Ukrainian forces, officials said.

The United States has said it would impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following similar announcements by the European Union and the UK.

"There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen."

British Airways has cancelled all short-haul flights from Heathrow until midday and further disruption is expected throughout the day due to ongoing technical issues.

Russia, as expected, has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that deplored "in the strongest terms" the country's "aggression" against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops.

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic was how long it lasted here and then the speed at which most restrictions were lifted.

Torrential downpours have lashed eastern Australia, raising floodwaters to decades-long highs, swamping homes and sweeping away cars, including one carrying a team of rescuers.

Some wars can seem very far away. This week's invasion of Ukraine by Russia was not one of them.

A mum is on a mission to make the toy industry more sustainable after she struggled to find plastic-free toys for her daughter.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have crossed into Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia as Russian missiles pounded the capital Kyiv and men of fighting age were told to remain.

Several hundred people took part in a protest outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin, calling for an end to the invasion in Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in the early hours of Saturday that Russian troops would attempt to take the capital city Kyiv during the night.

As the invasion of Ukraine intensifies, world leaders have been exploring ways to sanction Russia.

A 53-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Keith Conlon last Tuesday afternoon.

There was an increase in the latest homeless figures, with a total of 9,150 men, women and children in emergency accommodation in January.

It is striking that 24 hours after the invasion was launched, Russian tanks were at the gates of Kyiv, writes Tony Connelly from Ukraine.

EU states have agreed to freeze any European assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister as Ukraine's leader pleaded for faster and more forceful sanctions.

Irish solo rower Dr Karen Weekes has made history by becoming the first Irish woman to row solo across the Atlantic.