The United States and its European allies are poised to announce harsh new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday after President Vladimir Putin formally recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, escalating a security crisis on the continent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to formally recognise the independence of two rebel-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine, breaching the 2015 protocol that ended the conflict in Donbas and further inflaming the tensions between the two countries.
Evidence suggests Russia is planning "the biggest war in Europe since 1945", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
US President Joe Biden has said he is convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to launch an invasion of Ukraine, and that an assault could happen in the "coming days".
Sydney has reopened its beaches two days after a British swimmer died in the city's first fatal shark attack in 59 years.
Ivan Malyuta, a resident of Donetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, applied for Russian citizenship this month and said he, his wife and three children will soon be getting Russian passports.
Parts of the UK are bracing for the impact of one of the most serious storms in years after the Met Office issued a rare red warning for Friday.
Former US President Donald Trump and two of his children must answer questions under oath in a New York investigation into their business practices, a judge has ruled.
Russia is preparing to fabricate a reason to invade Ukraine and launch an attack in the coming days, the US says.
Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control, officials say.
Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not take part in Republican presidential debates with his rivals in the race for the White House.