Dutch police ended a hostage taking in an Apple flagship store in Amsterdam after a man armed with two guns held at least one person hostage for hours, police said on Wednesday.

Russia faced a furious global diplomatic and economic backlash yesterday after President Vladimir Putin ordered his “peacekeeping” forces into Ukraine to secure two breakaway regions, but division among European allies raised questions how far West can go against Moscow.

The UN warned yesterday that authorities and aid workers were racing against the clock to protect people as Madagascar braces for its fourth tropical storm in as many weeks.

Nearly 600 migrants packed into overcrowded fishing boats in bad weather were rescued overnight off the coast of Calabria, Italy’s coastguard said yesterday,

Less than 10 percent of the plastic used across the world is recycled, the OECD said yesterday, calling for “coordinated and global solutions” ahead of expected talks on an international plastics treaty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he does not plan to restore Russia’s empire, a day after he ordered Russian troops to be sent to eastern Ukraine and questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The Kremlin warned yesterday there are no concrete plans for a summit between the Russian and US leaders, as diplomats scrambled to head off the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The United States has warned the United Nations it has information that Russia has lists of Ukrainians “to be killed or sent to camps” in the event of an invasion, according to a letter sent to the UN rights chief and obtained by AFP Sunday.

Last-ditch diplomatic efforts were underway yesterday to prevent what Western powers warn could be the imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine and a catastrophic European war.

Britain’s 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday but her symptoms are “mild” and she intends to continue with light duties at her Windsor Castle residence, aides said.

Russia is preparing to plunge Europe into its worst conflict since World War II, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, warning that any invasion of Ukraine would freeze Moscow out of global finance.

Russia and Belarus are extending military drills that were due to end on Sunday, the Belarus defence minister said, in a step that further intensifies pressure on Ukraine as Western leaders warn of an imminent Russian invasion.

In a show of force, Russia yesterday test fired nuclear-capable missiles as the United States again warned that it believes Moscow plans to invade Ukraine within days or next week.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday said that if Western nations failed to fulfil their promises to support Ukraine’s independence, it would have damaging consequences worldwide, including for Taiwan.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has submitted his response to a police questionnaire relating to Downing Street parties that may have breached coronavirus regulations, his office said Friday.

Emergency crews yesterday battled to restore power to hundreds of thousands of homes in Britain after Storm Eunice carved a deadly trail across Western Europe and left transport networks in disarray.

The Covid-19 pandemic continued its retreat this week, with fewer deaths and the number of new cases decreasing in most regions of the world.

The chances of reviving the Iran nuclear accord are dwindling and the “moment of truth” has arrived for Tehran’s leadership, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday.

Western leaders yesterday said Russia and China were seeking to “replace the existing international rules” with their own order, as Beijing backed Moscow over its showdown with Nato.

Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilization Saturday amid a spike of violence in the war-torn region and fears in the West that Russia might use the strife as a pretext for an invasion.