UKRAINE

Boris Johnson wants to "ramp up deterrence to avoid bloodshed" over the Ukraine crisis, No 10 says.

Russia’s been spending big on advanced technologies to upgrade its military.

The Pentagon's top officials warned Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would result in a "horrific" aftermath.

WARSAW, Poland — (AP) — Russian troop movements near Ukraine’s border that have ratcheted up fears of a potential invasion have complicated the international political scene to a degree not seen in decades, Poland's president said Friday. President Andrzej Duda said the situation is “difficult” and reminiscent of 1989 when Moscow-led communist rule collapsed in Central and Eastern Europe. Duda said that the “security, sovereignty and freedom” of neighboring Ukraine and Belarus are of great, “strategic” importance to Warsaw. Russia has amassed more than 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

IMAGES At least 10 people have died in flash floods triggered by torrential rain that battered Madagascar's capital Antananarivo overnight. Some 20 districts around the capital of 1.3 million are on red alert for flooding, with built-up urban areas with poor drainage systems seen as especially vulnerable.

MILAN — (AP) — Italian bank UniCredit has decided not to pursue a possible takeover bid for Russian bank Otkritie due to rising tensions over Ukraine, the bank’s CEO said Friday. UniCredit had started due diligence on an offer, but “given the geopolitical environment, we decided to withdraw,” Andrea Orcel said in a media call. UniCredit operates the AO UniCredit Bank in Russia, the 12th bank in the country with 70 branches and 400 employees. “We are generally happy with it, and committed to it,” Orcel said, saying it represents less than 5% of the bank’s equity activities. Orcel was on the list of attendees for a video conference of Italian business leaders and Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss business opportunities.

KYIV, Ukraine — (AP) — Belarus' authoritarian leader on Friday advised exiled opposition activists to “come home, repent and kneel,” while repeating a vague promise to step down if the people “make the decision” for him. Protesters demanded a new election and Lukashenko's ouster and faced a brutal crackdown from the authorities, with more than 35,000 arrested and thousands brutally beaten. Key opposition figures, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's main contender in the election, have left the country amid the clampdown, along with thousands of ordinary Belarusians. “It will get worse further on.”After suppressing the protests, Lukashenko repeatedly aired vague and non-committal promises to step down. The amendments bring back limits on presidential terms that had been abolished during Lukashenko’s tenure, allowing a president only two five-year terms in office.

Belarus' authoritarian leader on Friday advised exiled opposition activists to “come home, repent and kneel,” while repeating a vague promise to step down if the people “make the decision” for him. President Alexander Lukashenko made the remarks in his yearly state of the nation address, seeking to underscore his grip on power after suppressing an unprecedented wave of mass protests against his rule. In 2020 Lukashenko, who has run Belarus with an iron fist for almost three decades, survived the largest and the most sustained wave of mass protests in the country's history.

As tensions reach a fever pitch between Russia, Ukraine and the West, energy analysts are deeply concerned about the risk of full supply disruption to the EU.

The costs of a major Russian invasion of Ukraine could ripple across the globe.

Most papers on Friday report on the cost of living crisis and the rise in National Insurance due in April.

A White House readout of the call said Mr. Biden "reaffirmed the readiness of the United States along with its allies and partners to respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine."

NFL on Fox's Jay Glazer joined Sports Seriously this week and forecasted the biggest moves that could be made this offseason. Expect more than a handful of teams to make a run at Russell Wilson.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s massing of troops on Ukraine’s border has sparked a standoff with the West and raised fears of an invasion. At the heart of the dispute are Russian concerns about the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the security alliance founded in 1949 to protect Europe against Soviet attack during the Cold War. Of the 14 countries bordering Russia, five are in NATO, and Ukraine is among the countries also hoping to get in. But that’s not as fast

European leaders are working their own diplomatic avenues to end the tensions and worry that talk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be deepening divisions among them.

Germany France German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a media conference with French President Emmanuel Macronhead of their meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. German and French leaders are meeting in Berlin over the Ukraine crisis and other European issues. (Tobias Schwarz/Pool Photo via AP, File) (Tobias Schwarz)WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden and new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss Russian aggression toward Ukraine during a meeting next month in Washington, the White House announced Thursday. The one-on-one meeting will be Scholz's first Oval Office sit-down since he took over leadership of his country in December. The White House announced the visit a day after the U.S. told Russia in writing that it is rejecting its main demands for resolving the long-simmering crisis over Ukraine.

The White House says President Joe Biden and new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss Russian aggression toward Ukraine when they meet next month.

The incident reportedly took place in the early hours of Thursday at the Pivdenmash missile factory in the central city of Dnipro.

Ukraine Tensions Nato FILE - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center, participates in a media conference with Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, and Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde, right, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. As tensions mount with Russia, the world's biggest military organization is focused on security: defending the territory of its 30 member countries. As tensions mount with Russia, the world’s biggest military organization is focused on security: defending the territory of its 30 member countries. Indeed, the dispute with Russia over Ukraine is almost a relief after the debacle in Afghanistan, which the Taliban overran after NATO left last year. In an effort to ward off an attack, NATO has extended the offer of wide-ranging talks to Moscow.

Germany and the US threaten the future of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine.

The escalating conflict has left many Ukrainian Americans in Chicago fearful for relatives and friends overseas.

Here's the latest for Thursday January 27th: Democrats plan quick action on Supreme Court; US & Nato reject Russian demands over Ukraine; Suspect in fatal shooting of Houston-area Deputy Constable arrested; Canadian truckers protest vaccine mandate.

Ukraine's military is stronger than when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 but still won't be able to hold off another Russian attack, experts say.

The West’s warnings about a Russian invasion of Ukraine have acquired a life of their own.

Since 2014, under three different presidents, the U.S. has imposed travel bans, asset freezes and finance and trade restrictions against hundreds of Russian individuals and companies.

The U.S. should be prepared to lock Russia out of the international financial system.

The United States has sent written responses to Russia over their grievances. NATO and the U.S. are preparing for Russia to potentially invade Ukraine with bolstered supplies. CBS News correspondent Christina Ruffini gives the latest information on the tensions on "Red and Blue."

The U.S. ambassador to Moscow delivered a written response to Russia's demand that NATO halt its expansion and never allow former Soviet states, including Ukraine, to join the alliance. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said no such concessions will be made. Margaret Brennan reports.

The United States and NATO have told Russia there will be no U.S. or NATO concessions on Moscow's main demands to resolve the crisis over Ukraine. (Jan. 26)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. laid out a "a serious diplomatic path forward" should Russia choose against invading Ukraine.

President Joe Biden reacted to news of liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement Wednesday, saying he would speak to the issue after Breyer makes the announcement himself. The opening gives Biden his first pick for the high court. (Jan. 26)

Kremlin suggests any U.S. sanctions targeting leaders would be "absolutely not painful," as Moscow and Washington refuse to back down.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a written response had been delivered to Russian officials in an effort to avert an invasion of Ukraine. While Blinken did not give the letter’s details, he said NATO has not changed the alliance’s open-door policy, which gives any European country the opportunity to join the organization.

Rick Perry's comments come amid growing fears of a potential Russian incursion into Ukraine.

The secretary of state says he has offered Russia a serious diplomatic path but will help defend Ukraine.

The document addresses the "potential for progress" in areas like arms control in Europe.

Norway’s prime minister, whose country borders Russia and is a founding member of NATO, said Wednesday he believes it’s “a sign of weakness” that President Vladimir Putin has to express Moscow’s political views by an “extraordinary” military buildup. Jonas Gahr Støre said in an interview with The Associated Press that he calls it a sign of weakness because it’s at the negotiating table where issues that matter to people should be discussed, not by “that kind of military demonstration,” and by pursuing Russia’s interests where “the weapons will speak.”

Tensions, already high, ratchet up as Washington prepares to deliver its response rejecting most of Moscow's demands on Ukraine.

Oil prices are at their highest level in more than seven years, adding to inflationary pressures seen across the economy.

There is evidence of more GOP sympathy for Vladimir Putin — as pushed most prominently by Trump and Carlson — but it hasn't manifested in big partisan differences when it comes to Ukraine, at least yet.

Should Russia further invade Ukraine, Europe could look to natural gas supplies in North Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S. for resources.

Should Russia further invade Ukraine, Europe could look to natural gas supplies in North Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S. for resources.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is bracing for the conclusions of an investigation into parties that violated his own lockdown policies. And a Mexican journalist who told the country’s president she feared for her life is shot and killed. CBS News foreign correspondent Lucy Craft joins “CBS News Mornings” from Tokyo with these and other international headlines.

Greene claimed Biden had been "playing cover" for his son since he was Obama's VP, continuing baseless claims of corruption.

In 1994, then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-Del.) presided over the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Stephen G. Breyer.

The U.S. has sent a clear message that Russia, its key personnel and economic sectors as well as its leader Vladimir Putin, could face crippling sanctions.

As the Ukraine crisis deepens, three Bloomberg Opinion columnists unpack the Russian president’s motivations.

Give Biden some credit: No sane person believes that the U.S. can or should threaten general war in response to a Russian invasion.

Hong Kong Financial Markets A man wearing a face mask walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. Asian shares were mixed in muted trading Wednesday as many stayed on the sidelines ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting that will indicate how aggressive it will be in fighting inflation. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) (Kin Cheung)TOKYO — (AP) — Global shares were mixed on Wednesday, with many investors staying on the sidelines ahead of an update on how aggressively the Federal Reserve will tackle inflation. Some on Wall Street worry that the Fed may signal it plans a half-point increase in its key rate. Higher inflation has been squeezing businesses and consumers, and the Fed is expected to combat it in 2022 by raising interest rates.

Russia’s president has Ukraine and the West in check by keeping every scenario possible at the same time. That won’t work much longer.

The United States and Britain are among the nations evacuating diplomats or dependents from embassies in Kyiv.

President Joe Biden will host the ruling emir of Qatar at the White House on Monday.

Asian shares have fallen following a volatile day on Wall Street.

The financial options being bruited about to punish President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine range from the sweeping to the acutely personal.

The State Department is ordering the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave the country and allowing non-essential staff to leave Ukraine.

Pope Francis has expressed his concern over “rising tensions” in Ukraine that threaten peace, and called for political talks that put at the center "human brotherhood instead of partisan interests."

The Biden administration is unlikely to answer a further Russian invasion of Ukraine by sending U.S. combat troops.

Hackers have temporarily shut down dozens of Ukrainian government websites, causing no major damage but adding to simmering tensions while Russia amasses troops on the Ukrainian border.

Senate Democrats have defeated a bill by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz that would have slammed sanctions on a Russian natural-gas pipeline to Germany.

Senate Democrats are proposing new sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine.

The United States and NATO have rejected key Russian security demands for easing tensions over Ukraine.

A top Russian diplomat has predicted “difficult” talks with the United States this week after holding a working dinner with U.S. officials in Geneva.

With the fate of Ukraine and potentially broader post-Cold War European stability at stake, the United States and Russia are holding critical strategic talks that could shape the future of not only their relationship but the relationship between the U.S. and its NATO allies.

The Biden administration has issued new, clear warnings to Russia on penalties it may face if it goes ahead with threats to invade Ukraine.

Russia’s decision to send paratroopers into Kazakhstan, where a crackdown on violent anti-government protests has left dozens dead, injects additional uncertainty into upcoming talks over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The White House says President Joe Biden has conferred with Ukraine’s leader over the Russian troop buildup near its border, promising that the U.S. and allies will act “decisively” if Russia further invades Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that a new pipeline to Germany has been fully filled with natural gas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Russia and Belarus will hold joint war games early next year.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group to stay in the Mediterranean Sea region rather than move on to the Middle East, amid worries about the buildup of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukraine border.

Russia's top diplomat says talks between Russia and the United States on Moscow’s demand for Western guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine will start immediately after the new year holiday period.

A senior Russian diplomat says that Moscow may take unspecified new measures to ensure its security if the U.S. and its allies continue to take provocative action and ignore its demand for guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine.

Pope Francis has offered prayers for Ukraine and he urged dialogue and not weapons as Russia masses tens of thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine.

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations were meeting in Liverpool for talks dominated by Russia’s military buildup near its border with Ukraine and what host country Britain called Moscow’s “malign behavior" around the world.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will confront a number of daunting global challenges as he embarks this week on an around-the-world diplomatic tour that will test the Biden administration's resolve on various fronts.

NATO's chief says the alliance is closely monitoring an unusual concentration of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the U.S. government is unsure why Russian President Vladimir Putin is building up military forces near the border with eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has reported record daily COVID-19 deaths as authorities struggle to boost the country’s vaccination rate.

Germany’s network regulator says it's suspended its procedure to certify the operator of a new pipeline that would bring Russian gas to the country under the Baltic Sea.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Africa next week as the Biden administration intensifies diplomatic efforts to resolve crises in Ethiopia and Sudan and seeks to boost counterterrorism cooperation.

Central and Eastern Europe is seeing spiraling coronavirus cases.

Greek Orthodox officials say the spiritual leader of the world’s 200 million Eastern Orthodox Christians has been hospitalized in Washington on the first full day of a planned 12-day U.S. visit and will stay overnight.

Oleksandr Usyk has ended Anthony Joshua’s second reign as world heavyweight champion with a unanimous points win in just his third fight since stepping up from the cruiserweight division.

Leylah Fernandez has reached the U.S. Open semifinals, one day after turning 19.

Moldova’s pro-Western president has been joined in the capital Chisinau by her counterparts from Romania, Poland, and Ukraine to celebrate the country’s three decades of independence from Soviet rule.

A Belarusian Olympic sprinter who had a public feud with officials from her team at the Tokyo Games says that they “made it clear” she would face punishment if she returned home to an autocratic government.

The Biden administration has reached a preliminary agreement with Germany over a controversial Russia-to-Europe gas pipeline.

England has reached the European Championship semifinals by beating Ukraine 4-0.

Fans in Amsterdam for the European Championship match between the Netherlands and Ukraine have expressed their support for Christian Eriksen following his collapse on Saturday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his Russian counterpart that the Biden administration won't waver in responding to aggression from Moscow in the United States or elsewhere.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has tested positive for COVID-19 a few days after receiving his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

The Navajo Nation on Saturday reported 18 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and four more deaths.

AdHe also sanctioned a bill that makes the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines easier. However, the actual numbers of COVID-19 cases, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be far higher, in part due to limited testing. Murphy, who’s running for re-election this, said the state’s COVID-19 trends are headed in the right direction, though they’ve been up a bit this week. ___SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s governor says all adults in the state will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines on April 1. Ad___PHOENIX — Arizona on Wednesday reported 830 confirmed coronavirus cases and 78 deaths, following two days of no new deaths.

A United Nations report released on Thursday, March 4, 2021 estimates 17% of the food produced globally each year is wasted. The U.N. report estimates 17% of the food produced globally each year is wasted. The U.N. is pushing to reduce food waste globally, and researchers are also working on an assessment of waste that includes the food lost before reaching consumers. “Food waste is a consequence of sensible decisions by people acting on the best information available,” he said. Now, he said, awareness about the scale of food waste globally could help shift attitudes back to that era.

After several delays, Ukraine finally received 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine marketed under the name CoviShield, the first shipment of Covid-19 vaccine doses. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)KYIV – Ukraine on Tuesday received its first shipment of coronavirus vaccine, raising hopes that authorities can start beating back the virus' spread in a country where cases have strained the fragile health care system. Ukraine also expects to receive more vaccine doses under the COVAX distribution program, including those produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Novavax. AdAmong those who are reluctant to receive a shot is Sergei Khabustov, 63, who is in the Kolomyya hospital along with his 85-year-old mother. —-=Mstyslav Chernov in Kolomyya, Ukraine, contributed to this story.

United States' Jessica Pegula celebrates after defeating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. “I’m just happy I’m here; she's been playing some good tennis, solidifying herself as a top player.”AdThe 61st-ranked Pegula beat No. “A lot of people were complaining, and I told myself I wasn’t going to complain,” Brady said. Also on that half of the draw, Rafael Nadal moved closer to a men's-record 21st Grand Slam trophy by overwhelming No. “I’m super excited for her making her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

In this handout photo released by Georgian Dream Party Press office, Georgian businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, who created Georgian Dream party, wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Ivanishvili quickly congratulated his supporters on winning the vote after several exit polls showed his party with a strong lead. After the polls closed, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili quickly claimed victory for his ruling Georgian Dream party, but it wasn't immediately clear if it won enough votes to stay at the helm. “It needs to be emphasized that the Georgian Dream wins the elections for the third time," he said. “This is practically a great triumph of the Georgian opposition, despite the harassment, intimidation and pressure,” he said in televised remarks from Ukraine.

A nurse checks the temperature of a patient with coronavirus in Stebnyk, western Ukraine, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. As coronavirus cases increase, every bed in the hospital in this city in western Ukraine is in use and its chief doctor is watching the surge with alarm and anguish. The World Health Organization warns that the number of infections in Ukraine could continue to grow and reach 7,000-9,000 a day. The government wants to avoid imposing a new lockdown, but officials acknowledge that the rising number of infections could make it necessary. “When I got here I saw that people get sick en masse.”___Karmanau reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)PARIS – The Latest from the French Open (all times local):___10:25 p.m.Polish teenager Iga Swiatek made it to her first Grand Slam semifinal by ending the surprising French Open run of qualifier Martina Trevisan of Italy. The reports said suspicious betting patterns concerned the fifth game of the second set when Sizikova was serving and broken to love. ___2:55 p.m.Nadia Podoroska is the first female qualifier in the Open Era to reach the French Open semifinals. Collins looked in control at 3-0 up in the second set but her Tunisian opponent won five straight games. This was her best run at the French Open while Collins had never previously been past the second round here.

People look an art installation to mark 79th anniversary of the 1941 Babi Yar massacre at a menorah monument close to a Babi Yar ravine where tens of thousands of Jews were killed during WWII, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Ukraine marked the 79th anniversary of the 1941 Babi Yar massacre. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

WASHINGTON – The House Foreign Affairs Committee has dropped a threat of contempt against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the State Department turned over 16,000 pages of records related to a Senate investigation of Democrat Joe Biden’s son. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., had subpoenaed Pompeo and threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress after months of requesting the records, which had already been turned over to the Republican-led Senate. The chairman of that committee, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, has said he will issue a final report in the coming weeks. “It shouldn’t have taken a subpoena, let alone the threat of contempt, for Secretary Pompeo to comply with the Committee’s oversight request,” Engel said in a statement. The president and his associates asked Ukraine for the probes as he was withholding military aid to the country.