James WaterhouseUkraine correspondent, in Kyiv Getty Images Andriy Yermak was one of Ukraine’s most powerful figures Andriy Yermak was a constant, looming presence in Ukraine’s government – a seemingly immovable figure on the political stage. Despite his towering frame, you might not always have spotted him. Yet, wherever President Volodymyr Zelensky was, Yermak was often

Russia has launched its largest barrage of drones and missiles in a month across Ukraine, killing at least three people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, amid US-led efforts to strike a peace deal. In total, Moscow launched around 36 missiles and almost 600 drones at Ukraine on Friday night into Saturday, Zelensky said. Large

Paul Kirby,Europe digital editor and Jaroslav Lukiv Reuters Yermak has for years been Zelensky’s closest aide and has played a key role in talks towards ending the war Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned following an anti-corruption raid on his home. Yermak, a towering figure with enormous

Hong Kong officials mark beginning of official mourning period with moment of silence Hong Kong officials have held a moment of silence at the start of a three-day mourning period to remember those killed after the city’s deadliest fire in nearly 80 years. At least 128 people are now known to have died in the

Bethany Bell/BBC Sister Rita (L), Sister Regina (C) and Sister Bernadette have gained a substantial following for their social media posts Three Austrian nuns in their 80s who ran away from the old people’s home where they were placed have been told they can stay in their former convent “until further notice”. However, Church authorities

James FitzGeraldand Mahfouz Zubaide AFP via Getty Images Tens of thousands of Afghans entered the US under special immigration protections following the US withdrawal from the country in 2021 Afghans living in the US have condemned Wednesday’s “deeply tragic” deadly shooting attack in Washington DC, while stressing that the suspect – who moved to the

Grace Dean,in Birminghamand Tenzin Sekhon,in Berlin BBC Wooden huts are glittering with golden fairylights as groups of friends gather in woolly hats, warming their hands on mugs of mulled wine. Signs written in German are dotted about – Glühwein (mulled wine), Bratwurst (grilled sausage), Kinderpunsch (non-alcoholic punch). This isn’t Germany – it’s Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas

Nada Tawfik and Madeline HalpertNew York Watch: The Epstein connections that lasted beyond the scandal It was one of the big set-pieces in Washington in 2019. All eyes were on Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, who was testifying to a House committee about his former boss. A Democratic member of the committee, Stacey Plaskett,

Tada Images/Shutterstock Google’s Circle to Search is a brilliant feature that first arrived on Android phones with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. As one of the first big AI-driven features that smartphone users could turn to, the feature lets you easily highlight and search up details about almost anything in

Alex de WaalAfrica analyst Reuters The millions who have fled Sudan’s conflict are desperate for it to end Wracked by war for two-and-a-half years, Sudan lies in ruins. Half a dozen peace initiatives have failed, none of them able to pressure or persuade regional powerbrokers to push for a compromise. Many Sudanese ask if the

Watch: How the shooting of two National Guard members unfolded Two members of the National Guard were shot and seriously wounded on Wednesday just blocks from the White House in Washington DC. One died on Thursday while the second remains in a critical condition, US President Donald Trump said the following day. The suspect, an

More than one in five people worldwide will be forced to endure a life-threatening “new normal” if governments don’t act with urgency, according to the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP). What’s happening? World leaders gathered in Belém, Brazil, for a global environmental summit beginning Nov. 10. On Nov. 20, the penultimate day of