China has joined Russia in opposing further Nato expansion as the two countries move closer together in the face of Western pressure.

Moscow and Beijing issued a statement showcasing their agreement on a raft of issues during a visit by Russia's Vladimir Putin for the Winter Olympics. Mr Putin claims Western powers are using the Nato defence alliance to undermine Russia.

It comes amid tensions over Ukraine, which he denies planning to invade. Some 100,000 Russian troops remain at the border with Ukraine, which is a former Soviet republic. Mr Putin, who has written that Russians and Ukrainians are "one nation", has demanded that Ukraine be barred from joining Nato. While the lengthy joint statement did not refer directly to Ukraine, the two countries accused Nato of espousing a Cold War ideology.

The talks, which the Kremlin said were "very warm", were held ahead of the Games opening ceremony. It was the first time the leaders have met face-to-face since the start of the pandemic. "Friendship between [Russia and China] has no limits, there are no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation,"

The UK Defence Secretary said there were individuals already in Ukraine "linked to the Russian state in ways that are not conventional".

Russia may already have personnel in place in Ukraine to assist with an invasion, the UK Government believes. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told MPs there were individuals already in Ukraine "linked to the Russian state in ways that are not conventional" and "that should give cause for concern". He added: "We are becoming aware of a significant number of individuals that are assessed to be associated with Russian military advance force operations that currently are located in Ukraine."

It comes as concerns over a potential Russian invasion into Ukraine continue to increase. Moscow has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine. Mr Wallace told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee that any incursion into Ukrainian territory would be unacceptable. He said: "Any crossing into Ukraine, whether small or large, would be viewed as a breach of that sovereignty, against international law and an invasion. "You can't be half-pregnant, you are either invading a country or you are not."

A 22-year-old Thai man has been charged with the murder of a British man in western Thailand, according to local officials.

Marcus Evans, 49, died after being attacked in Kanchanaburi in the early hours of Saturday, Thai police said. A second British man, named by police as Shaun Dagnan, 54, was seriously injured and taken to hospital. A sickle was found at the scene, they added.

The alleged attacker is due in court on Monday, police said in a statement. They also said Mr Evans had lived in the area for five years, and Mr Dagnan for three.

Police released passport photos of the two men, which show Mr Evans was born in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset and Mr Dagnan was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

A spokesperson from the UK Foreign Office said: "We are in contact with the Royal Thai Police following the death of one British man and the hospitalisation of another in Thailand and are ready to provide consular support."

Hostilities have simmered for years but tensions are now escalating amid fears of a Russian invasion.

Kyiv, Ukraine – According to Washington, Russia has amassed more than 100,000 Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine and in annexed Crimea in recent weeks.

This has stoked fears in Kyiv and the West that the Kremlin may start a new war with its neighbour and former province that chose to break away from Moscow’s political orbit.

Earlier this month, a top Ukrainian military expert told Al Jazeera that Russia could invade Ukraine as early as January, unleashing a “brief and victorious” war. But Russia denies it is planning an invasion. Moscow says it can move Russian troops wherever it wants and that any of its acts are defensive. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have for their part warned NATO against expanding eastwards. So, what is at the heart of the conflict that has been going on for more than seven years?

What is now Ukraine, Russia and neighbouring Belarus were born on the banks of the Dnieper River, almost 1,200 years ago in Kievan Rus, a medieval superpower that included a huge chunk of Eastern Europe. But Russians and Ukrainians parted ways linguistically, historically and, most importantly, politically.

Putin has, however, claimed repeatedly that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people”, part of the “Russian civilisation” that also includes neighbouring Belarus. Ukrainians reject his claims. Ukraine went through two revolutions in 2005 and 2014, both times rejecting Russia’s supremacy and seeking a path to join the European Union and NATO. Putin is particularly enraged by the prospect of NATO bases next to his borders and says Ukraine joining the US-led transatlantic alliance would mark the crossing of a red line.

US President Joe Biden has said he thinks his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will "move in" on Ukraine but does not want "full-blown war".

He told a news conference Mr Putin would pay a "serious and dear price" for invading, but indicated a minor incursion might be treated differently. The White House later stressed any Russian military move would be met with a swift, severe response from the West.

Russia has some 100,000 troops near the border but denies planning an invasion. President Putin has made a series of demands to the West, insisting Ukraine is never allowed to join Nato and that the defensive alliance abandons military activity in Eastern Europe.

Talks between the West and Russia have so far failed to reach a breakthrough, with some of Moscow's demands rejected as non-starters. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to meet the Russian foreign minister in Geneva on Friday, having warned that Russia could attack Ukraine "on very short notice". However, at his news conference on Wednesday, Mr Biden said: "There are differences in Nato as to what countries are willing to do, depending on what happens. "If there's Russian forces crossing the border… I think that changes everything.

"What you're going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades and it depends on what it does," he said. "It's one thing if it's a minor incursion, and then we end up having to fight about what to do and not do etc."

White House officials rushed to clarify the US position after Mr Biden's comments. "If any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that's a renewed invasion, and it will be met with a swift, severe, and united response from the United States and our Allies," press secretary Jen Psaki said. Hours earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron told the European Parliament that Europeans had to conduct their own dialogue with Moscow.

Security forces in Kazakhstan say they have killed dozens of anti-government rioters in an operation to restore order in the main city, Almaty.

They moved in after protesters tried to take control of police stations in the city, a police spokeswoman said. Twelve members of the security forces have been killed and 353 injured in the unrest, sparked by a doubling in the cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Russia is sending in troops at the request of the Kazakh president. They will be deployed to help "stabilise" the country, which is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) along with Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. The CSTO confirmed Russian paratroopers were being dispatched as peacekeepers, with advance units already deployed, and footage released by Russian media showed soldiers boarding a military transport plane.

Protests began on Sunday when the government lifted its price cap on LPG, which many people use to fuel their cars, but the unrest has since spread to include political grievances. Accusing foreign-trained "terrorist gangs" of being behind the trouble, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev imposed a nationwide state of emergency that includes a curfew and a ban on mass gatherings.

The Haitian prime minister was forced to scramble to safety to avoid a string of gunfire during an assassination attempt on Saturday, video footage shows. Ariel Henry was leaving a church after taking part in an event commemorating the Caribbean country's independence when a gang of 'bandits and terrorists' tried to gun him down.

The failed shooting comes just five months after Haiti's President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in a predawn attack at his home. Video footage broadcast on social media showed Henry and his entourage scrambling toward their vehicles.

Gangs' hold on parts of Haiti has strengthened since the assassination of Moise in July. Police, who called Saturday's attack the work of 'armed groups,' were unable to immediately confirm casualties. 

Prior to the incident, a local gang boss had made threats against Henry in local media. The prime minister's office said arrest warrants had been issued for the suspects who fired on Henry's convoy. The attack has renewed concerns about the safety of officials in Haiti since Moise's assassination.

Sixteen European governments have issued a statement to "firmly condemn the deployment of mercenary troops" in the west African state of Mali.

The 16 governments, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany, said they were aware of "the involvement of the Russian Federation government in providing material support to the deployment of the Wagner group in Mali and call on Russia to revert to a responsible and constructive behavior in the region."

Military coups have been a regular occurrence in Africa in the decades since independence and there is now concern they are becoming more frequent.

Sudan has this year experienced two such events, one in September which failed and the latest in which Gen Abdel Fattah Burhan dissolved the civilian arm of a transitional government and took over.

In Guinea, President Condé was ousted by the army in September and in neighbouring Mali there have been two interventions by the army in less than a year, the most recent one in May.

In Niger, a coup was thwarted in March just days before a presidential inauguration.

So are military interventions occurring more often on the continent?

A coup is under way in Sudan, where the military has dissolved civilian rule, arrested political leaders and declared a state of emergency.

The coup leader Gen Abdel Fattah Burhan has blamed political infighting.

Protesters have taken to the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and other cities and there are reports of gunfire.

Military and civilian leaders have been at odds since long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown two years ago and a transitional government set up.

Army and paramilitary troops have been deployed across the capital, Khartoum airport is closed, and international flights are suspended. The internet is also down.

BBC Arabic's Mohamed Osman, in Khartoum, says large numbers of protestors are demanding the return of civilian rule and that demonstrations have spread to a number of other locations, including the cities of Atbara, Wad Madani and Port Sudan.

More protestors are expected to be drawn to the streets in the coming hours after calls for action by political parties and professional unions, our correspondent adds.

At least 26 people have been killed in floods in southern India after heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, cutting off towns and villages.

Five children are among the dead. There are fears the death toll could rise further as many people are missing.

Several houses were washed away and people became trapped in the district of Kottayam in Kerala state.

Video from the area showed bus passengers being rescued after their vehicle was inundated with floodwater.

Kottayam and Idukki are two of the worst affected districts in the state. Days of heavy rainfall has also caused deadly landslides. Swollen rivers have washed away bridges connecting many small villages.

Military helicopters are being used to fly in supplies and personnel to areas where people are trapped, officials said.

Thousands of people have been evacuated and 184 relief camps have been set up across the state, where over 8,000 people are being provided food, bedding and clothing.

The government has also announced financial aid for those who have lost houses and crops.

It has decided to leave the decision of whether various dams in the state should be opened to an expert committee.

In 2018, some 400 people died when heavy rains flooded the state. There was controversy over the fact that dams were opened without any warning to people living in low-lying areas.

A notorious gang is behind the kidnap of a group of North American missionaries near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, officials say.

The five men, seven women and five children were returning from a visit to an orphanage when they were abducted on Saturday.

Officials say they are being held by the 400 Mawozo gang - also blamed for the kidnap of Catholic clergy in April.

Haiti has one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world.

This year has been particularly bad, with more than 600 kidnappings recorded in the first three quarters of 2021, compared with 231 over the same period last year, according to a local civil society group.

The rise has come in the wake of President Jovenel Moïse's assassination in July, as rival factions fight to gain control of the country in the face of a struggling police force.

A Conservative MP has been stabbed multiple times in an incident at his constituency surgery.

Sir David Amess, who represents Southend West in Essex, was attacked today at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea.

Sky News understands a man walked into his constituency surgery and stabbed him multiple times.

It is believed Mr Amess, 69, has been receiving treatment at the scene for his injuries.

His condition is unclear, Sky News political correspondent Joe Pike reports.

Police are believed to be at the scene and the road surrounding the location has been closed off.

(NB. These blades could be accessed by other groups or individuals for attack purposes)

London transport staff have been warned after anti-mask posters with razor blades on the back were found, a union has said.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said it had raised the issue of "Masks Don't Work" posters with Transport for London (TfL).

TfL said it was not aware of any incidents involving blades but had given advice to its workers.

A similar poster was found in Cardiff where a woman was injured removing it.

The RMT called for the courts to take the "hardest possible line" against those found responsible.

Tigrayan forces reject allegations by local officials in Amhara region they killed scores of villagers earlier this month.

Doctors and local officials have said more than 120 civilians were massacred in Ethiopia’s Amhara region earlier this month, but forces from neighbouring Tigray rejected allegations they were responsible.

The killings in Chenna village, near the town of Dabat, took place in early September, according to Sewnet Wubalem, the local administrator in Dabat, and Chalachew Dagnew, spokesperson of the nearby city of Gondar told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

“So far we have recovered 120 bodies. They were all innocent farmers. But we think the number might be higher. There are people who are missing,” Sewnet said.

Mulugeta Melesa, head of the hospital in Dabat, told the AFP news agency, “There were 125 dead in Chenna village … I saw the mass grave myself.”

Mulugeta added that residents were “still searching for dead bodies around the area and counting is still going on”.

Chalachew, the Gondar city spokesperson, also said he had visited the burial area in the village and that children, women and elderly were among the dead.

He was quoted by Reuters as saying the killings were during the Tigrayan forces’ “short presence” in the area, and it was now under the control of the Ethiopian federal army.

So-called Islamic State, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda are all radical jihadist groups, but they are not all the same.

The so-called Islamic State, al-Qaeda and now the Taliban are radical jihadist groups focused on ridding the world from the threat, as they perceive it, that Western culture poses to Islam.

However, although broadly speaking they share a similar ideology, their views actually differ significantly – so much so that the three groups have often found themselves in conflict with one another.  

And although there's no disputing the fact that IS have dominated the media in recent months, both al-Qaeda and the Taliban are still very much at large.

But what are the differences between these three prominent terrorist organisations? 

Coordinated suicide bomb blasts at Kabul airport on Thursday have left at least 170 dead and many more injured.

Isis-K has claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted US troops and Afghans attempting to secure the last remaining places on military evacuation flights out of the country.

On Friday, the US said it killed a "planner" for the group in an air strike in Afghanistan.

The threat of further attacks around Kabul Airport will increase as Western troops get closer to leaving the country, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday, with Isis-K hoping to show it drove foreign troops from Afghanistan.

"The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving," he told Sky News. "The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the US or the UK." 

On Thursday night, President Joe Biden pledged to "hunt down" the attackers and ordered his military to plan strikes.

He said: "Know this: we will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay." 

Here we look at how Isis-K came to exist and why it poses such a threat to US forces in Afghanistan. 

At least 47 people, including 30 civilians and 14 soldiers, killed by rebels in Arbinda town, according to state media.

Rebel fighters have killed dozens of people in northern Burkina Faso, as violence spirals anew in West Africa’s Sahel region.

In an attack near the northern town of Arbinda on Wednesday, rebels killed at least 47 people, including 30 civilians, 14 soldiers and three pro-government militiamen, state media reported.

State media reported that government troops killed 16 rebels while a security source put the number at 58.

Fighters linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL regularly carry out attacks in Burkina Faso and neighbouring Mali and Niger, killing hundreds of civilians this year alone.

Violence in the Sahel, a semi-arid band beneath the Sahara Desert, has continued to intensify despite the presence of thousands of UN, regional and Western troops and efforts by some governments to negotiate with rebel groups.

Ivory Coast’s first Ebola case since 1994 was discovered over the weekend in an 18-year-old Guinean woman.

Guinean authorities say 58 people have been confined to their homes after being identified as contacts of a woman who contracted the Ebola virus.

The Ebola case was discovered in Ivory Coast in an 18-year-old Guinean woman who had travelled by bus from Labe, Guinea, a journey of some 1,500km (930 miles).

It was Ivory Coast’s first known case of the disease since 1994.

Ebola is often deadly, causing severe fever and, in the worst cases, unstoppable bleeding. It is transmitted through close contact with bodily fluids, and people who live with or care for patients are most at risk.

The discovery in Ivory Coast came nearly two months after the United Nations’ health agency declared an end to Guinea’s second Ebola outbreak, which started last year and killed 12 people.

Assailants on motorbikes killed 37 people, including 14 children, in Tillaberi region, according to interior ministry.

More than 30 people were killed in a rebel attack in the West African country of Niger, the Ministry of Interior has said.

Armed assailants on motorcycles attacked the village of Darey Dey in the Tillaberi region close to the border with Mali on Monday and killed 37 people, including 14 children, according to the ministry.

The assailants attacked as people were working in the fields, a local official told the AFP news agency.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack but several armed groups linked to al-Qaeda or ISIL (ISIS) are active in the region.

Rated the world’s poorest country by the UN’s Human Development Index, Niger lies in the heart of the arid Sahel region of West Africa, which is battling a nine-year-old rebellion.

The bloodshed began in northern Mali in 2012 and then spread to the centre of the country before hitting neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Tillaberi has borne the brunt of the crisis.