NATO has announced it will take additional steps to strengthen the alliance’s deterrence and defence after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. The defence alliance will also hold an emergency summit of its 30 member nations on Friday. Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday, confirming the worst fears of the West with the biggest attack by …

Australia is comparatively insulated from the direct effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but we have been warned to brace for strategic and economic fallout. Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined leaders from around the world on Thursday, condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “flagrant breach of international law”. Mr Morrison declared that “Russia has chosen war” and followed many …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has authorised a military operation in Ukraine. The imminent invasion follows months of Moscow massing troops near Ukraine. Despite Western states repeatedly expressing fears of just such an outcome, Russia had continued to deny any such plans. The Kremlin had demanded guarantees from the West that NATO would not accept Ukraine and other former Soviet nations as members, halt …

US President Joe Biden says he will consider personal sanctions on President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine, as Western leaders stepped up military preparations and made plans to shield Europe from a potential energy supply shock. The rare sanctions threat on Tuesday came as NATO placed forces on standby and reinforces eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets …

Tens of thousands of climate activists have marched through the Scottish city hosting the UN climate summit, physically close to the global negotiators inside but separated by a vast gulf in expectations, with frustrated marchers increasingly dismissive of the climate talks and demanding immediate action instead to slow global warming. The mood at the protest in Glasgow on Saturday was …

The Global Methane Pledge, which was first announced in September, now includes half of the top 30 methane emitters accounting for two-thirds of the global economy, according to the official. Among the new signatories to be announced on Tuesday is Brazil – one of the world’s five biggest emitters of methane. China, Russia and India, also top-five methane emitters, have …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken advantage of an opportunity to say ‘G’day Emmanuel’ to the French president and shake his hand. The pair crossed paths on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome for the first time since Australia outraged France by scrapping a $90 billion submarine deal. “I said g’day, I said g’day,” Mr Morrison told …

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been handed a one-year prison sentence by a Paris court after being found guilty of illegal campaign financing over his failed 2012 re-election bid. Sarkozy, 66, is unlikely to go to jail. He is expected to appeal against the sentence, a move that will in effect suspend it, and the judge said on Thursday …

Thousands of people have fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia as wildfires burned uncontrolled for a sixth day, and ferries were on standby for more evacuations after taking many to safety by sea. Fires that had threatened northern suburbs of Athens in recent days died back. But the blaze on Evia, a large island east of the …

The world’s seven largest economies have pledged to help poorer countries move away from coal-fired power stations and cut emissions. During the three-day summit in the British county of Cornwall, G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to “jointly mobilise $US100 billion ($A130 billion)” a year to help poorer countries cut carbon emissions and cope with global warming, The funds, which will come from …