Blog

Russia has said the Ukraine war will continue until it meets its aims - either on the battlefield or via negotiations - as its spy chief claimed it was close to achieving them.President Putin wants Ukraine to fully pull out of four eastern regions it claims as its own, but Kyiv rejects that as a form of surrender. President Zelenskyy has indicated a diplomatic ceasefire is possible however, and incoming US president Donald Trump has urged both sides to agree on an immediate truce.Mr Zelenskyy told Sky's Stuart Ramsay the "hot phase of the war" could end if unoccupied parts of the country were offered NATO membership, allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later.He has also raised the prospect of foreign troops being deployed in the free parts of Ukraine until it could join NATO. ...

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is recovering in intensive care after having emergency surgery to drain blood from his brain, a medical note published by the country's government said.The leftist politician, known as Lula, had reduced travel in recent months while doctors monitored his recovery from a trauma he suffered to the back of his head after falling at his home in late October. Mr da Silva was taken to hospital yesterday after he ended a meeting with congressional leaders due to a worsening headache, a source in the presidential office told Reuters.The 79-year-old had an MRI scan at a hospital in the capital Brasilia.He was transferred to Sao Paulo, around 620 miles away, overnight for surgery. The Brazilian president is now recovering "well, under monitoring in an IC...