Europe

LONDON (AP) — All government-mandated coronavirus restrictions in England were lifted Thursday, including the legal requirement for people who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate at home.

Officials say that those who tested positive will still be advised to stay at home for at least five days. But from Thursday they are not legally obliged to do so, and those on lower incomes will no longer get extra financial support to make up for a loss of income due to isolation. The routine tracing of infected people’s contacts has also been scrapped.

BRUSSELS (AP) — World leaders Thursday reacted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with raw outrage — and vows of unprecedented sanctions — that shrouded a sense of powerlessness to defend Ukraine militarily without running the risk of a wider war in Europe.

NATO had already reinforced its eastern flank facing Russia and planned a virtual summit of its leaders on Friday after President Vladimir Putin warned that any interference from other countries would lead to “consequences you have never seen in history.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee. Ukraine’s government said Russian tanks and troops rolled across the border in a “full-scale war” that could rewrite the geopolitical order and whose fallout already reverberated around the world.

Boston, Feb 24 (AP) Ukraine's parliament and other government and banking websites were hit with another punishing wave of distributed-denial-of-service attacks, and cybersecurity researchers said unidentified attackers had also infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware.

Some of the infected computers were in neighbouring Latvia and Lithuania, the researchers said.

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) An Air India plane took off for Ukraine on Thursday morning to bring back Indians from the eastern European nation, which is now facing a Russian offensive.

However, as the Ukrainian authorities on Thursday morning closed the country's airspace for civil aircraft operations, Air India and the central government are considering whether the plane should be called back or allowed to continue on its journey, officials said.

Moscow, Feb 24 (AP) Russian troops launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions, warning other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to consequences you have never seen.

Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as world leaders decried the start of an Russian invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine's democratically elected government.

MOSCOW, (Russia) Feb 23 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday was accorded a red carpet welcome upon his arrival to Russia on a two-day official visit.

Upon arrival at the airport, the prime minister and his delegation was warmly received by Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and the high officials of Pakistan Embassy. The prime minister was also given a guard of honour.

The prime minister is undertaking the visit at the invitation of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/: Moscow will offer a strong response to US sanctions, if not necessarily tit-for-tat, but a measured and sensitive one for Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on new US anti-Russian sanctions on Wednesday.

"There should be no doubt - sanctions will be met with a strong response, not necessarily symmetrical, but measured and sensitive for the US side," the document says.

WARSAW, February 23. /TASS/: Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that the entry to his country may be blocked for Russians if the situation in eastern Ukraine aggravates.

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made several statements on the situation in eastern Ukraine that are not compatible with his status, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, opening talks with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Wednesday.

"To our great regret, the UN Secretary General whom you are representing turned out to be susceptible to pressure by the West and recently made several statements incompatible with his status and his authority under the UN Charter," he said.