EUROPE

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a stark warning that Russia's invasion is no longer just a regional struggle but a threat to global stability, arguing that Vladimir Putin's actions risk widening the war beyond Ukraine's borders.

Speaking in Kyiv, Zelensky said he believes the Kremlin has already set in motion dynamics resembling a broader world conflict. He insisted the response must be sustained military and economic pressure designed to force Moscow to retreat rather than rewarding aggression.

"I believe Putin has already started it," Zelensky said, describing Russia's campaign as an attempt to reshape international norms. "The question is how far he is prepared to go and how the world stops him."

His remarks come as diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire continue amid deep divisions. Russia has maintained that any settlement would require Ukraine to surrender occupied territories, including large parts of the eastern Donetsk region, as well as areas in the south.

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Berlin Brandenburg Airport faced significant congestion at passport control on the opening day of the Berlin Film Festival, creating frustration and disruption for many international arrivals heading to one of Europe’s most important cultural events.

Travelers landing at the airport throughout the day described long waits, slow moving lines, and confusion as hundreds of passengers queued to enter Germany. Among those affected were sales agents, financiers, producers, journalists, and talent arriving for both the Berlin Film Festival and the European Film Market. Several industry professionals reported waiting for hours, with some missing scheduled meetings as a result of the delays.

One traveler who arrived earlier in the day managed to pass through passport control after about an hour, having been seated near the front of the plane and joining what was then a relatively small queue. However, even at that point, hundreds of people were already lined up behind. As more flights landed, the lines grew significantly longer.

At one stage, the situation appeared particularly strained in the line designated for non European Union travelers. The entire rest of the world queue, which included families with young children as well as elderly and disabled passengers, was reportedly being handled by a single passport control officer. Passengers described the line as moving at a painfully slow pace, with little visible adjustment to staffing levels despite the growing crowd.

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The central Italian town of Assisi is hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors following the public unveiling of St. Francis of Assisi’s remains. The exhibition, which commemorates the 800th anniversary of the patron saint’s death, is being held in the lower church of his namesake Basilica. Officials confirmed that 400,000 people have already secured places to view the 13th-century skeleton.

His remains have only been seen in public once before - for a single day in 1978 to a very limited group of people.

St Francis is one of the most venerated figures in Christianity and was born in the Italian city of Assisi in 1181 or 1182.

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The Kremlin has moved to block WhatsApp, citing the parent company Meta’s failure to meet Russian legal requirements. Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesman, said the ban reflects Meta’s unwillingness to follow “the norms and the letter of Russian law” but indicated the company could reverse the decision by engaging in talks and complying.

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An advert for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been banned by the UK’s advertising regulator for trivialising sexual violence. The commercial showed fake officers at an airport security check, suggesting the real officers were too busy playing the game. Viewers complained after a scene in which a man was told to strip while an officer put on gloves and said "time for the puppet show"; the regulator found the ad irresponsible and offensive.

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The French government has announced plans to encourage young adults, especially those around age 29, to start having children earlier amid fears of a deepening fertility crisis.

Health officials say the move is aimed at preventing future regret, with many people facing fertility problems later in life and wishing they had acted sooner.

The campaign is part of a 16-point plan to boost France’s falling birth rate, a problem affecting many Western countries, including the UK, Sky News reported.

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Russian and Ukrainian delegations wrapped up the opening day of US-brokered peace talks in Geneva, held just one week before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said discussions will continue Wednesday morning, yet the Kremlin’s continued insistence on maximal territorial terms casts doubt on any imminent agreement.

Russian strikes on Ukraine continue on a nightly basis, further damaging the country's already battered power grid as subzero temperatures continue.

Just hours before the delegations met in Geneva, Russia carried out a large combined aerial attack on Ukraine, hitting 12 regions with 400 drones and almost 30 missiles. At least three people were killed, Ukrainian officials said.

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The European Commission has ruled that Meta breached EU rules by blocking rival AI chatbots from accessing WhatsApp and has ordered the company to make “urgent” changes. Meta altered the messaging app on 15 January so that only its own assistant, Meta AI, could use WhatsApp’s interface; regulators say WhatsApp is an “important

entry point” for chatbots such as ChatGPT and that Meta’s move amounts to an abuse of its dominant position.

A Meta spokesperson said the EU had "no reason" to intervene, and claimed it had "incorrectly" assumed WhatsApp Business was a key way that people use chatbots.

"We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance to give themselves an unfair advantage," said Teresa Ribera, the European Commission's competition chief.

The EU will wait for Meta to formally respond to its findings, and depending on the response, it could impose "interim measures" to prevent Meta from causing "serious and irreparable harm to the market".