Laura O'Callaghan

Mercenaries, many of them convicts, are playing a key role in the fight for the city

Strikes, staff shortages and a particularly bad flu season have placed immense pressure on service

Parts of Britain's rail network will be brought to a standstill this week as people head back to work

Walkouts over the Christmas period saw hundreds of soldiers drafted in to check passports

Several Taliban members are reportedly among the dead

Nato's chief has urged nations to step up arms production as the war is using up 'massive amounts'

Addressing the spiralling migration crisis will be top of British Prime Minister's agenda in 2023

The diplomat has been made a Dame for her services to UK foreign policy

Ships will have to head to a port as soon as they rescue people, rather than waiting for more migrants in distress

The UK's National Health Services also experiencing soaring staff absences

Several countries including the US, Japan, Italy and India have introduced mandatory tests for Chinese travellers

Kyiv's forces repel Russian drones fired at capital overnight

Migrants continue to cross the Channel but Rishi Sunak can transform his image by staunching the flow

US becomes fifth country to introduce restrictions on passengers arriving from China

Six major international humanitarian groups have suspended operations in response to the policy