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UK Foreign Office expands 'do not travel' list to 31 countries as red alert grows

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for British tourists, with a total of 31 countries now on the 'do not travel' list due to safety and security risks

• 09:40, 22 AUG 2024
• Updated 10:20, 22 AUG 2024

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The UK Foreign Office has issued a stark warning, advising Brits to completely avoid travel to 31 destinations worldwide. These locations have landed on the "no travel" list due to a variety of serious threats.

Out of the near 200 nations globally, these 31 are flagged as no-go zones for UK travellers, where risks span from warfare and terrorism to severe weather phenomena. Officials warn that ignoring this advice and travelling to these high-risk areas will void conventional travel insurance, leaving individuals without any form of protection.

Besides travel advisories, the Foreign Office also offers guidance on entry stipulations, health hazards, and legal disparities experienced in these jurisdictions.

The reasons behind these warnings are multiple conflicts and political unrest lead the list, along with the ever-present danger of terrorist attacks, reports the Express . Natural disasters, including wildfires, tornadoes, and tsunamis, have necessitated numerous travel advisories. For instance, parts of Israel and the regions it occupies are off-limits according to current travel advisories due to ongoing strife.

Listed among the destinations are:

• Belarus - marked as 'do not travel'.
• Kosovo - parts deemed 'all but essential travel' only.
• Russia, Ukraine, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territories, Syria, Yemen, and Burkina Faso - all carrying a 'do not travel' label, with some also having additional caveats against all but essential travel.
• The UK government has issued stern travel warnings for several countries: Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Western Sahara, Haiti, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Myanmar, North Korea, and Pakistan. The advice is either to avoid all travel or limit it to essential journeys only. For some of these nations, the warning applies to significant parts of the country.
• Notably, North Korea's borders remain closed due to Covid-19 .
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Mpox is a global health emergency. Will it cause a lockdown like COVID? Experts say no

Mpox is now considered a global health emergency as cases surge in Central Africa and a new subtype of the virus, which causes severe illness, spreads to multiple countries — prompting concerns about a lockdown over the virus formerly known as monkeypox in the U.S.

Mpox is a highly contagious viral disease, which can cause flu-like symptoms and painful skin lesions. It's caused by the mpox virus, which spreads through close contact.

In response to a growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries in Africa, the World Health Organization on Aug. 14 declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), WHO's highest level of alarm.

This is the second time WHO has declared mpox a PHEIC in two years. The first was in response to a multi-country outbreak in 2022, which sickened nearly 100,000 people, including 32,000 in the U.S., per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Although the risk of the current mpox outbreak spreading to people in the U.S. remains very low, experts say, the resurgence of mpox in multiple countries in Africa has raised alarm among scientists. No cases of the new subtype have been reported in the U.S.

Here's what to know about mpox, where it's spreading, who is at risk, and symptoms to watch for.

What is mpox?

Mpox is caused by the mpox virus, which is in the same family as the virus that causes smallpox, according t o t he CDC .

The virus is split into two clades, I and II. Clade I generally causes more severe disease and deaths, with past outbreaks killing up to 10% of those infected, according to the CDC . Clade I mpox is endemic, or regularly found, in Central Africa.

Clade II, which caused the multi-country outbreak in 2022, tends to be the milder form, Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, an infectious diseases specialist at Yale Medicine, tells TODAY.com.

Clade II is generally more transmissible, but rarely life-threatening. Over 99% of people infected with clade II mpox survive, per the CDC. Clade II mpox is endemic in West Africa.

However, a new subtype of clade I mpox called clade Ib emerged in the DRC in 2023. The new strain, which appears to transmit through sexual networks, has spread rapidly in the DRC and is now being detected in other countries, the WHO said.

Why did WHO declare mpox a global health emergency?

The mpox outbreak in DRC has already spread to at least 12 other countries in the African region, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a release.

In the past month, more than 100 cases of the newer clade 1b mpox were detected in four countries neighboring the DRC, which have never reported mpox before — Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda — officials said.

Shortly before the WHO declaration, the African CDC declared mpox a public health emergency for the continent on Aug. 13.

On Aug. 14, an expert committee advised WHO to consider the upsurge in mpox a global health emergency, with potential to spread further across Africa and potentially outside the continent.

WHO called the emergence of clade Ib mpox and its rapid spread to new countries “especially concerning,” and a “main reason” the agency declared mpox a PHEIC.

“It’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” WHO Chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the declaration .

Where is mpox spreading?

At this time, mpox outbreaks have been reported in 13 countries in Africa. The epicenter is in the DRC, Ogbuagu notes.

Clade I mpox has been reported in the DRC for over a decade. Last year, cases surged — the current mpox outbreak is more widespread than any other outbreak in the DRC, according to the CDC .

The number of mpox cases reported in DRC so far in 2024 already exceeds last year's total, Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, tells TODAY.com .

One day after the WHO declaration, Swedish officials confirmed the first case of clade I mpox ever reported outside Africa. The mpox patient in Sweden became infected while traveling in Africa where the outbreak was occurring, officials said in a statement on Aug. 15 .

On Aug. 16, the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control increased the risk level of clade I mpox for the population of Europe from "very low" to "low."

“Due to the close links between Europe and Africa, we must be prepared for more imported clade I cases," the agency's director, Dr. Pamela Rendi-Wagner, said in a statement.

On Aug. 19, the Philippines reported a new case of mpox, Reuters reported . The patient had no travel history outside the Philippines, and officials are awaiting test results to confirm the strain, the Department of Health told Reuters.

On Aug. 22, Thailand also reported its first case of clade Ib mpox, CNBC reported . The government plans to increase its screening measures at airports with international flights arriving. Anyone with mpox symptoms will be put in quarantine.

One case of clade II mpox was also recently detected in Pakistan, the country's health ministry told Reuters .

However, there are likely more cases, experts say.

"What we're seeing is just tip of the iceberg, so it would not be surprising to see more cases outside of DRC and globally. ... An infection anywhere is potentially an infection everywhere," Anne Rimoin, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health, tells TODAY.com.

"Whether or not we’ll see widespread cases is really to be determined,” Rimoin adds.

Is there mpox in the U.S.?

Clade II mpox, which caused the 2022 epidemic, is still circulating in the U.S. at low levels, the experts note. “It’s down to single digits or maybe a dozen cases a month,” says Kuritzkes. 

There are no known cases of mpox clade I or Ib in the U.S. at this time. “The risk to the general public in the United States from clade I mpox circulating in the DRC is very low,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release on Aug. 14. 

Experts agree that the while it is possible for a person to become infected with clade I mpox in a country where it's spreading and travel back to the U.S., the chances of this happening are slim. 

In a health alert issued on Aug. 7 , the CDC stated that the risk of clade I mpox importation into the U.S. was "very low" due to the limited number of travelers and lack of direct commercial flights from the DRC and its neighboring countries to the U.S.

If clade I mpox is imported, “we expect it would cause lower morbidity and mortality in the United States than in the DRC,” the HHS said.

“It’s unlikely that we would see a major outbreak in the U.S.,” says Kuritzkes, adding that mpox is not airborne or spread as easily as respiratory viruses. “It just doesn’t seem very probable because of the type of close contact required.”

Will mpox cause another lockdown?

When asked about the potential for mpox lockdowns, Kuritzkes says “there would be absolutely no reason to take that kind of measure."

Answering the same question, Rimoin says: "The answer is no. Mpox is not new, like COVID. This is a known virus with tools already available to be able to control it, including vaccines. ... We’ve already brought a global outbreak of (mpox) under control in 2022."

A top WHO official expressed similar sentiments in an Aug. 20 post on X . "Mpox is not the new COVID," regardless of whether it's clade I or clade II, Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said.

However, experts say increased awareness and surveillance of mpox is important. “Especially in the backdrop of what happened in 2022, I think we need to be not exceedingly worried, but concerned,” says Ogbuagu.

“Clinicians (in the U.S.) are on guard for cases that look like monkeypox, and we will institute the appropriate isolation measures and testing, and we’re ramping up vaccinations for people we perceive to be at risk,” Ogbuagu adds.

How does mpox spread?

Mpox mainly spreads through close contact with an infected person or their lesions, scabs, bodily fluids and respiratory secretions. Transmission can occur during sexual activity but also kissing, hugging, touching and non-intimate face-to-face contact, TODAY.com previously reported .

Mpox can also spread to people through close contact with an infected animal (such as rodents), or direct contact with materials contaminated with the virus, such as clothing or sheets.

The global outbreak in 2022 was primarily sexually transmitted among men who have sex with men and close contacts of infected people, says Ogbuagu.

“The epidemiology in Africa is usually different. Mpox is mostly spread through close contact, without sexual activity,” Ogbuagu adds. Much of the spread has occurred within households, often among children and adolescents, the experts note.

However, the new clade Ib strain, which emerged in DRC, is also being spread through sexual networks, including female sex workers and men who have sex with men, NBC News previously reported .

"(Clade Ib) appears to potentially have characteristics that may possibly make it spread more easily, but it's not clear at this point," says Rimoin.

Mpox symptoms

Mpox symptoms typically appear between several days and several weeks after exposure to the virus, per the Cleveland Clinic . These include:

• Muscle aches
• Swollen lymph nodes

These flu-like symptoms often occur before the rash appears, says Ogbuagu. However, some people may only experience a rash.

The mpox rash is typically the most obvious symptom. It goes through several phases before healing, which can take weeks.

The rash often begins as flat, reddish sores which may be painful or itchy. In a few days, these turn into firm, raised bumps, which become fluid-filled blisters and then pustules. These lesions eventually burst and scab over, TODAY.com previously reported .

Lesions usually start on the face and spread to the arms, legs, hands, feet and rest of the body. The sores may also occur on or around the genitals or anus, according to the CDC.

Some people are at higher risk of severe disease, says Kuritzkes. These include people who are immunocompromised, people who have HIV/AIDs, children under the age of 1 and pregnant women.

Mpox treatment

There are no specific treatments or FDA-approved antivirals for mpox. Most healthy people will recover on their own with supportive care, such as pain management and at-home treatment of skin lesions.

However, providers may prescribe other antiviral treatments for more severe cases of mpox or immunocompromised patients, says Kuritzkes. These include tecovirimat (TPOXX) and brincidofovir (Tembexa), which are approved to treat smallpox.

How to prevent mpox

"Prevention is always better than treatment," says Ogbuagu.

There are several ways to lower your risk of contracting mpox and protect others, according to the CDC. These include:

• Avoid close contact with people who have mpox or a rash that looks like mpox.
• Avoid contact with animals that can carry mpox, such as rodents and primates.
• Get two doses of the mpox vaccine if you're at risk.

The mpox vaccine is expected to protect against both clades of mpox, the CDC said . It's recommended for people who have been exposed to mpox or have a higher risk of being exposed.

The CDC has issued a level 2 travel advisory for people traveling to the DRC or neighboring countries, which recommends travelers practice enhanced precautions and seek immediate medical care if they develop a rash.

Caroline Kee is a health reporter at TODAY based in New York City.

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What Documents Do You Need to Travel to Portugal?

Will you be visiting Portugal soon? Are you concerned about the paperwork you require? Having the proper documentation will help streamline your travels and avoid problems at immigration. Being organized is essential, from passports to travel insurance. This guide will help you stay prepared and organized by listing the necessary paperwork for your trip to Portugal. You should have COVID-19 paperwork, a travel eSIM to keep connected, or proof of accommodations. This article delves into the essential paperwork for a hassle-free trip to Portugal.

1. Passport

Your passport is the most important document. Make sure it’s valid for six months beyond your stay. This is standard for international trips. It helps avoid entry and exit issues. Carry a photocopy, too. Keep it separate from the original. It’s handy if you lose your passport.

Depending on your nationality, a visa may be needed. EU and Schengen Area citizens don’t need one for short stays. Others should check their visa requirements. Apply at the Portuguese consulate or embassy in your country well before your trip to avoid last-minute delays.

3. Portugal Travel eSIM

Staying connected is essential. A Portugal travel eSIM ensures reliable internet. There is no need for a physical SIM card. It is convenient and cost-effective. It is great for navigation and communication. It helps you stay in touch and is crucial in emergencies.

4. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is highly recommended. It covers unforeseen events like medical emergencies. Also, trip cancellations and lost luggage. Ensure your policy includes medical coverage. Especially if you plan adventure activities, carry both a physical and digital copy. Easy access if needed.

5. Flight Itinerary

Have a copy of your flight itinerary. Immigration may ask for proof of return travel. Also, useful for reference during your trip. Keep a printed copy and a digital one on your phone. Helps you stay organized and informed.

6. Accommodation Confirmation

Proof of accommodation is another document you might need. This could be a hotel reservation, a rental agreement, or an invitation letter. The letter is needed if you are staying with friends or family. Make sure your accommodation details include the address and contact info. Having this info available can help streamline your entry process.

7. COVID-19 Documentation

Due to the pandemic, travelers might need more documentation. This can include proof of vaccination, a negative test result, or a recovery certificate. Check the latest entry requirements for Portugal before your trip. These regulations can change frequently. Carry both digital and physical copies of any COVID-19 documents to ensure smooth entry.

8. Driver’s License and International Driving Permit

Will you be driving when you’re in Portugal? You require your home driver’s license to be valid. Obtaining an International Driving Permit (IDP) is also a good idea. Your license is translated into multiple languages by the IDP. This is helpful if you rent a car or are stopped by the police. Verify that both your IDP and driver’s license are current.

9. Bank Statements or Proof of Funds

Some travelers may need to show proof of enough funds for their stay. This ensures you can support yourself financially during your trip. Bank statements, credit card statements, or proof of employment can be used. Having these documents provides peace of mind. This helps avoid potential issues with immigration officials.

How to Prepare Your Documents for Travel:

• Organize your documents: Keep all important travel documents together in a folder or travel wallet. This ensures easy access when needed.
• Make copies: Create both physical and digital copies of all documents. Store these separately from the originals to guard against loss or theft.
• Check validity: Ensure all documents are valid for your stay. Renew any that are close to expiring before your trip.
• Stay informed: Follow the latest travel advisories and entry requirements, including any changes due to health or security reasons.
• Use a secure method: Store digital copies of your documents in a secure, cloud-based service. This allows access from anywhere and provides a backup in case of loss.

Cautious planning and ensuring you have all the required documentation are essential while visiting Portugal. Being organized can make your journey easier, from getting your passport and visa processed to using a Portugal travel eSIM for connectivity. Remember to pack your travel insurance, itinerary, confirmation of your lodging, and any necessary COVID-19 paperwork. Possessing these documents gives you the assurance to travel around Portugal and take advantage of everything this stunning nation offers. Happy travels!

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Communiqué - Relaxing of conditions for entering and leaving French territory for travel outside the European area (11 March 2021)

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Five weeks after the introduction of a requirement for compelling reasons to travel outside the European area, these rules have been amended to take account of international developments in the epidemic and add a number of emergency situations which constitute compelling reasons.

In a decree to be published on Friday 12 March, it will no longer be necessary to have a compelling reason to travel to or from Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea or the United Kingdom due to the very wide dissemination of the British variant in France and the specific health situation in those countries.

For travel to and from those countries, other restrictions on movement remain in force: among other things, it is of course still necessary to present a negative PCR test result less than 72 hours before departure. You are particularly advised to check the travel advice website and strongly advised to limit international travel as much as possible.

Secondly, the list of compelling, personal reasons has been extended to include all family relationships and add new situations linked to family separation for:

• married couples and couples in civil partnerships (PACS), where one member lives abroad for professional reasons;
• minors attending school in France whose family home is abroad;
• separated couples with children, one of the couple living in France and the other abroad.

Students taking competitive examinations are also added to the list, as are those returning to their main residence when it is in France. Templates for the exceptional international travel declarations will be updated accordingly.

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How Did Mpox Become a Global Emergency? What’s Next?

The virus is evolving, and the newest version spreads more often through heterosexual populations. Sweden reported the first case outside Africa.

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By Apoorva Mandavilli

Apoorva Mandavilli covered the 2022 mpox outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Faced once again with a rapidly spreading epidemic of mpox, the World Health Organization on Wednesday declared a global health emergency. The last time the W.H.O. made that call was in 2022, when the disease was still called monkeypox.

Ultimately the outbreak affected nearly 100,000 people worldwide, primarily gay and bisexual men, including more than 32,000 in the United States.

The W.H.O.’s decision this time was prompted by an escalating crisis of mpox concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It recently spread to a dozen other African countries. If it is not contained, the virus again may rampage all over the world, experts warned.

On Thursday, Sweden reported the first case of a deadlier form of mpox outside Africa , in a person who had traveled to the continent. “Occasional imported cases like the current one may continue to occur,” the country’s public health agency warned.

“There’s a need for concerted effort by all stakeholders, not only in Africa, but everywhere else,” Dr. Dimie Ogoina, a Nigerian scientist and chair of the W.H.O.’s mpox emergency committee, said on Wednesday.

Congo alone has reported 15,600 mpox cases and 537 deaths, most of them among children under 15, indicating that the nature of the disease and its mode of spread may have changed.

Here’s what to know.

Is this the virus we saw in 2022?

This is a different version of the mpox virus.

Mpox is a close relative of the smallpox virus. There are two main types: Clade I, the version that is dominant in Congo, and Clade II, a form of which caused the 2022 global outbreak. (A clade is a genetically and clinically distinct group of viruses.)

Clade I mpox is generally thought to cause more severe illness and to have a much higher mortality rate, which is one reason the W.H.O. is sounding the alarm now. Officials hope to contain this outbreak before it spreads to other continents.

The infection may resemble an ordinary respiratory illness at first but later blooms into a raised rash in the mouth, hands, feet or genitals. The virus spreads mainly through close contact — directly with the skin or fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated bed linens and other items.

Scientists learned during the 2022 outbreak that mpox can spread even in the absence of symptoms. And the rash may be mistaken for other diseases such as measles or chickenpox, particularly in young children.

Who is getting infected this time?

In the 2022 outbreak, mpox spread globally mainly among gay and bisexual men. Behavioral changes in that community helped to contain the virus, and vaccination at the time, or now, will help protect them.

Until recently, most cases in Congo resulted from consumption of contaminated meat or close contact with infected animals and people. But last year, scientists discovered a new subtype of mpox, Clade Ib, which appears to spread from person to person primarily through heterosexual transmission .

Most cases have been observed in prostitutes, truckers and other transient workers.

“Sex is probably the primary driver, and then the secondary driver is close contact and households,” said Dr. Jay Varma, the chief medical officer at SIGA Technologies, which manufactures tecovirimat, a drug used to treat mpox infection.

As with many other infections, most people with healthy immune systems are unlikely to become severely ill with mpox. Those who have weakened immune systems, including those living with H.I.V., are at highest risk of severe illness and death .

Older adults, who are typically more susceptible to infections, may be at least somewhat protected by their childhood vaccinations for smallpox, which ended in the United States in 1972.

Most of the deaths in Congo have been in children under 15, perhaps because their health may already be compromised by poor medical care, malnutrition and the many other pathogens they face.

Has the outbreak spread to the United States or Europe?

Many countries worldwide, including the United States, have continued to see patients with Clade IIb mpox, the version that caused the 2022 outbreak.

So far this year, there have been about 1,657 cases of mpox in the United States, more than double the number at this time last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Just one case of the more severe Clade I infection has been reported in Europe — in Sweden, in a person who had traveled to Africa. Other so-called “imported” cases seem likely. But experts tend to worry more about community transmission.

“I don’t think the risk right now for Americans is high at all, but what this is telling us is that we have to be vigilant,” said Dr. Trish Perl, an infectious disease physician at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

But previous epidemics, including of mpox, illustrate that an uncontrolled outbreak anywhere in the world may eventually turn up everywhere, Dr. Varma said. Since December, the C.D.C. has twice warned clinicians and the general public to remain alert for signs of mpox.

“I really think it’s only a matter of time before North America, Europe, etc., start to see cases,” he said, referring to the deadlier viral subtype. “Unless we invest in disease control everywhere, we’re going to remain always at risk.”

Will the vaccine still protect against mpox?

Two doses of the mpox vaccine Jynneos should protect against all versions of the virus, experts said.

Jynneos, made by Bavarian Nordic, was used in 2022 in the United States and Europe. The vaccine, initially developed against smallpox, should protect against mpox and all other members of that virus family, said Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an infectious diseases physician at Emory University in Atlanta.

Several studies have shown that antibodies prompted by the Jynneos vaccine wane and may be undetectable within a year. But other research has found that two doses effectively prevent severe illness , Dr. Titanji said.

In the United States, however, fewer than one in four people for whom vaccination was recommended got two doses.

“People were less interested in coming back and getting that second dose, or even starting the course of their vaccination,” Dr. Titanji said. “Maybe we will see an increase in uptick in vaccination, and this will serve as a reminder for people to come in and get vaccinated.”

In 2022, the federal government provided the shots at no cost. Jynneos is now commercially available, and some insurance companies may cover the cost.

For some patients, the shots may prove too expensive , Dr. Perl said. If mpox cases were to escalate, the U.S. government may again make the shots available free of charge, according to a federal official with knowledge of the situation.

Is the U.S. prepared for another bout with mpox?

Yes and no.

Scientists learned a lot about the virus in 2022 and have identified vaccines and treatments. But they do not fully understand how the deadlier virus is spreading in Africa, especially among children, or who is most at risk.

“This is very, very crucial when you think about designing a response strategy,” Dr. Titanji said.

There are few resources allocated to fighting sexually transmitted infections in the United States, said David Harvey, the executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors.

Officials have not solved the problems that hobbled the response in 2022, including poor uptake of the vaccine and “a shockingly underfunded S.T.I. public health system,” Mr. Harvey said.

“Today, we worry about an mpox outbreak,” he added. “We’re already dealing with syphilis, and tomorrow there will be another outbreak of an S.T.I.”

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of U.S. mpox cases so far in 2024. It is 1,657, not 740.

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Apoorva Mandavilli is a reporter focused on science and global health. She was a part of the team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the pandemic. More about Apoorva Mandavilli

Ukraine war latest: Vladimir Putin 'has made decision' on responding to Kursk invasion

Vladimir Putin has "made a decision" and there will be "severe punishment" following Ukraine's incursion into Russia, according to the Russian ambassador to the US. Elsewhere, Russia has been forced to suspend a ferry service to Crimea following a Ukrainian attack.

Friday 23 August 2024 18:44, UK

• Putin has 'made decision' on responding to Kursk invasion
• Russia suspends ferry service to Crimea after Ukrainian attack
• Moscow strengthening offensive towards key strategic hub
• Russian snipers kill prisoners who took hostages at penal colony
• Your questions answered : Is there a larger response to come from Russia over the Kursk invasion?
• Live reporting by Samuel Osborne

We're ending our live coverage of the Ukraine war for now.

We will return with any major developments this evening, but if not we'll be back soon with all the latest updates.

Here is a reminder of today's key events:

• India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war as the two leaders met in Kyiv;
• Russia accused Ukraine of trying to attack a nuclear power plant in an overnight drone attack;
• The Wagner mercenary group has become "increasingly fragmented" in the year since its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and founder Dmitry Utkin were killed in a plane crash, according to the UK Ministry of Defence;
• Germany is investigating suspected drone espionage after drones were flown over several industrial sites;
• Ukrainian forces claimed they have recaptured nearly two square kilometres of territory in the northeastern Kharkiv region;
• Russian snipers killed four prisoners at a penal colony who seized prison guards as hostages and declared allegiance to the Islamic State - all hostages were freed, local media reports said;
• Moscow suspended a ferry service operating between its southern territory and Crimea following a Ukrainian attack.

Russia has reportedly reinforced troops in its push for the key Ukrainian strategic hub of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region.

Although Moscow has been redeploying troops from other regions in Ukraine back to Russia in order to head off a Ukrainian incursion, it has not redeployed troops from its offensive towards the city but has instead reinforced them, according to The Economist.

Russian forces have been pushing towards the key strategic hub for months.

Capturing the city would compromise Kyiv's defensive abilities and supply routes, and bring Russia closer to its stated aim of controlling the entire Donetsk region.

Earlier, our military analyst Sean Bell answered a reader's question on whether there is a response to come from Russia over the Kursk invasion - and he said Moscow might focus on its offensive towards Pokrovsk. 

You can read more on that below...

We brought you reports earlier that prisoners at a Russian penal colony had taken prison staff hostage and killed one person. 

Local news outlets now say snipers from Russia's national guard have killed the four hostage-takers.

The National Guard Service said the inmates were "neutralised" and all hostages freed, the reports said, though the number of hostages was not specified.

Before the inmates were shot, state news agency TASS said four victims were taken to a local hospital, with two of them in serious condition.

Unconfirmed reports on the Telegram messaging app said one or two people had died.

A video filmed by the attackers showed four uniformed officials lying in pools of blood - three of them motionless. Another was sitting upright in a doorway with a knife held to his neck.

One man shouted that they were Islamic State militants and had seized control of the prison in the Volgograd region.

Other videos showed four men pacing about a prison yard where a bloodied prison staff member was being held hostage.

One of the prisoners appeared to have an improvised explosive vest while the others were carrying knives and hammers.

Russian media said the four suspects were citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and three were in jail for drug offences and the fourth for unpremeditated murder.

The United States has added 105 Russian and Chinese firms to a trade restriction list for allegedly supporting the Russian military, ramping up pressure on Moscow's war efforts in Ukraine.

The 63 Russian and 42 Chinese companies, along with 18 from other countries, were targeted for several reasons, from sending US electronics to Russian military-related parties to producing thousands of Shahed-136 drones for Moscow to use in Ukraine.

Being added to the entity list means US suppliers will have to apply for a hard-to-get licence if they want to ship to the targeted companies.

Many of the firms were also given a special designation forcing overseas suppliers to get the same US licences before shipping to the targeted companies.

Russia has accused Ukraine of trying to attack a nuclear power plant in an overnight drone attack.

It is the second time Moscow has made such allegations in two days.

The nuclear plant is located in the Kursk region in western Russia, where fighting has raged since Kyiv's forces launched an incursion into Russian territory.

The Ukrainian defence ministry is yet to comment on the Russian allegation.

Meanwhile the Russian defence ministry said its air defence units had shot down three Ukrainian drones in the region overnight. 

It said it had thwarted Kyiv's attempt to carry out "a terrorist attack" against Russian facilities.

Russian state news agency TASS reported a drone had been shot down near a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at the Kursk power plant.

TASS quoted Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as saying it was an "act of nuclear terrorism" requiring an immediate response from the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi is due to visit the power plant next week and has appealed for maximum restraint in order to avoid a nuclear accident.

The Wagner mercenary group has become "increasingly fragmented" in the year since its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and founder Dmitry Utkin were killed in a plane crash, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

"In comparison to its peak personnel count of around 50,000 in 2023, Wagner now highly likely maintains around 5,000 total personnel across its residual deployments in Belarus and Africa," the MoD said in its latest update.

Prigozhin and Utkin were among 10 killed when their plane crashed north of Moscow one year ago today under mysterious circumstances.

It came two months to the day after the Wagner boss led a short-lived mutiny against Russia's military top brass, mounting the most serious challenge against Vladimir Putin since he came to power in 1999.

The Wagner group was formed of ex-convicts and mercenaries and played a key role on the battlefield in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It has also been active in conflicts in Syria, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Libya.

The MoD also shared a map of the latest battlefield situation in eastern Ukraine:

Germany is investigating suspected drone espionage after drones were flown over several industrial sites.

Yesterday prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into repeated drone flights over critical infrastructure in northern Germany which they said were suspected of spying for sabotage purposes.

The German military's Territorial Command said it had complied with a police request to provide radar data on the suspicious drone flights.

German chemicals group Covestro and Swiss cement maker Holcim are among a group of chemical, energy and logistics companies that have operations in the ChemCoast Park industrial area in Brunsbuttel, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Yesterday German newspaper Bild cited state criminal police saying the drones were likely to have been Russian Orlan-10s, which have a range of 500-600km (310-372 miles) and can fly at over 62mph (100kph).

Germany has been one of Ukraine's biggest suppliers of military aid since Russia invaded in 2022 and has been on increased alert over sabotage activity.

Narendra Modi has urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war.

The Indian prime minister told the Ukrainian president he would act as a "friend" to help bring peace, as the two leaders met in Kyiv.

Mr Modi said he had come to the Ukrainian capital with a message of peace.

"The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy, and we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis," Mr Modi said.

"I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that. I want to assure you as a friend."

Mr Modi said India had not been neutral or a bystander during the conflict and was always on the side of peace.

New Delhi has so far avoided condemning Russia's invasion and Mr Zelenskyy previously criticised Mr Modi for his visit to Moscow in July, chiding him for hugging Vladimir Putin during their meeting.

Readers have been sending in their questions to our senior correspondents and military experts for their take on the changing battlefield environment.

Today, Thomas Heavner asks:

Should the fact that there has been no direct response from Putin militarily regarding the Ukraine incursion into Russia signal a larger more catastrophic response to come from Russia? Or is this just "how they're playing it"?

Military analyst Sean Bell  answers:

When Ukraine first launched its audacious incursion into Russian territory over a fortnight ago, some commentators were concerned that the attack would provoke a swift and ruthless response from Vladimir Putin.  However, over a fortnight into Ukraine's military operation, it now appears that Russia has struggled to develop a coherent response, and Ukraine maintains the initiative.

The Ukrainian operation appears to have been well planned, and Ukraine has capitalised on its initial success by reinforcing its forces and pushing deeper into Russia.  Although Ukraine has not declared the objectives of this dynamic operation, it appears that Volodymyr Zelenskyy  was seeking to seize the initiative, bolster Ukrainian morale, and provoke a military response from Russia that would relieve pressure on an embattled Ukrainian frontline in the Donbas.   

Mr Putin was clearly frustrated at the Ukrainian incursion, but a ruthless Russian military response was only one option. Ukraine is short of military capability - soldiers and weapons - and it appears that they have deployed up to 10,000 soldiers (probably battle-hardened) into Russian territory. This "fixes" these Ukrainian forces well away from the frontline Russian action in the Donbas. 

Mr Putin knows that progress on the frontline will slow when winter arrives, so his forces have perhaps 10 to 12 weeks remaining to achieve the objectives of his so-called Special Military Operation. By focusing on Russian main effort in the Donbas, Mr Putin knows that Ukraine has diluted the forces available to resist the Russian assault towards Pokrovsk, which might enable greater progress in the limited time available.   

Once Russia's objectives in the Donbas have been achieved, Mr Putin might consider that he can address the Kursk incursion in slower time.

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