NEWS HUB

  A colourised version of this satellite image captures infrared radiation from the burning of gas at the Portovaya plant Satellite images of a fuel plant in north-west Russia show huge amounts of gas being burned off into the air, analysts tell the BBC. The liquified natural gas (LNG) complex is thought to be burning unused fuel that would have normally been sold to Germany, Western countries have been trying to reduce the amount of Russian energy they use to end their dependence on Moscow. But left with too much unsellable gas, it now appears that Russian operators have simply decided to burn it into the air - prompting environmental concerns too. "I've never seen an LNG [liquefied natural gas] plant flare so much," satellite expert Dr Jessica McCarty told the BBC. Read the full report from our environment correspondent Matt McGrath. While Russia burns through its gas,  fuel prices in Europe are skyrocketing, including in the UK . Will the world be able to cope without ...

  Russia's  plan to expand its armed forces  is unlikely to have an impact on the Ukraine war, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said. Vladimir Putin recently signed a decree to increase the Russian armed forces' military personnel to more than 1.15m - a potential increase of 137,000. But the MoD said the boost was unlikely to increase Russia's combat power - partly because of ongoing losses. President Putin's decree came amid a military recruitment drive. There have been reports that recruiters have even been visiting prisons, promising inmates freedom and money. Currently, Russia has a limit of just over a million military personnel, plus almost 900,000 civilian staff. In one of its regular updates on the war , the UK ministry said it was not clear if the planned increase would be achieved by recruiting more volunteers - or by increasing conscription. But any increase was unlikely to have an impact in Ukraine given that: Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops,...