Moscow (TIP): Britain’s top diplomat urged Russia on February 10 to defuse tensions over Ukraine and take the path of diplomacy even as thousands of Russian troops engaged in sweeping manoeuvres in Belarus as part of a military buildup near Ukraine that has fueled Western fears of an invasion.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned Russia that attacking its neighbour would “have massive consequences and carry severe costs”, urging Moscow to de-escalate the tensions.

Facing Truss across the table, the grim-faced Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov set a stern tone for the talks, emphasising that Moscow won’t accept Western lecturing. — AP

Prince Charles isolating after testing positive for Covid-19

London (TIP): Britain’s Prince Charles has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating, his office said february 10. A message on the royal’s official Twitter page said Charles tested positive on Thursday morning and was “deeply disappointed” not to be able to attend a scheduled visit in Winchester, England. No other details were immediately available.

Charles, 73, met dozens of people during a Wednesday evening reception at the British Museum.

The heir to the throne previously contracted the coronavirus in March 2020. Officials said he had mild COVID-19 symptoms then. Charles and his wife, Camilla, isolated at Queen Elizabeth II’s Balmoral estate in Scotland at the time. Spain’s King Felipe VI, 54, and Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, 81, also tested positive for the coronavirus this week. AP