World

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said his defence minister will remain in post, despite being sacked two weeks ago. Mr Netanyahu said Yoav Gallant was being removed from his post after he gave a televised statement urging a halt to controversial judicial reforms. The news sparked immediate and dramatic protests, including the temporary

The Dalai Lama has apologised after footage emerged showing him kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck my tongue”. The Buddhist spiritual leader’s office said he wanted to apologise to the boy and his family “for the hurt his words may have caused”. It said the 87-year-old “often teases people

Eight people are feared to be trapped under the rubble of two buildings that collapsed following an explosion in the south of France. TV footage showed clouds of smoke rising from the ruins as firefighters tried to douse the flames in Marseille. Sniffer dogs are searching for victims. The cause of the explosion is not

Nearly 20 military ships – about 10 Chinese and 10 Taiwanese – are involved in a stand-off near the Taiwan Strait’s sensitive median line, Reuters reports. China also conducted simulated attacks on foreign military targets off Taiwan’s southwest coast on Sunday, the agency said, citing a source familiar with the situation. It comes on the

Two British-Israeli sisters who died in a shooting in the West Bank have been named by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. One of the sisters was 15 and the other was 20, according to local media. Their mother was also seriously injured in the attack near the Hamra settlement – about 30 miles north of

China has begun three days of military exercises around Taiwan in retaliation for a meeting between the US House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. A Chinese amphibious landing ship – capable of transporting troops, craft and vehicles – began live-fire drills in the seas facing the Taiwan

Three people have died across Israel and the West Bank in terrorist attacks as violence in the region continues. An Italian tourist, 30, was killed and five others were wounded in a Tel Aviv car ramming attack on Friday, Israeli and Italian officials said. An Israeli security source identified the assailant as an Israeli Arab

Two women killed in a shooting in the West Bank were British nationals, according to a UK official. The women were sisters – one aged 15 and the other in her 20s, according to local media. Their mother was also seriously injured when their car was attacked on Friday near the Hamra settlement, about 30

French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed to Xi Jinping to “bring Russia back to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table” over the Ukraine war. The Chinese leader called for peace talks but he gave no indication that Beijing would use its leverage as President Vladimir Putin‘s diplomatic partner to press for

Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with leukaemia after he was admitted to hospital, Reuters reports. The 86-year-old was being treated in intensive care at Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital on Wednesday after suffering breathing problems. Reuters cited a source who said he had been diagnosed with leukaemia, confirming what was previously reported

A man armed with a hatchet has killed four children after he attacked a nursery in Brazil. At least three others are injured and have been taken to hospital. The man has been arrested in the southern city of Blumenau. Local media reports that the attacker scaled a wall to enter the nursey, named Cantinho

A 68-year-old Spanish actress has revealed how she used her son’s DNA to create a surrogate baby – to fulfil his dying wish to have a child. Ana Obregón said Aless Lequio García’s sperm was preserved before his death from cancer in 2020 – with the intention of conceiving a child with a surrogate mother.

Finland has officially become a member of NATO after concerns over Russia’s aggression. The Kremlin has said it could be forced to take “counter measures” to ensure its own border’s security in response. Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, setting aside years of military nonalignment to seek protection under the organisation’s security umbrella

A senior Islamic state leader who was responsible for planning ISIS attacks into Europe has been killed in Syria by the United States. Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri died in a unilateral strike that did not kill or injure any civilians, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Monday. He was a “senior ISIS

For Donald Trump’s most entrenched supporters, this indictment is simply another cause to rally around. They gather on one side of the bridge that links the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate with Palm Beach, eagerly awaiting the passing of his motorcade on the way to the airport. Some wave Trump 2024 flags, others hold signs saying

Russian officials say they have arrested a suspect over the death of a pro-war military blogger killed in an explosion at a cafe in St Petersburg. Daria Trepova, 26, has been detained following the death of Vladlen Tatarsky in the blast, which took place at a cafe as he held a talk on Sunday, Russia’s

One person has died and at least 16 people have been injured in a blast in a cafe in St Petersburg, Russia. Well-known Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky died in the explosion, the Russian interior ministry said. Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had more than 560,000 followers on Telegram and was one of

Paris is voting on whether to ban rental e-scooters across the city. Self-hire e-scooters were first introduced to the French capital in 2018 as a greener alternative to cars and the public transport network. But an increased number of accidents and “irresponsible use” has seen Mayor Anne Hidalgo call a referendum on whether they should

Women will be prosecuted “without mercy” if they are seen in public without a veil, Iran’s judiciary chief has warned. Following protests in recent months, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Saturday: “Unveiling is tantamount to enmity with [our] values. “Those who commit such anomalous acts will be punished and will be prosecuted without mercy.” He

In the vast windswept cemetery on the outskirts of Dnipro low clouds drift and mist drizzles over the graves of the fallen in this war. There is no noise apart from the flapping of hundreds of Ukraine flags – blue for the sky, yellow for the wheatfields of this farming country. Mounds of freshly dug