World

As early as tonight, President Joe Biden will authorise US military action in the Middle East. It is likely to be one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency. At stake, the credibility of American deterrence and the teetering stability of the region. Middle East latest: ‘Drone mix-up’ led to deadly attack on US

Japan’s SLIM spacecraft has regained power more than a week after it ran out of electricity after landing on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it re-established communication with its lander late on Sunday, nine days after Japan became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon. The Smart Lander

Ukraine would win the war faster if it had permission to fire British and other Western weapons against targets deep inside Russia, the head of the Ukrainian navy has signalled. Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa told Sky News the course of the entire conflict would have been very different had Ukrainian forces been allowed to use

Donald Trump has been ordered to pay $83.3m in a defamation case to a woman who accused him of sexual assault – with the former US president saying her allegation was a lie. The court said Trump should pay $18.3m (£14.4m) in compensation and $65m (£51m) in punitive damages to E Jean Carroll. Trump posted

An oil tanker is on fire in the Red Sea after a missile attack by Houthi fighters. In a statement, the ship’s owner Trafigura, which has offices in Britain, said firefighting equipment on board was being deployed to control the flames and the safety of the crew is its “foremost priority”. A spokesperson for the

Donald Trump gave evidence for just three minutes on Thursday in a defamation trial to determine how much he may owe a writer for calling her a liar after she accused him in 2019 of rape. E Jean Carroll, 80, is seeking more than $10m (£7.87m) in damages over his denials when he was US

Japan’s moon lander touched down with “pinpoint” precision, its space agency has said, after the country become the fifth in the world to successfully reach lunar soil. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), also known as the “moon sniper”, landed within 100m (328ft) of its target, out-striping conventional accuracy targets, it was announced on

Turkey’s parliament has approved Sweden’s application to join NATO – lifting a key barrier to its entry into the military alliance. The decision means Hungary is the only NATO member yet to ratify Sweden’s application after 20 months of delays. Sweden’s membership would enhance the military alliance’s defences in the Baltic Sea region facing Russia.

The children of dozens of same-sex couples in Italy could see the name of their non-biological parent removed from their birth certificates, an ongoing trial may soon rule. Last June, a state prosecutor in Padua, northern Italy, demanded the cancellation of 33 birth certificates issued to the children of same-sex couples in the city since

A 19th-century dispute, which has gone through decades of court procedures, has finally culminated in the Ram Temple. Consecrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this temple site is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of the most revered gods in the Hindu pantheon. The city of Ayodhya in India’s most populous state

Today we launch a new show – The World with me, Yalda Hakim. From Monday to Thursday, between 9pm and 10pm, we’ll be sharing with you the most important stories of our times – exploring not just the headlines of the day but also what’s happening behind them. And what a time to be launching

A cat has died in Russia after being thrown from a train by its conductor. The ginger and white cat, Twix, was travelling with its owners when it escaped from its crate and a female member of staff threw it from the carriage, according to local media reports. She is believed to have mistaken it

Coventry City midfielder Kasey Palmer has said he “feels like things will never change” after alleged racist abuse was aimed at him in the closing stages of their 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Palmer, 27, was seen going to retrieve the ball from behind the goal, before sharply turning away and motioning towards match referee

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of not telling the truth about the key military aim of defeating Hamas by a member of the country’s war cabinet. Former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, whose son was killed fighting in Gaza, also cast doubt over the strategy for releasing hostages and said there was “no

Warfare is a brutal and unforgiving undertaking.  However, the primary responsibility of any government is the protection of its people and its national interests, so military capability is a cornerstone of national capability. But, military forces provide options and are a means to an end – not an end in itself – and when all

An aircraft hangar and fuselage have been hired by the Home Office for security officials to practise forcing asylum seekers on to deportation flights to Rwanda, it has been reported. Guards have undergone special training programmes to deal with “disruptive” people, according to The Times. This includes individuals resorting to violence to prevent being put

Japan hopes it is about to join an exclusive club of just four other nations that have successfully executed a “soft” landing on the moon. Its garden shed-sized Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, isn’t the biggest, or most ambitious robotic mission to our satellite – but it’s bidding to be the most precise

A bobsleigh team from Tunisia is preparing for its own Cool Runnings moment after qualifying for the Winter Olympics. The squad from the North African country is going for glory at the Youth Winter Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea. Joanthan Lourimi, 17, Sophie Ghorbal and Beya Mokrani, both 15, will compete separately in the monobob

Standing on the hill overlooking the eruption site, it’s clear how perilously close it is to the Icelandic town of Grindavik. A search and rescue team going into the exclusion zone, past the Blue Lagoon spa and towards the evacuated town, can see the fire fountains spouting molten rock and lava sweeping towards people’s homes

Lava has flowed into the evacuated Icelandic town of Grindavik after a volcano blasted orange smoke into the night sky and spewed molten rock from the Reykjanes peninsula. A fissure has bypassed barriers that were put in place to protect the town – with the country’s prime minister calling it a “very serious situation” and