World

Access to Instagram was blocked in Turkey on Friday, in the latest example of a clampdown on websites in the country. The bar on access was in response to Instagram removing posts from Turkish users expressing condolences over the killing of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh, it has been reported. The Information and Communication Technologies

The family of a teacher not included in a landmark prisoner swap between Russia and the West have demanded “immediate action” from US President Joe Biden. Some two dozen people from countries including Russia, the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus were involved in the biggest exchange between the West and Moscow since the

An American woman found chained to a tree in a forest in India said she had been tied there by her husband and left for “40 days without food”.  Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was emaciated and unable to speak when she was found by rescuers in the Sindhudurg district, about 290 miles south of Mumbai.

A boxer who was previously banned from competing in the world championships because she failed testosterone and gender eligibility tests has won her opening Olympic bout after her opponent quit. Algeria’s Imane Khelif won in just 46 seconds after the Italian Angela Carini quit in the 66kg category. The pair had only a few punch

The body of one of Hezbollah’s most senior commanders has been found in rubble in the southern Beirut suburb attacked by Israel, two Lebanese security sources said, Reuters reports. Hezbollah previously refused to confirm Israel’s claim that it had killed Fuad Shukr, described as ‘the right-hand man’ of their leader Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday night.

US vice president Kamala Harris is now the only candidate seeking the presidential nomination, after a deadline passed with no one else qualifying. Some 99% of delegates signed Ms Harris’s nominating petition, according to the Democratic National Committee. It cements her position as the Democratic frontrunner for the 5 November election after President Joe Biden

The Israeli military targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in retaliatory strikes in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces claimed the commander of the armed group was “responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams” – referring to the strike on a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights

Greece has banned the movement of goats and sheep from their farms to combat a deadly outbreak of “goat plague”. The minister of agriculture and rural development, Costas Tsiaras, announced the ban on the commercial slaughter of goats and sheep as well as movement for reproduction throughout the country. The move expanded measures already in

Hundreds of ardent Hezbollah supporters gathered in Beirut late Sunday afternoon amid promises of revenge attacks from a range of Israeli politicians, who blame the Lebanese group for the massacre of young football players in the Golan. “We don’t fear death,” one Hezbollah loyalist told us. “We don’t care even if we all die. We

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has won a third term, the country’s electoral authority has said – despite several exit polls which had pointed to an opposition win. The head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, said Mr Maduro had secured 51% of the vote, beating his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez, who won 44%. He said

Lebanon is once again on tenterhooks. Indeed, the whole region is. And there are very few who will bet against yet more bloodshed in the coming days and weeks. But will Saturday’s deadly strike on a football pitch in the occupied Golan Heights be what tips the region into all-out war? Middle East latest: ‘All-out

The Israeli military says it has struck Hezbollah targets “deep inside” Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon. “Overnight, the IAF struck a series of Hezbollah terror targets both deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon, including weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure in the areas of Chabriha, Borj El Chmali, and Beqaa, Kfarkela, Rab El

A massive wildfire in California is spreading rapidly at a rate of eight square miles an hour, threatening thousands of homes and forcing people to flee. More than 130 homes have already been destroyed by the Park Fire, the state’s largest wildfire of the year so far, which covered 480sq miles (1,243sq km) on Friday

When it comes to artistic swimming, Russia is an Olympic powerhouse. The national team has won every single event – team and duet – for the last six games in a row. But they won’t be taking any gold medals home from Paris. As a nation, Russia has been banned following its invasion of Ukraine.

It may be the smallest planet in the solar system but Mercury could be hiding a big secret.  A layer of diamond beneath the crust of Mercury could be up to 10 miles (18km) thick, new research suggests. Scientists from China and Belgium used data collected by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft between 2004 and 2015 to

At least 25 people have been killed in landslides and massive flooding after a typhoon swept through Taiwan and worsened monsoon rains in the Philippines. A Tanzania-flagged freighter has sunk off the southern coast of Taiwan in the storm, with its nine crew members now missing. Searches are ongoing for the crew, who are all

Russian authorities are investigating a suspected car bomb attack in Moscow that left two people injured, following conflicting reports a military official was targeted. Footage of the blast, posted on Telegram, appears to show a man and a woman getting into a vehicle before it suddenly explodes. Initial reports in state media outlets named the

If Russia keeps up its attacks on Ukraine, it will likely take five years for its forces to “grind their way” to a minimum goal of fully capturing just four regions at a loss of up to 1.8 million soldiers, dead and wounded, the new head of the British army has said. General Sir Roly

Police in Paris have said they are investigating the alleged “gang rape” of an Australian woman. The 25-year-old was said to have been allegedly attacked before midnight on 19 July or in the early hours of 20 July. Paris prosecutor’s office said an investigation has been launched into the possible gang rape. It said the

The director of the Secret Service says the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was the “most significant operational failure” in decades. Ms Cheatle told the House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee she took “full responsibility for any security lapse”. The shooting at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounded Trump’s right ear, killed