World

China and the Philippines are accusing each other of ramming their ships in the South China Sea. China fired a water cannon and rammed resupply vessels, the Philippine Coast Guard said. Video from the Philippine Coast Guard shows a Chinese Coast Guard vessel firing the cannon at a much smaller Philippine patrol vessel. But China’s

As the United Nations vote showed last night, Israel still has the backing of its most powerful ally, the United States, and the UK who chose to abstain. However, with 13 of the 15 members of the Security Council voting in favour of a ceasefire, and more than eighty other countries supporting it, the US

Despite overwhelming military superiority, Israel is struggling to develop an effective strategy to tackle the tunnel network under Gaza. This “underworld” has provided Hamas with a degree of sanctuary beyond the gaze of satellites, drones and military forces. How will Israel defeat Hamas without destroying the tunnel network? Please use Chrome browser for a more

Russian President Vladimir Putin will run for office again in 2024. The 71-year-old – whose power has been questioned like never before over the costly war in Ukraine – will be widely expected to win and secure another six years in the Kremlin, taking him to 2030. He made the announcement during a medal ceremony

The data is clear: Gaza’s healthcare system is being pushed to the brink. In just 60 days of war, the number of functioning hospitals has dropped by more than half – from 36 to 15 – because of Israeli strikes and a lack of resources. None of the hospitals in northern Gaza have the capacity

France has ordered a third round of bird flu vaccines for at-risk ducks. Citing “new scientific evidence”, France’s farm ministry said on Wednesday that the shots are to avoid a surge in outbreaks. On Tuesday, Paris raised the risk level of bird flu to high after new cases were detected, forcing poultry farms to keep

After the 7 October attacks, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas. Two months later, what progress has the military made? The air and ground assault in Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has left more than 15,000 people, mostly civilians, dead, according to Gazan health officials. An Israeli military officer, who spoke on condition of

Russian President Vladimir Putin was escorted by four Russian fighter jets on Wednesday as he jetted in to the Gulf on a rare trip abroad. The Kremlin chief’s plane was flanked by Sukhoi-35S fighter jets as he arrived in the UAE earlier, as he looks to shore up support in the Gulf by visiting the

Iran said it has sent a capsule into space carrying animals as it prepares for human missions in the coming years. The capsule was launched 80 miles into orbit, according to a report by the official IRNA news agency that quoted telecommunications minister Isa Zarepour. He said the launch of the 1,000lb (450kg) capsule formed

Benjamin Netanyahu has accused human rights groups of turning a blind eye to rapes that Israel says were committed by Hamas during the 7 October massacre. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister accused the international community of playing down the attacks and even ignoring them. He said he expects “all

Vladimir Putin stood a considerable distance from more than 20 new foreign ambassadors to Russia in scenes reminiscent of the coronavirus pandemic, apparently blaming “sanitary reasons”. At a ceremony in the Kremlin, the Russian president accepted the credentials of the ambassadors, who included Britain’s latest envoy to Russia, Nigel Casey. Mr Putin gave a speech

A bill to ban the single use of disposable e-cigarettes has been approved in France. The country’s national assembly voted on the ban on Monday, with 104 in favour and zero against. Should the bill be adopted by the senate, it could come into effect by September next year. Disposable e-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that

Munich Airport has been forced to close again after being hit by extreme wintry weather, making safe flights “impossible”. Freezing rain hit the German city, forcing the airport to temporarily cancel or postpone all flights on Tuesday morning. It said there would be no take-offs or landings from 6am until midday in its announcement on

Munich Airport has reopened with a severely reduced flight schedule after it was forced to close following a barrage of extreme wintry weather. Freezing rain hit the German city, forcing the airport to temporarily cancel or postpone all flights on Tuesday morning. The airport, which resumed operations at midday, told Sky News a total of

The Israeli military has said its ground offensive is expanding to every part of Gaza as its campaign to oust Hamas continues. Tanks have cut off the road between Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, effectively dividing the Gaza Strip into three, the Reuters news agency reported on Monday. Follow live: Military operations

The director of the Miss Nicaragua beauty pageant is facing conspiracy charges after allegedly rigging events to help anti-government contestants win. Karen Celebertti is wanted for “promoting ‘innocent’ beauty pageants, in a conspiracy orchestrated to convert the contests into traps and political ambushes financed by foreign agents”. She is also charged with money laundering and

Peru has unveiled plans to dramatically increase the number of people allowed to visit Machu Picchu every day. Right now, the number of tourists granted access to the iconic tourist attraction is capped at 3,800 a day. But from January, this will increase to 4,500 a day – with the potential for a further hike

A man has died and another two people have been injured after being attacked in Paris on Saturday evening. The deceased is a German national who was among tourists targeted around the Quai de Grenelle, located about 15 minutes from the Eiffel Tower in the French capital. The suspect was on the French security services

Israel’s determination to completely dismantle Hamas means that takeover of the south is an absolute military necessity. The southern campaign has already started, with air raids in and around the city of Khan Younis fully underway. The problem is that, to all intents and purposes, most of the surviving Gazan population is now crowded into

Israel knew about plans for a Hamas attack on its soil more than a year before the 7 October assault that killed more than a thousand people, according to the New York Times. The paper said officials in Israel had a 40-page battle plan, which they called “Jericho Wall”, which set out a hypothetical attack