World

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

China’s coal fired power plants are not always as ugly as you might think. Some are set in locations surrounded by green hills and lush farmland, thick chimneys are euphemistically painted with blue skies and bucolic scenes. But China’s addiction to coal is still a dirty business and it’s the locals who bear the brunt.

The Israeli military has published a map that it says advises Gazans of safe evacuation zones – as its fighter jets resumed striking targets in the densely populated strip of land. “This divides the territory of the Gaza Strip into areas according to recognisable areas to enable the residents of Gaza to orient themselves and

Israel’s military has resumed combat in Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating the seven-day truce. A spokesperson for Israel Defence Forces said: “Hamas violated the operational pause and in addition fired toward Israeli territory.” The military said its fighter jets are currently striking Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said multiple

Nepal has become the first South Asian country to register a same-sex marriage. Ram Bahadur (Maya) Gurung, a 36-year-old transgender female who has not changed her gender on official documents, and Surendra Pandey, 26, who was born and identifies as male, had their marriage certified at the Dordi rural municipality office in west Nepal on

The man running COP28 has denied claims the UAE wanted to use the conference to strike new oil and gas deals. The opening of COP28 in Dubai tomorrow risked being overshadowed after leaked documents suggested the Emirates planned to use meetings with other countries to promote trade with it national oil and gas companies. But

Barring any more breaches of the ceasefire, the Gaza truce should hold for at least two days. There are thought to be enough women and children hostages in Gaza for Hamas to eke out another two after that. The Americans are reportedly hoping for a longer one that could start seeing men being let out

The gleaming Etihad Boeing 777 they stepped into could not have made for a more stark contrast from the apocalyptic scene they’ve left behind in Gaza. And they emerged into the cabin lights looking mostly dazed. One elderly woman hugged the first female cabin crew member she saw. She had plenty of reason to be

China has said its outbreak of a respiratory illness stems from the flu and other known pathogens – while questions about its origins rise. A spokesperson from China’s National Health Commission said clusters of respiratory infections across the country are caused by an overlap of common viruses. They cited the influenza virus, rhinoviruses, the respiratory