World

A remote region in Australia’s outback has been hit by “one-in-100-year” floods which have forced military aircraft to evacuate residents. The crisis in Western Australia’s Kimberley region was sparked last week by former tropical cyclone Ellie, which brought a year’s worth of rain to some areas in a matter of days. Military aircraft helped airlift

Brazilian President Lula da Silva has said rioters will be found and punished with the “full force of the law” after supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro invaded the country’s presidential palace, Congress, Supreme Court and ministries’ building. Footage and images on social media show what looked like thousands of people, many draped in

Two men have been hanged for allegedly killing a paramilitary volunteer during protests, Iranian authorities have said. They were named as Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini, meaning four men are known to have been put to death since anti-government demonstrations started in September. All have had quick, closed-door trials that Western governments and human

Italy knew that Gianluca Vialli was dying, but still his loss has shaken this country profoundly. He was more than just a footballer – he was a cultural figure whose passion for his sport, his country and the sanctity of life came before him. “Gone too soon,” bemoaned the sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, which

Gunfights have broken out in the capital of Mexico’s Sinaloa state after security forces captured one of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s sons, who is wanted by the US on drug trafficking charges. Defence Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Army and National Guard personnel captured 32-year-old Ovidio Guzman in a pre-dawn operation in Culiacan. Three years

More than 40% of Earth’s glacial mass could disappear if humanity keeps investing in fossil fuels, warns a stark new projection. The bleak scenario would mean more than two thirds of the total number of glaciers would vanish by the end of the century, contributing to ever-increasing sea levels around the world. Lead researcher David

In the forest and snowed-over swamps of Ukraine’s 621-mile border with Belarus is a territorial defence unit gearing up for the worst. The 100th Brigade is mostly made up of volunteers – some teachers, plumbers, builders – who have enlisted to fortify the edges of the Volynska region and prepare against another Russian invasion from

The landscape around the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut has come to resemble a First World War battlefield, the ground carved up by artillery and cut with networks of trenches. For months, Russian forces including Wagner Group mercenaries have relentlessly attacked the city as they pursue full control of the Donbas region, but to no avail.

Japan is set to offer families up to £6,394 per child to move out of Tokyo as part of efforts to combat population concentration in the capital. The Japanese government believes creating more balance between those living in urban and rural areas will improve the economy. Although it has slightly declined in recent years, Tokyo’s

Scores of Russian soldiers were killed in a missile strike in the occupied Donetsk region in one of the deadliest attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago. Exactly how many soldiers died is disputed by the two sides: Ukraine claims as many as 400 Russians were killed, while

Australia is reviewing its entire visa and immigration system in an all-out effort to rapidly increase its workforce.  The review is due to come out in February. Since slamming its borders shut during COVID, the country has struggled to find enough skilled and unskilled workers to fill jobs and drive the economy. After Canada, Australia

The major events which come define a year, or even a decade, are seldom predicted. Nobody foresaw the 9/11 attacks on the US in 2001 which then swamped the leaderships of Tony Blair and George W Bush. This time a year ago most experts doubted that Russia would go ahead with the vicious attack on

World leaders and King Charles have paid tribute to former pope Benedict XVI following his death at the age of 95. The Vatican announced the former pontiff – who was the first to resign in some 600 years – had died on Saturday morning. Pope Francis, who succeeded Benedict in 2013, described him as “kind”

Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant is facing the prospect of a lengthy injury spell after a horror car crash that forced him to punch his way out of the vehicle when it burst into flames. Police in the northern state of Uttarakhand said the wicketkeeper-batsman told officers he had “dozed off” while at the wheel

Brazil has entered three days of mourning following the death of football superstar Pele. The 82-year-old – the only man to win the World Cup three times as a player – died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. A 24-hour wake will be held on Monday in the centre of the field at

A cough syrup manufactured in India has been linked to the deaths of 18 children.  Uzbekistan’s health ministry said on Wednesday that at least 18 children in the country died after consuming Doc-1 Max syrup, manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech. The manufacturer has stopped production of its cough syrup in response. The company’s

Russia’s foreign minister has rejected Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “peace formula” as a basis for negotiations. According to a report by Russian news agency RIA, Sergei Lavrov believes Ukraine is still not ready for real peace talks. Mr Lavrov also told RIA that Ukraine’s aim of driving Russia out of eastern Ukraine and Crimea with Western help

China is preparing to issue ordinary passports and visas in a huge step away from COVID measures that have isolated the country for nearly three years – as Hong Kong announced people who test positive for coronavirus will no longer have to quarantine. Beijing’s announcement means millions of Chinese people could go abroad for next

Serbian security forces on the border with Kosovo have been placed on a state of “full combat readiness”. The order was given by Serbia’s interior minister Bratislav Gasic, who said he was acting on instructions from President Aleksandar Vucic so that “all measures be taken to protect the Serbian people in Kosovo”. Kosovo has not

China has launched its largest incursion yet into Taiwan’s air defence zone, the Taiwanese government has said. More than 70 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, entered the zone in the past 24 hours, and 43 of them briefly crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line. The median line is an unofficial buffer between the