World

Israel’s Supreme Court will today hear a challenge against the government’s judicial reforms that threatens to throw the country into a constitutional crisis. In July, the ruling coalition successfully changed a law removing the power of the Supreme Court to strike down government laws on the grounds of ‘reasonableness’. Israel has no written constitution or

Ethiopia says it has finished filling a reservoir for its controversial hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile river – a project which once prompted Egyptian politicians to discuss military action. Construction of the $4bn (£3.2bn) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam began in 2011 and Ethiopia sees the project as crucial to powering its economic development. “Our

Police in Pakistan have detained ten close relatives of Sara Sharif to try and draw her father out of hiding. Sara, 10, was found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey, last month, prompting UK police to launch a murder investigation. The day before her body was discovered, her father, stepmother and uncle travelled to

Dozens of people have been killed following a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco, officials have said. Many of the fatalities are said to be in hard-to-reach areas south of Marrakech. The earthquake struck late on Friday – damaging buildings in major cities and sending panicked people pouring into the streets. Witnesses in Marrakech told the

French President Emmanuel Macron was booed during the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup. It began when he walked onto the pitch at the Stade de France in Paris. While chants of “Allez Les Bleus” also rang out around the stadium, some of the jeering continued. Image: Emmanuel Macron at the Rugby World Cup

The world is falling well short of the action needed to avoid serious climate disruption from rising temperatures, a major new report has warned. A “global stocktake” compiled by the United Nations ahead of the COP28 climate summit later this year says greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut far faster to have any hope

Elon Musk has sparked a backlash as he admitted his Starlink satellite communications network was not activated near the Crimean coast – effectively thwarting a sneak attack by Ukrainian forces on Russian ships. Ukrainian officials have reacted furiously to claims in a new biography of the tech billionaire which reportedly says the secret order meant

Made with almost 4kg of gold and more than 6,426 diamonds, a new coin has been unveiled in honour of the late Queen – and may be among the most valuable of all time. The creator of the luxury object called The Crown – the East India Company – has valued it at around $23m

Mexico’s Supreme Court has decriminalised abortion nationwide. The decision comes almost two years after the court unanimously ruled that penalising abortion is unconstitutional, in what was hailed a “watershed moment” for all women. That ruling in September 2021 only covered the northern state of Coahuila, where officials declared any woman imprisoned for terminating a pregnancy

Leaders of African nations needing to pay for expensive climate measures have called for a new global tax on polluting industries like fossil fuels, shipping and aviation to help raise funds. The proposal is the culmination of the first ever African Climate Summit, held in Kenya and involving leaders from the continent of 1.3 billion

The body of a young girl has been recovered from the sea off the coast of southern Ireland. A search operation was launched on Tuesday afternoon at Fountainstown Beach, near Crosshaven, in County Cork. The alert was raised at about 4.40pm after reports the child had entered the water. Irish police said the body was

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is “excited to see the memes,” after posting a picture of himself wearing a black eye patch. The chancellor posted a picture of him in the patch that seemed to be covering dark-red bruises on the right side of his face on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The

China’s President Xi Jinping will not attend the G20 summit in India this week as bilateral relations remain icy between the two countries. Relations between China and India have grown frosty over their disputed border in the Himalayan mountain range. China’s foreign ministry said Premier Li Qiang will attend the G20 in President Xi‘s place.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced he will replace his defence minister – marking the biggest political shake-up in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. In his nightly video address to the nation, the Ukrainian president said he would dismiss defence minister Oleksii Reznikov and ask parliament this week to replace him with

Ten days after India’s success in landing the first ever spacecraft on the southern side of the moon, the country has launched ‘Aditya L1’, its first mission to study the sun. The spacecraft was launched on the polar satellite launch vehicle rocket, from Sriharikota on the eastern coast of India at 11.50am local time. According

Ukraine might have thwarted Russian ambitions to subjugate the whole of the country, but it faces a herculean task if it is to expel Russian forces from occupied territories completely. Ukraine remains the David to Russia’s Goliath. It cannot afford to be trapped in an attritional battle that it would struggle to win; instead, it

Two Moroccan tourists on jet skis have reportedly been shot dead after straying into Algerian waters. They were among a group who lost their bearings off the Moroccan town of Saidia on Tuesday. “We were low on fuel for the water scooters and were drifting. In the darkness, we found ourselves in Algerian waters,” Mohamed

Black Sea grain exports are likely to be discussed when Vladimir Putin meets Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks on Monday. The Kremlin confirmed on Friday Mr Putin will entertain his Turkish counterpart in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. Foremost in the discussions will be Black Sea grain exports, Reuters said, quoting two Turkish

Taking aspirin every day could lower the type 2 diabetes risk among people over 65, a study suggests. It found a 15% reduction in the condition and a slower rate of increase in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels – the preferred method for diagnosing diabetes. The results came after a 100mg daily dose was given

The anonymous buyer of the world’s largest bottle of whisky has been revealed as a world-record breaking spirits aficionado in Vietnam. Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan added the 5ft 11in tall bottle, known as The Intrepid, to his collection in Ho Chi Minh City this week. The businessman, who owns a whisky and cognac collection worth