World

Emmanuel Macron has refused the resignation of France’s prime minister after the country’s parliamentary election results left the government in limbo. The French president has asked Gabriel Attal to remain in office temporarily “in order to ensure the country’s stability,” Mr Macron’s office said. Follow latest: France braced for ‘instability, political chaos and gridlock’ Mr

Voters have gone to the polls for the second time in France in crucial parliamentary run-off elections that threaten political deadlock. While Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party is expected to win most votes, it faces falling short of a majority. This raises the prospect of a hung parliament, denting the authority of President

Ukraine’s air force has claimed it tricked Russian forces into hitting dummy versions of warplanes and air defence systems. Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said mock-ups were put in place at an airfield near the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih and a district of the Black Sea port of Odesa. He shared a video

Police in Ecuador say 49 kidnapping victims have been rescued from a crime gang in the south of the country. Two suspected kidnappers were arrested during the raid in a mining region in Azuay province. Police said the Los Lobos (The Wolves) crime gang was behind the kidnappings. An earlier statement from the armed forces

Germany has summoned Turkey’s ambassador as the row over a Turkish player’s ultra-nationalist gesture at Euro 2024 grows. UEFA is investigating Merih Demiral for mimicking a wolf’s head with his fingers – a symbol linked to a far-right group known as the Grey Wolves – after scoring against Austria in Leipzig on Tuesday. Turkish President

A German city has shaken off its name and dubbed itself “Swiftkirchen” as it prepares for the arrival of Taylor Swift and many thousands of her adoring fans. The world’s biggest music star is due to play three dates at Gelsenkirchen, near the Dutch border in western Germany, later this month and ahead of her

UEFA has launched an investigation into Turkey’s Merih Demiral for allegedly making a political gesture as he celebrated his country’s Euro 2024 victory over Austria. The 26-year-old defender was the match-winner as he scored both of his side’s goals in a 2-1 win to secure his nation a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament

Vinod Kumar, 36, is inconsolable. He’s just identified the body of his wife and eight-year-old daughter at the district hospital in Hatras.  “My world has crashed, I can’t find my mother, I don’t know where she is. I can’t even find her body. And no one is telling me anything,” he told Sky News. The

This is the story of how an obscure company based in an office block on a quiet street in Glasgow became an accessory in Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. It is the story of how Europe and Russia remain locked in a tense relationship of economic dependence, even as they supposedly cut their ties. It

An Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza has killed dozens of people, including children, local officials say. Israel claimed its military planes were targeting what it says was a “Hamas compound” when they struck the school. Hamas-affiliated media said the airstrike killed at least 39 people, with local health officials saying that included at

Vladimir Putin has warned he could provide long-range weapons to nations to strike Western targets in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory. The Russian president also re-issued Moscow’s readiness to use nuclear weapons if it sees a threat to its sovereignty. During an audience with international journalists

The potential for all-out war between Israel and Lebanon seems to have dramatically moved up a notch – or more – over the past few days. And the Israeli prime minister has done nothing to dissuade that notion – telling his troops on the northern border with Lebanon on Wednesday that they are prepared for

Ecuador’s youngest mayor and an aide were shot dead on Sunday, police in the South American country have said. Brigitte Garcia, 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente, and her communications director Jairo Loor, were found dead in Manabi province, officers said. Police added that the pair had both suffered gunshot wounds and that the gunfire had

The head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency has said it’s “outrageous” Israel will block its aid deliveries to northern Gaza. UNRWA boss Philippe Lazzarini said Israel had told the United Nations that convoys would no longer be approved. It comes after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff of participating in October’s Hamas terror attack. Nine

Russia is holding a day of national mourning following Friday’s concert hall massacre near Moscow, as relatives of the missing face an anxious wait to see if their loved ones survived the gun rampage. Public events have been cancelled and flags are being flown at half-mast following the deadliest attack on the country’s soil in

More than 100 students and staff kidnapped by gunmen from a school in Nigeria more than two weeks ago have been rescued by the army – but many more appear to still be missing. Security forces said they freed 137 hostages in the early hours of Sunday. It comes following a mass abduction in the

Four gunmen are among 11 people arrested following a shooting massacre in a packed Moscow concert hall, according to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Videos broadcast on Russian media appear to show the detention and violent interrogation of the suspects. In one piece of footage a man was marched out of a forest, his face covered

Vladimir Putin has claimed the gunmen behind the Moscow concert hall terror attack attempted to flee to Ukraine in the aftermath of the mass shooting. The allegation, made by the Russian president during an address to the nation, came despite the Islamist terror group Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) claiming responsibility for Friday night’s attack, in

Malaysia has rejected an offer to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games – putting it at risk of being cancelled for the first time since the Second World War. Officials said the Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) offer of £100m in funding was insufficient and they had not been left with enough time to plan. Malaysia, which

Russia has returned five Ukrainian children to Kyiv with thousands still believed to be held by Moscow. A report from Russian news agency TASS said that six children were reunited with their families after mediation at the Qatari embassy in Moscow. Five of the children were sent to Ukraine, and one was returned to relatives