World

Israel claims it has captured a senior Hezbollah operative after conducting a seaborne raid in northern Lebanon early on Friday. The “special operation” in the coastal town of Batroun marks the first time Israel has acknowledged deploying troops that far north during its current campaign against Hezbollah. “The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory

Moscow has warned the US it should take Russia’s nuclear warnings seriously to avoid World War Three. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and who served as the country’s president from 2008 to 2012, warned the US on Saturday it was “wrong” to believe “that the Russians will never cross a certain line”.

India has officially protested against the Canadian government’s allegation linking President Modi’s right-hand man to alleged plots against Sikh separatists.  Relations between the two countries have been tense for more than a year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations the Indian government had links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep

The King and Queen have said they are “utterly heartbroken” by the loss of life in Spain, where the number of people killed by floods has reached at least 211. King Charles wrote to Spain’s King Felipe offering his condolences for the “tragic loss of so many lives” following what has been described as Spain’s

The world’s largest captive crocodile has died in Australia. He was thought to be more than 110 years old. Cassius, the 5.48m (18ft) reptile, also weighed over a ton. Image: Pic: Reuters He had lived in a wildlife sanctuary on Green Island near the Queensland tourist town of Cairns in Australia for more than 37

“We sat in the yard from 8am to 5pm under the sun with no water or food.” Sixteen-year-old Mohammed* was separated from his mother by Israeli forces as his family tried to flee northern Gaza. Mohammed’s mother was taken to a “sandy pit” with other women and children and sat in the heat for hours

Google has reportedly racked up a fine of more than two undecillion rubles – two followed by 36 zeros – after it removed state-run and pro-government accounts from YouTube. Put another way, an undecillion is a trillion times a trillion times a trillion. The fine is far greater than the world’s total GDP, estimated at

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister has said he hopes a ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel will be announced “within hours”. Najib Mikati made the comments after speaking to US envoy Amos Hochstein. According to Israeli broadcaster Kan, which published details of Lebanon’s proposed draft, it would see Israeli forces pull out within seven days of

England rugby star Joe Marler has caused controversy after branding New Zealand’s pre-match haka “ridiculous” and saying it “needs binning”. The 34-year-old prop deactivated his X account following his comments over the All Blacks’ tradition – before later returning to social media and claiming he was “just having a bit of fun”. England are set

Russia is carrying out a new nuclear training exercise, President Vladimir Putin has said. Speaking to military leaders by video call, Mr Putin declared there would be “another exercise of strategic deterrence forces” on Tuesday – two weeks after the last. The previous drill took place on 18 October in Tver, northwest of Moscow, using

Multiple people are believed to be trapped after a 10-storey hotel building collapsed in Argentina. Rescue teams are currently working to remove debris after part of the Dubrovnik hotel in the coastal city of Villa Gesell, in Buenos Aires province, collapsed at around 1am local time, the local council said. Between seven and nine people,

Police in Australia are hunting for vandals who have destroyed nearly 200 trees and shrubs, including some “very rare” species. The plants were either ripped out of the ground or snapped or cut at the base with a hand saw, according to Glen Eira City Council, a suburb in the southeast of Melbourne. The council

Volkswagen is planning to shut at least three factories in Germany and lay off tens of thousands of staff. Its remaining plants in Germany are also set to be downsized, according to the head of the company’s works council Daniela Cavallo. Europe’s biggest carmaker has spent weeks negotiating with unions over its plans to revamp

Police in Shanghai have been targeting Halloween celebrations, seemingly due to costumes considered politically sensitive. At least half a dozen people in costumes in the city’s Zhongshan Park were seen being led away by officers on Friday night. Although there has been no official notice banning Halloween, local officials appear to be trying to prevent

An evocation of Nazism? Of course it was, and of course it wasn’t. Like everything else in this election, the narrative cuts both ways. Madison Square Garden is the iconic venue in New York City for spectacle. It’s a stage for the big event and lends cachet to a candidate closing out his campaign, no doubt.

A shock parliamentary election result in Japan has left the country in political limbo, after its ruling coalition suffered a rare defeat with no party winning enough seats to be given a clear mandate to lead. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito secured 215 seats in the

The dusty corridors, broken windows, and locked doors of the apartment block in central Beirut are testament to Lebanon’s ongoing economic disaster. But this relic of one crisis has been repurposed for the latest. Hundreds of people fleeing Israeli bombing in the south of the country have come here – and taken over the building.

Georgia’s ruling party has won the country’s general election, beating its pro-EU and pro-Western opposition. The Central Election Commission (CEC) said the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has been in power for 12 years, had won 54% of the vote with more than 99% of precincts counted. Both Georgian Dream and the opposition blocs trying

Iran’s president has warned against further attacks on his country after Israel targeted military sites in pre-dawn airstrikes on Saturday. In a statement on X, Masoud Pezeshkian gave his condolences to the families of the four people killed in the attacks and said Iran would continue to defend itself. “Enemies of Iran should know these

Donald Trump’s “obvious mental decline” and “history as a convicted felon” should be enough reason for Americans not to vote for him, Michelle Obama has said. Speaking at a rally for Kamala Harris, the former first lady said she was “angry” at the “indifference” towards the Republican candidate’s behaviour. “I hope you’ll forgive me if