World

Sweden’s prime minister says planned attacks against his country have been averted, as the security service raised the terror threat level to its second highest. The move to increase it from three to four, with five being the maximum, means there is a “high threat” of an attack. The Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson told a

The world’s longest rail tunnel has closed for repairs after a freight train derailed – and it is not expected to open for months. The Gotthard railway tunnel in Switzerland will be shut until the end of 2023, much longer than was initially anticipated. The 16 cars that derailed last Thursday caused considerable damage to

Donald Trump’s election interference trial could start a day before a key date in the Republican primaries, according to court documents. The prosecutor in Atlanta, Georgia, leading the election interference case against the former US president and 18 others has requested to start the high-profile trial on 4 March. Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis

Being in possession of small amounts of cannabis is on its way to becoming legal in Germany after the country’s cabinet approved a plan to begin decriminalising the drug. A bill that lets people have 25 grams (nearly one ounce) of cannabis for recreational purposes, grow up to three plants, or acquire marijuana at “cannabis

England will thrive playing Australia in front of more than 70,000 fans in Sydney in their World Cup semi-final, captain Millie Bright has said. Far from being intimidated, Bright sees the prospect of a raucous, sell-out crowd in Stadium Australia as a sign of welcome progress for women’s football. She said: “That is what we

There was no prior suggestion that today’s set of economic data would be any different in make up than previous months; indeed figures for retail sales, industrial production and employment were all there as expected. But there was one set of data notably missing, and it was one that many observers had been specifically looking

For the firefighters on Maui, it’s been a grim and gruelling week and they are still tackling new outbreaks of fire, sparked from smouldering wreckage. I find several of them chatting at the side of the road. They say they’re not permitted to speak on camera but tell me that on Tuesday afternoon when fires

Georgia state prosecutors are set to bring charges including conspiracy to commit forgery against Donald Trump, Reuters reports. The charges appeared on a document posted to the Fulton County court website on Monday – but it was later taken down. Other charges listed were violation of the state’s RICO act, and solicitation of violation of

A passenger has been arrested after a flight from Australia to Malaysia was flown back to Sydney in what police called an “emergency incident”. The Airbus A330 plane returned to Sydney Airport after more than three hours into its eight-hour journey to Kuala Lumpur due to a “disruptive passenger”, Malaysia Airlines said. The incident involving

Sicily’s Mount Etna has erupted, sending ash and lava high over the Mediterranean island, forcing flights to be suspended and leaving tourists facing holiday disruption. The Italian volcano, which at 3,330m (10,925 ft) high is Europe’s tallest and most active, began erupting overnight, officials said. Although the lava flow subsided before dawn, ash was still

Russian experts monitoring their moon-bound unmanned spacecraft Luna-25 have switched on its scientific equipment and started processing the first data. Russia is aiming to become the first country to carry out a soft landing on the lunar south pole – a region thought to hold pockets of water ice. Space agency Roscosmos said in a

The political party of Ecuador’s assassinated presidential hopeful, Fernando Villavicencio, has picked his replacement just a week before the election. Mr Villavicencio, 59, an ex-lawmaker and journalist with a track record of exposing corruption, was shot dead last week after leaving a campaign event in the capital Quito despite his own government-provided security detail. His

Vladimir Putin is the man who brought war back to Europe, by sending his tanks into Ukraine on 24 February last year. Little is known about the murky workings of the Kremlin and of Mr Putin’s state of mind – to his citizens, he is both “the old man” and the symbol of Russia. To

Hawaiian residents heard no emergency warnings before this week’s deadly wildfires. Official records show Hawaii‘s emergency sirens – part of the world’s largest outdoor public safety system – failed to trigger on Tuesday before the devastating blaze in the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. Survivors said they did not hear any

Further evacuations are being considered in Norway as flood waters continue to swamp houses and coat cars with mud in the south east of the Nordic country. Up to 2,000 people have already been moved away from their homes after days of torrential rain. Water levels in swollen rivers and lakes continue to grow. At

Catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii were sparked by a “worst case scenario” and are part of a global increase in extreme fires, experts say. The disastrous flames on the island of Maui have claimed the lives of more than 50 people and destroyed swathes of highly flammable landscape. It’s being called the “largest natural disaster” in

Russia has launched its first moon mission in almost 50 years. A rocket carrying a lunar landing craft blasted off from the Vostochny spaceport in the far eastern Amur region. Russia launches lunar spacecraft – war latest It’s expected to reach its destination on 23 August, the same day as an Indian vessel that launched

Joe Biden has declared Hawaii a disaster area, clearing the way for federal aid to help Maui residents and businesses recover from devastating wildfires. It comes after at least 36 people died due to wildfires driven by a dry summer and strong winds in the historic town of Lahaina. President Biden expressed deep condolences for

Malaysia’s government says it is banning all Swatch products that contain lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer elements. Watches, wrappers and boxes are banned, with authorities warning anyone found with one promoting LGBTQ rights could be jailed or fined. Same-sex relationships in Malaysia, which is predominantly Muslim, are illegal. Punishments range from caning under Islamic

Cats in Cyprus are being given human COVID-19 medicine in an effort to slow the spread of a feline mutation of the virus that has left thousands of animals dead on the island. Cats began getting the medicine on Tuesday, which coincidentally was International Cat Day. Speaking to The Guardian, Christodoulos Pipis, the government’s veterinary