World

Donald Trump has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of “kissing Xi Jinping’s a**” during his recent visit to Beijing. Mr Macron held talks with his Chinese counterpart last week in the hope of convincing him to use his relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday,

A space mission with a name like no other is about to embark on a journey to find alien life on the moons of Jupiter. Juice (that’s short for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) is a European Space Agency (ESA) venture to make unprecedentedly detailed observations of the gas giant. It will include searching its icy

The head of Mexico’s immigration agency will face criminal charges for a fire that killed 40 migrants in a locked cell at a detention centre near the border with the US. In a statement, the federal Attorney General’s Office said National Immigration Institute head Francisco Garduno was criminally remiss in not preventing the fire, despite

The Ministry of Defence has refused to deny UK special forces have been operating in Ukraine after US classified military documents were allegedly leaked and published online. The claims have been widely reported after the documents were shared on Twitter and Telegram. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson has warned against taking allegations contained in the

Alibaba has become the latest Chinese technology giant to unveil its own ChatGPT-like AI model. Tongyi Qianwen, which translates to “truth from a thousand questions”, will be added to the firm’s existing apps, including workplace messaging and a voice assistant. Like OpenAI’s GPT tech, which has been added to websites from Microsoft’s Bing to travel

Germany is on course to shut down its three remaining nuclear power plants on Saturday. The country began phasing out nuclear power more than 20 years ago – but plans were escalated following Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Subsequent anti-nuclear demonstrations in Germany led then chancellor Angela Merkel to press ahead with plans to

Iranian authorities are installing cameras in public places to identify and penalise unveiled women in an attempt to rein in the increasing numbers who are defying the country’s strict dress rules. Those deemed to be violating Iran’s hijab rules will receive “warning text messages as to the consequences”, police in Iran say. The move is

Nearly 20 military ships – about 10 Chinese and 10 Taiwanese – are involved in a stand-off near the Taiwan Strait’s sensitive median line, Reuters reports. China also conducted simulated attacks on foreign military targets off Taiwan’s southwest coast on Sunday, the agency said, citing a source familiar with the situation. It comes on the

Six rockets have been fired from Syria towards Israel overnight, according to the Israeli military. Only three of the missiles fell within Israeli territory – two on open ground and one intercepted by air defence systems, the military said. There were no reports of casualties. Syrian state media later reported explosions in and around the

China has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) of “attempting to smear” Beijing after the global health body’s boss said data linking the origins of coronavirus to raccoon dogs should have been shared years ago. Samples of genetic material collected at a market in Wuhan – where the first cases were detected in late 2019

China has begun three days of military exercises around Taiwan in retaliation for a meeting between the US House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. A Chinese amphibious landing ship – capable of transporting troops, craft and vehicles – began live-fire drills in the seas facing the Taiwan

French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed to Xi Jinping to “bring Russia back to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table” over the Ukraine war. The Chinese leader called for peace talks but he gave no indication that Beijing would use its leverage as President Vladimir Putin‘s diplomatic partner to press for

Emmanuel Macron has told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that the war in Ukraine has hit stability and ended decades of peace in the country. The French president is visiting Beijing alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in an attempt to use Xi’s influence over Russia to promote a peace settlement. Mr Macron said

Police in Australia are on the hunt for two people who allegedly stole a platypus. The animal was thought to be taken from its natural habitat in Moreton, Queensland, on Tuesday 4 April, at around 11am. It was then spotted wrapped in a towel being and being carried by one of the two people, boarding

From the start, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first official visit to Poland since Russia invaded Ukraine was a meeting of friends. It was a display of warmth and solidarity, as well as several public hugs. The Ukrainian president was treated to a hero’s welcome as he visited his closest neighbour. His counterpart, Andrzej Duda, gave him the

Donald Trump was the frontrunner to be the Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential race before news of his pending arrest became public – and that fact is unchanged even now he is officially a criminal defendant. The earliest date for any trial in this case would be January 2024, which coincides with the

US President Joe Biden will visit Northern Ireland and the Republic next week, the White House has announced. The visit marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. He will first travel to Belfast in Northern Ireland, from April 11 to 12 to mark the “tremendous progress” made since the signing

Finland has officially become a member of NATO after concerns over Russia’s aggression. The Kremlin has said it could be forced to take “counter measures” to ensure its own border’s security in response. Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, setting aside years of military nonalignment to seek protection under the organisation’s security umbrella

The attacker who shot dead six people at a Nashville school had been planning the massacre for months, police have said. Journals found in Audrey Hale’s car and bedroom outlined plans to “commit mass murder at The Covenant School”, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said. Three adults and three nine-year-old students were killed in the

Finland will officially become a member of NATO on Tuesday, the Finnish president’s office has announced. The Nordic nation, which shares a border with Russia, applied to join the military alliance in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last year. It is the first enlargement of NATO since North Macedonia joined the alliance