Tuesday, 21 Jan, 2025

International

Nato refuses to give Ukraine timeframe on joining

Nato states have said Ukraine can join the military alliance "when allies agree and conditions are met" after President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the "absurd" delay to accession. In a communique, Nato said it recognised the need to move faster but would not be

Six dead in Nepal tourist helicopter crash

All six people aboard a tourist helicopter in Nepal were killed when it crashed soon after take-off near Mount Everest on Tuesday, aviation authorities said. The Manang Air chopper was heading for the capital Kathmandu from near Lukla, the gateway for climbing expeditions to the

BBC head to be questioned over presenters scandal

The head of the BBC will be questioned today over allegations that one of its top presenters paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit images. Director-general Tim Davie is due to be quizzed when he faces the media for a scheduled briefing this afternoon. A male member of

UN declares first week of July world’s hottest ever recorded

The beginning of July was the hottest week on record for the planet as a whole, according to the World Meteorological Organization. This year had already seen the hottest June on record, the UN body said, driven by climate change and the early stages of an El Niño weather pattern.

Russia confirms Wagner-Putin meeting, releases Gerasimov video

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin for three hours, days after a short-lived rebellion led by the mercenary chief and his private army, the Kremlin has confirmed. Monday’s announcement came shortly after Russia’s defence

Spain rescues 86 people from boat near Canary Islands

The Spanish coastguard says it has rescued 86 people from a boat off the Canary Islands that had been spotted earlier in the day by a rescue plane. A plane and ship were dispatched to initially search for a fishing vessel from Senegal that had about 200 people on board and had been

Turkey backs Sweden's Nato membership

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to support Sweden's bid to join Nato, the military alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg says. He said the Turkish leader would forward Sweden's bid to parliament in Ankara and "ensure ratification". Meanwhile,

Wagner chief Prigozhin met Russia's Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin met mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin after the failed Wagner group mutiny last month, the Kremlin says. Prigozhin, who heads the mercenary group, was among 35 Wagner commanders invited to the meeting in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added.

ISIL leader Osama al-Muhajer killed in drone strike, says US

The United States military says it has killed a leader of the ISIL (ISIS) group in eastern Syria in a drone strike. The strike on Friday resulted in the death of Osama al-Muhajer, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. “We have made it clear that we remain

200 migrants missing at sea near Spanish Canary Islands

Spanish rescuers are searching waters off the Canary Islands for a boat carrying at least 200 African migrants who went missing more than a week ago. The aid group Walking Borders says the fishing boat sailed from Kafountine, a coastal town in southern Senegal that is roughly 1,700km

Six dead in China kindergarten stabbing

Six people including three children have been killed in a kindergarten stabbing in China's south-eastern Guangdong province. Police said they have arrested a 25-year-old man with the surname Wu in Lianjiang town. The other victims are a teacher and two parents, AFP reported,

Biden begins three-nation tour with UK visit before NATO summit

United States President Joe Biden has kicked off a three-nation trip dominated by a NATO summit aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine amid disagreements over Kyiv’s possible accession into the alliance. Biden arrived in the United Kingdom, a key US ally, late on Sunday. The

Air raid kills at least 22 in Sudan’s city of Omdurman

An air raid on a Sudanese city has killed at least 22 people, health authorities said, in one of the deadliest attacks yet in the weeks-long fighting between Sudan’s army and a renegade paramilitary force. The raid took place on Saturday in a residential area of Omdurman, the

14 killed in Brazil apartment building collapse

A residential building collapse has claimed the lives of 14 people in northeastern Brazil, with the last missing individuals found lifeless.  The apartment building, located in the Janga neighborhood on the outskirts of Recife, collapsed during heavy rains that struck the region.

US allies troubled by Cluster bombs to Ukraine

Several allies of the US have expressed unease at Washington's decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs. On Friday, the US confirmed it was sending the controversial weapons to Ukraine, with President Joe Biden calling it a "very difficult decision". In response,

Six people killed after plane crashes into field in California

Six people died after a plane crashed over a southern California field on Saturday morning before bursting into flames. The plane was engulfed in fire along with about one acre of vegetation when deputies arrived. The plane crashed near an airport in the city of Murrieta, California,

Zelensky hails 'brave' Ukraine on 500th day of war

Zelensky published on social media an undated video clip of a visit to Snake Island in the Black Sea -- a symbol of Ukraine's defiance against Russia. "Today we are on Snake Island, which will never be conquered by the occupiers, like the whole of Ukraine, because we are the

Dutch government collapses over asylum row

The Dutch government has collapsed because of a disagreement between coalition parties over asylum policies, Prime Minster Mark Rutte has said. The four parties were unable to find agreement in crisis talks chaired by Mr Rutte on Friday. The government was set up a year and a half

Biden defends sending controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine 

US President Joe Biden has defended his "very difficult decision" to give Ukraine cluster bombs, which have a record of killing civilians. The president said it had taken him "a while to be convinced to do it", but he had acted because "the Ukrainians are

Ukraine war reaches 500 days, UN laments 9,000 civilians killed

More than 9,000 civilians, including 500 children, have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the United Nations has said, condemning the cost to civilians as the war in Ukraine reached the 500-day mark. The UN’s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine