World

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

Israeli strikes hit Lebanon and Gaza early on Friday, in response to rocket attacks it blamed on militant group Hamas. Tensions have flared in the region following police raids on the al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem this week. Blasts rocked different areas of Gaza, as Israel said its planes hit targets including tunnels and weapons

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

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

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

Oil prices are up almost 5% after Saudi Arabia and other major producers vowed to cut production. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, was up 4.85% early on Monday to $83.77 per barrel after it was announced that production would be cut by 1.15 million barrels per day from May until the end of the

Many Twitter users are angry and confused as it is now impossible to tell who has paid for their blue checkmark on the social media platform. Last month, Twitter announced it would remove legacy verified checkmarks and end its legacy verified programme – in favour of charging people for a coveted blue tick. For users

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin appears to have lost her bid for a second term in power – with her party destined for defeat by two conservative opponents in an intense three-way race for control of parliament. The centre-right National Coalition Party claimed victory on Sunday evening with around 97.7% of the votes counted, coming

In the vast windswept cemetery on the outskirts of Dnipro low clouds drift and mist drizzles over the graves of the fallen in this war. There is no noise apart from the flapping of hundreds of Ukraine flags – blue for the sky, yellow for the wheatfields of this farming country. Mounds of freshly dug

Japan has officially reopened part of a town evacuated 12 years ago in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The area of Tomioka, southwest of the wrecked Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, was evacuated following the disaster in March 2011. Its reopening was celebrated on Saturday, in time for the popular cherry blossom season. Former

You hear a lot about the soft power of the monarchy. But there was definitely a hard message for the King to deliver during his first state visit. This was a diplomatic mission to sell Britain, a post-Brexit PR push. One of the themes of this trip has been reconciliation. The King spoke of the

Finland has moved a step closer to becoming a NATO member after Turkey’s parliament ratified its accession to the alliance. Turkey was the last of NATO’s 30 members to accept Finland’s application, which was submitted in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. President Erdogan said earlier in March that Finland had secured

Russia is looking to North Korea to source weapons for the war in Ukraine, the US says. Washington believes Moscow is aiming to provide Pyongyang with food and other commodities in return for arms. It is the latest accusation that Russia, desperate for weaponry and hampered by sanctions and export controls, is turning to “rogue”

The King took a trip to the German countryside today, where he helped make a special organic cheese to mark his historic visit, as he continued his state visit. “We heard that the King is a great lover of cheese,” said Katja von Maltzan, who with her husband runs the Brodowin farm 50 miles northeast