World

The head of Russian private army Wagner has claimed his fighters have completed the capture of eastern Ukrainian city Bakhmut, after the longest battle of the Ukraine war. Ukrainian defence officials have denied the claims made by Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin in a video posted today on the Telegram social messaging service. He appeared in

As Western supplies of high-tech weapons flow into Ukraine in preparation for the anticipated spring offensive, Russia is also trying to bolster its arsenal. It has resorted to trading SU-35 fighter jets to Iran in return for continued supply of Iranian Shahid 136 attack drones, and also fielded state-of-the-art missile systems for the first time.

Almost 15 million global excess deaths by the end of 2021 were caused by COVID, according to figures released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It estimates a total of 336.8 million life-years were lost globally due to the pandemic which was declared in early 2020. This means that, on average, each excess death led

An 88-year-old Australian doctor held hostage in Africa for more than seven years by al Qaeda-linked militants has been reunited with his family after being released. Dr Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, who together ran a medical clinic in Burkina Faso, were kidnapped in 2016 by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) –

The UK will benefit from almost £20bn of extra private investment from Japan, Downing Street has said, as Rishi Sunak visits the nation for the G7 summit. The prime minister will personally thank a Japanese minister for the country’s support of the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Earlier this

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan says police have “surrounded” his house and his arrest is imminent. Mr Khan, 70, was arrested last Tuesday in a corruption case which sparked countrywide violence. He tweeted: “Probably my last tweet before my next arrest,” adding that police have “surrounded” his house in the eastern city of Lahore.

France’s first lady has condemned the “cowardice” and “stupidity” of a physical attack on her great-nephew which took place on the sidelines of a protest against pension reforms. Police said eight people were arrested in the northern French city of Amiens in connection with the attack on Monday. Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, 30, who runs a family

A chef has spent more than 100 hours cooking in a bid to achieve a new Guinness World Record. Hilda Baci, based in Lagos, Nigeria, has captivated the country with her culinary marathon, in the hope of setting a new record for the longest ever cooking session by an individual. The 27-year-old was backed by

Elon Musk has been heard telling French President Emmanuel Macron that he had to “sleep in the car” before their meeting in Paris – hours after the billionaire was seen partying in Mexico and Los Angeles. The Tesla chief executive met Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace on Monday as part of the French president’s

Russia has refused to comment on the health of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko amid speculation that he is seriously ill. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday it was best to be guided on the subject by official statements from the Belarusian authorities. Mr Lukashenko, 68, has not been seen in public since last Tuesday

Tens of thousand of people living along the coast of Bangladesh and Myanmar have been urged to seek shelter as the nations brace for an extremely severe cyclone – known as Storm Mocha – on Sunday. Volunteers used loudspeakers to warn individuals in coastal districts, that are expected to experience gusts of wind up to

Ukraine came under fire from Russian missiles during the Eurovision Song Contest. Ternopil, the university home town of the Ukrainian act Tvorchi was among the places targeted, according to Dame Melinda Simmons, the British Ambassador to Ukraine. “Meanwhile, this #Eurovision night Ukraine is under another Russian missile attack,” Dame Melinda tweeted. Praising Ukraine’s entrants in

After twenty years of running his country, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hardly going to change tack now. Cheered vociferously by thousands of his supporters, the President marked the last day of campaigning by firing tirades at his critics, his opponents and the West. Erdogan knows that this election, which pitches him against a coalition of

Poland says it has detected what appears to be an observation balloon in its airspace that flew in from the direction of Belarus. The country’s defence ministry tweeted that radar contact with the object was lost near Rypin, a town in central Poland around 180 miles from the border with Belarus. The object was spotted

Imran Khan has claimed democracy in Pakistan is at “an all-time low” in an exclusive interview with Sky News. The former prime minister said – in his first interview since being bailed – that the government is “petrified of elections” and they fear being “wiped out” by his party at the polls. He continued: “So

After two decades in which he has exerted ever greater control over his nation, Turkey’s leader finds himself looking at something remarkable – the prospect of losing power. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held the job of president since 2014, representing the AK Party (AKP) that he himself founded back in 2001. Before becoming Turkey’s president,

Adidas has said it plans to sell some of its Yeezy trainers and merchandise from its defunct partnership with Kanye West and donate some of the proceeds to charity. The German sportswear giant has been in a predicament over the Yeezy stock after it cut ties with West over his antisemitic comments late last year.

Pakistan’s supreme court has said the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan was illegal and ordered his release from custody, according to broadcasters in the country. Khan, who is also a cricket icon in Pakistan, was arrested on Wednesday as he faced corruption charges. At least five people died and hundreds were detained as

Ten firefighters and two police officers have been injured after a resident used an unidentified object to cause a blast at an apartment block in Germany, a state interior minister in the country has said. Security sources have told Reuters they are not ruling out the blast in the town of Ratingen was a targeted

Fact-based news is under assault in this world increasingly famished for enquiry, according to a summit on investigative journalism held in London. The Sir Harry Evans Summit brought together leading investigative reporters and editors who called for more truth-telling. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the men who uncovered the Watergate scandal, said serious journalism is