World

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake has shaken Turkey and Syria, killing at least 100 people according to authorities. The quake was centred in the town of Pazarcik, in Kahramanmaras province about 20 miles from Gaziantep at a depth of 6 miles and there were five powerful aftershocks, according to reports. At least 38 people have been reported

A US military operation to shoot down a Chinese “spy balloon” that had been hovering in American airspace came at a tense time for the two superpowers, whose relationship has been on rocky ground for years. But how did the US successfully down it with a single missile – and what intelligence are they now

Half a million people have been left without power after a “significant” accident at an electricity substation in Odesa, southern Ukraine. The Black Sea port and its surrounding areas were plunged into darkness following a large-scale network failure, Ukraine‘s grid operator Ukrenergo reported. It said the failure involved equipment “repeatedly repaired” after Russia’s attacks on

“Balloongate” is a compelling story for a number of reasons, not least the balloon itself. The American public is locked onto commentary of its journey as it proceeds over the continent. The Pentagon described it as “manouvreable”, indicating it was under someone’s control. If the Chinese are steering it, where will they fly it, where

A man wanted in connection with a drive-by killing in Essex has been arrested by police in Morocco. One of the UK’s most wanted suspects – Nana Oppong, previously of Newham, east London – was detained as he attempted to enter the North African country from Spain in September last year, according to the National

In an era of orbital satellites so advanced that they are able to make out objects half the size of cars from space, a spy balloon might seem like a bit of a relic. They were a prominent tool for reconnaissance during the Cold War and were even used in a more basic form for

A tube runs from Jeanette Mahlangu’s nose to an at-home oxygen concentrator positioned on the side of her couch. The 85-year-old’s chest rises steadily as she stares at a clock on the wall of her South Africa home in Soweto’s Meadowlands. It is just after 6pm when the electricity goes out and her oxygen support

A former commander of Russia’s notorious mercenary Wagner Group who is seeking asylum in Norway has apologised for fighting in Ukraine. Andrei Medvedev said he wanted to speak out about his experiences in the war – and within the private group owned by millionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin –

A former zoo director in Mexico killed four of the zoo’s pygmy goats and served them up at a Christmas party, authorities said. Officials said an investigation found some of the animals in the local zoo’s collection in the southern city of Chilpancingo had allegedly been sold off, traded or eaten under Jose Ruben Nava’s

A young couple in Iran have been jailed for more than 10 years each after a video on social media showed them dancing at one of Tehran’s main landmarks. Astiaj Haghighi and her fiancé Amir Mohammad Ahmadi were also banned from social activities on the internet and from leaving the country for two years. The

Arriving in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, the sheer scale of the poverty takes your breath away. The streets are teeming with people but everywhere is shrouded in acrid smoke from piles of burning rubbish. From the hills above Port-au-Prince, the city at times disappears in a fog of polluted air. Wherever you walk people ask for

Both the UK and US have ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Downing Street said it is “not practical” to send them to Ukraine to bolster its fight against Russia. While US President Joe Biden responded “no” when asked by a reporter if he would send F-16s to the frontline, and confirmed Washington

It’s night-time, and the lights of our 4×4 guide the way up a mountain road in the West Bank. We’re above the village of Battir, south of Jerusalem, on rocky land that has been farmed by generations of the same Palestinian families over decades. They didn’t create this road. It was bulldozed one evening by

At least 47 people have been killed and 150 injured after a suicide bomber struck a mosque in Pakistan. The bomber detonated his suicide vest as a large number of worshipers – including many policemen from nearby police offices – were praying inside. Local police officer Zafar Khan said the impact of the explosion caused

Six British children have been taken into care in Austria after they were found to have been living in an abandoned wine cellar with their parents. Police have said their father, a 54-year-old Austrian, is a member of the far-right Reichsburger movement and is a known Holocaust denier. Social services were called to the property

Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open to equal Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam record, a year after he was deported over his COVID vaccination status. The Serbian tennis star beat Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets in the final in Melbourne on Sunday. It is Djokovic’s 10th Australian Open title and he has now

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he plans to “strengthen the settlements” in the West Bank in response to two shootings which left seven people dead and five wounded. Mr Netanyahu’s announcement threatens to further raise tensions after one of the bloodiest months in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in several years. In the

Tyre Nichols was punched, kicked and tasered, beaten with a baton and had pepper spray used on him during a violent arrest by police in Memphis, video footage shows. The father-of-one died three days after the beating he received on 7 January and five officers have been charged with second-degree murder. Police initially said Mr

Seven people have been killed and several injured in a shooting at a synagogue in Jerusalem, according to Israeli police. The gunman was shot and killed and a large police presence was at the scene. Three others were injured in the shooting, including a 15-year-old boy who was recovering from surgery, hospital officials said. The

A number of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have been intercepted by Israel’s missile defences. The cross-border fire came after an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Thursday that led to the largest single death toll in years of fighting in the area. The overnight rockets triggered sirens in Israeli communities near