World

Vladimir Putin is the man who brought war back to Europe, by sending his tanks into Ukraine on 24 February last year. Little is known about the murky workings of the Kremlin and of Mr Putin’s state of mind – to his citizens, he is both “the old man” and the symbol of Russia. To

Oprah Winfrey has been turned away from a shelter for survivors of the Hawaii wildfires – as the official death toll topped 90 on Sunday. The TV personality, who has spent recent days helping with aid efforts during a visit to the state, was accompanied by a CBS news crew when she was denied entry

An investigation has been launched into claims climbers left a porter to die near the peak of the world’s most treacherous mountain, a mountaineer has said. Dozens of climbers are alleged to have walked past the Pakistani helper in their eagerness to reach the summit of K2 after he was gravely injured in a fall.

At least one person has died and dozens of others have been rescued after a migrant boat crossing the English Channel capsized. Five other people were recovered in “serious condition” and taken to a hospital in Calais by helicopter and 50 people have been rescued, French authorities said. A search and rescue operation involving five

Hawaiian residents heard no emergency warnings before this week’s deadly wildfires. Official records show Hawaii‘s emergency sirens – part of the world’s largest outdoor public safety system – failed to trigger on Tuesday before the devastating blaze in the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. Survivors said they did not hear any

At Maui High School, class is out and the hallways are instead thronging with people who have evacuated, escaping the worst wildfire to hit the US for years.  The gymnasium has become a shelter, with families huddled in corners under duvets, and camp beds set up where the sports court would usually be. Behind the

Virgin Galactic has taken its first tourists to the edge of space. The company, founded by Sir Richard Branson, took a former Olympian and mother-daughter pair about 55 miles (88km) above Earth during the flight which lasted just more than an hour. See live updates on space launch Pilots CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer, alongside

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been shot and killed by an unidentified gunman while at a political rally in Quito. The killing comes amid an alarming wave of violence in the country, with drug trafficking and violent killings on the rise. Incumbent president, Guillermo Lasso, suggested an organised crime gang was behind the killing.

At least six people have died after wildfires rampaged through parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials have said. Fires, fuelled by the wind, have swept across the town of Lahaina, West Maui, leading to 13 evacuations, mayor Richard Bissen Jr said. “Our main focus now is to save lives,” Mr Bissen said. It

Eleven people are missing after a fire broke out at a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France. Seventeen others were led to safety with one person taken to hospital, local authorities said. Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said there were likely several casualties after the fire ravaged the cottage, which was hosting the group

Sinead O’Connor has been remembered as a singer and activist whose “voice moved a generation of young people”, as stars including U2’s Bono and Bob Geldof attended her funeral and thousands of mourners lined the streets to pay their respects. The music star’s life was celebrated at a private ceremony before the funeral cortege travelled

“Tumbling” records in Antarctica must be taken more seriously because of their “cascading” global impacts, a group of scientists asked by the Foreign Office to investigate the “unprecedented” changes has warned today. After enormous icebergs up to a quarter the size of Wales appeared to break off with “increasing frequency”, the Foreign Office commissioned the

Another Russian warship listing in the water is probably not the image Vladimir Putin had in mind for his beloved Black Sea fleet – but it does demonstrate the increasing effectiveness of Ukraine’s sea drones. The last few days have seen two attacks on Russian ships, both reportedly carried out by Ukrainian unmanned vessels. In

Iraq’s prime minister has now waded into a row over who is responsible for a bear getting loose in the cargo hold of a plane. Iraqi Airways said it was not to blame for the bear’s escape from its crate as the aircraft waited to take off from Dubai International Airport on Friday. The flight

Dramatic footage shows people being rescued from choppy seas in the Mediterranean – as reports emerge that a mother and her one-year-old child have lost their lives after two boats capsized. Video released on Sunday shows people clinging to life rings as they drift in the heaving waves while others are hoisted aboard a coastguard

A Russian bomb has hit a blood transfusion centre in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed. On Telegram, the Ukrainian president said there are fatalities and injuries after the strike in the town of Kupiansk. Mr Zelenskyy said rescue workers were extinguishing fires at the scene, and he described the attack as

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has been arrested after he was sentenced to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts, his lawyer said. Police were seen surrounding his residence in Lahore on Saturday after the verdict was released. The 70-year-old former cricketer was sentenced after he was found guilty of unlawfully selling

The body of a woman found 27 years ago among the remains of the long-unsolved Gilgo Beach murder victims has finally been identified by police. The woman, known until now as “Jane Doe No 7”, has been named as Karen Vergatta, officials said in a news conference on Friday. The 34-year-old last made contact with

Ukraine is embroiled in a fight for its very survival as an independent state. Although Moscow is able to strike Ukrainian territory with impunity, the West will not allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to strike Russia across the border for fear of an escalation. But is this limitation preventing Ukraine from striking a potentially

The courthouse where Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges against him, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, bears the name of Elijah Barrett Prettyman. As a Washington lawyer, Prettyman fought for the release of prisoners captured in the Bay of Pigs invasion. He represented Truman Capote and John Lennon and argued 19