CATEGORIES

China and Russia harden stance on Gaza as conflict widens global rifts

China and Russia have hardened their positions towards the conflict in Gaza in recent days, as the war between Israel and Hamas aggravates existing geopolitical tensions and underscores the growing gulf between the cold war allies and western powers such as the US, UK and France.

Toll of Hamas attacks Six Britons dead and 10 more missing, Sunak tells Commons

Six Britons are dead and another 10 are missing after the assault by Hamas on southern Israel a week ago, Rishi Sunak has said.

Two British girls held as hostages' in Gaza after raid on kibbutz

Two British teenage sisters are thought to be held captive by Hamas after last weekend's onslaught on communities in southern Israel.

Evacuation Residents on northern border pack to leave as frantic mood takes hold

Amid the spectacular scenery of northern Israel, where the mountains roll away into views of Lebanon and Syria, it is deceptively quiet. At this time of year the area is normally full of the last of the Jewish high holiday season's tourists, making the most of the cooler weather to hike and go apple picking.

Hamas massacres Forensics team still working to identify hundreds of bodies

On a table, a jumble of bones and fragments was laid out carefully on a table, some grey, others charred black. A skeleton hung at the side of the room for reference.

Gaza humanitarian crisis grows as US bid to ease blockade falters

An intense US-led diplomatic effort failed yesterday to ease the plight of 2 million Palestinians trapped under bombardment in Gaza with supplies of water, food and medicine all running out, raising the prospect of a humanitarian disaster.

US In Last-Ditch Effort To Reduce Impact Of Israeli Assault On Gaza

Blinken in second round of talks as Iran says all hands are on the trigger’

TV Boss Asks State To Back 'Hollywood' For North-East

The co-founder of the maker of hit shows including The Kardashians, the Friends reunion and the documentary series Sunderland 'Til I Die has said the north-east has been "utterly forgotten" amid Britain's multibillion TV and film production boom, and called on the government to back a proposed Hollywood-style studio complex in the region.

Electric Afghanistan Stun Sleepy England And Shock The World

This was always pencilled in as the weekend that one game would ignite this tournament, and so it proved. It was not the packed-house procession in Ahmedabad on Saturday that did it, but rather the champions' shock decoronation in Delhi.

Clinging To Hope The World's Financial Leaders Are Far Too Sanguine About Growing Crises

Half a century ago a surprise attack on Israel by neighbouring countries marked the start of the Yom Kippur war - an event that signalled the end of the long postwar boom and ushered in a period marked by higher inflation and rising unemployment.

Cheika bemoans Argentina's travel delay

The Argentinians were not in a hurry to get away from the Stade Vélodrome after beating Wales on Saturday night. Their celebrations ran late into the evening on the pitch and then the dressing room, where they danced, sang, and sprayed each other with beer.

Group D: Wilson double relieves pressure on Page

Wales needed to beat Croatia to keep their automatic qualification hopes alive and how they got a barnstorming performance to match. Harry Wilson was the matchwinner, scoring twice, but there were no end of moments to savour from this monumental victory over a team ranked sixth in the world.

Britain has to rebuild its reputation for giving aid, minister says

Britain has to rebuild its reputation as a global leader in providing assistance to poor countries after the damage caused by the decision to slash the aid budget as part of post-pandemic spending cuts, the development minister, Andrew Mitchell, has admitted.

Björk uses song to fund fight against fish farming in Iceland

Iceland's fish farming industry is \"a couple of wild guys who want to make money quick and sacrifice nature\", the Icelandic singer Björk has said before the release of a \"lost\" song to help fight the practice.

Solar-powered car designed by students passes 1,000km test

A solar-powered car said to be the first in the world capable of travelling off-road over long distances without external recharging has completed a 1,000km (620-mile) test drive across Morocco and the Sahara desert.

Russian offensive to take Avdiivka is failing, says Ukrainian commander

A top Ukrainian commander has claimed that Russia's biggest offensive in months - involving tanks, thousands of soldiers and armoured vehicles in an attack on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka - is failing, as he admitted Kyiv's own attempts to advance in the south were proving \"difficult\".

Opposition hopes to take power, even though ruling party tops Polish exit poll

An exit poll in Poland’s parliamentary election last night suggested that the ruling Law and Justice PiS) party had won the most votes in a tightly fought contest.

Reeves says Tamworth race shows 'no more no-go areas for Labour'

The tight race to win this week's byelection in Tamworth shows \"there really are no more no-go areas for the Labour party now\", the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said.

Yousaf calms SNP rebels by agreeing to independence poll compromise

Humza Yousaf has quelled a rebellion by Scottish National party MPs by agreeing to a compromise with critics over his independence strategy.

Speaking up Winner of gay dating show on street hugs and hate crime

It was only when strangers started hugging him in the street that Dan Harry fully appreciated what his appearance on the UK's first all-gay dating show had meant. \"People would get really emotional, saying: \"Thank you for what you've done for this community, and I don't necessarily see it like that. I just went on holiday and kissed some boys,\" says the 27-year-old who grew up in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, and now lives in London.

Music review: Queen of pop reclaims her title in dazzling greatest hits show

The first time Madonna addresses the audience at the O2 - it's to express astonishment. \"I'm pretty damn surprised I made it this far,\" she offers. \"And I mean that on many levels.\"

Council failure to fix pothole criticised after death of cyclist

A council has been severely criticised by a coroner over the death of a cyclist who suffered fatal head injuries after hitting a pothole that had been visible on Google Street View for 14 years.

Adania Shibli: Palestinian writer's book fair event is called off

Prominent authors and publishers from around the world have accused the Frankfurt book fair of \"shutting down\" Palestinian voices, after an awards ceremony to honour a novel by a Palestinian author was called off.

Antisemitic incidents rising sharply, council leader warns

Antisemitic incidents are growing as Israel's retaliation against Gaza intensifies, a council leader in Greater Manchester has warned as police in the region deployed extra officers to deal with hate crime.

Rafah crossing Will Egypt offer any refuge in Sinai?

For most of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the border crossing at Rafah which leads into Egypt represents their only potential exit. Egypt controls the crossing, but under a 2007 agreement between Israel and Egypt, supplies coming in from Rafah require Israeli approval.

Journalist, 83, among 126 confirmed hostages

Journalist, 83, among 126 confirmed hostages

Resisting the tide We can carry on hunting for ever, says Iceland's defiant last whaler

The courteous agreement to an interview came with a twist in its tail. \"Shall we have lunch? Do you eat whale meat?\" asked Kristján Loftsson, 80, the last hunter of fin whales in Europe, and a man unafraid of controversy

Rugby row Irish fans' embrace of anti-IRA song riles republicans

Thirty years after a lethal IRA bomb inspired its stark, chilling lyrics, the Cranberries' song Zombie has experienced an unlikely rebirth as a Rugby World Cup anthem

I've studied bad men. Trump's just evil.' De Niro launches attack

Robert De Niro has launched another broadside at Donald Trump, calling the former president and likely Republican nominee for the 2024 election \"evil\" and \"a wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics

Newsnight under threat as fears grow over BBC licence fee

Newsnight has skewered royals, asked political leaders the same question a dozen times, occasionally got stories wrong and been accused of a lack of impartiality, but now it faces a more insidious prospect: death by a thousand cuts