World

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January. Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to

The fires that have been raging in Los Angeles County this week could be the “most destructive” in modern US history. In just three days, the blazes have covered tens of thousands of acres of land and could potentially have an economic impact of up to about $150bn (£123bn), according to private forecaster Accuweather. Sky

The US has announced it has increased its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In a statement, the US treasury said up to $25m is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Mr Maduro and his named interior minister Diosdado Cabello. Up to $15m is also being

Given gilt yields are rising, the pound is falling and, all things considered, markets look pretty hairy back in the UK, it’s quite likely Rachel Reeves’ trip to China gets overshadowed by noises off. There’s a chance the dominant narrative is not about China itself, but about why she didn’t cancel the trip. But make

Last year was the warmest on record, the first to breach a symbolic threshold, and brought with it deadly impacts like flooding and drought, scientists have said. Two new datasets found 2024 was the first calendar year when average global temperatures exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – before humans started burning fossil fuels at scale.

Ryanair has said it is taking legal action against a disruptive passenger. In what it described as a “major misconduct clampdown”, the airline said it is seeking €15,000 (£12,500) in damages from a passenger in Ireland, whose behaviour forced a plane bound for Lanzarote to divert to Porto in Portugal last year. Ryanair claims the

Two NASA astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station since June 2024 have said they “do not feel like castaways”. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams originally planned to go to space for just eight days but got stuck on the ISS when their Boeing Starliner spacecraft experienced a myriad of problems. By

A body has been found in the search for two missing British hikers who went missing in the Dolomites, Italy’s alpine rescue has said. Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, from London were hiking when they were last heard from, in the early afternoon on 1 January. The two men were meant to return

US president-elect Donald Trump has refused to rule out military or economic action to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland – as he said he believes NATO spending should be increased to 5% per member state. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Mr Trump made a series of sweeping claims on what his policies could look like

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the French far-right National Front party, has died aged 96. Le Pen shook the French political establishment when he unexpectedly reached the presidential election run-off vote against Jacques Chirac in 2002, with his pugnacious mix of populism and charisma. Despite losing in a landslide, he rewrote the parameters of

At least nine people have died in a strong earthquake in China. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck in a mountainous area in the autonomous Tibet region, near the border with Nepal, shortly after 9.05am on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said it had recorded a 7.1 magnitude

Donkey karts loaded with wrapped parcels of unknown goods weave around the large puddles of water left in the dried riverbed. Young men quickly hop over laid bricks to bridge the puddles followed by women treading carefully with babies on their backs. The Limpopo River’s seasonal dryness is a natural pathway for those moving into

Ukraine has launched a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, according to the Kremlin. The attack looks to be an effort to seize new territory after Ukrainian troops swept across the border in a shock offensive in the same region in August, claiming control of almost 500 sq miles (around 1,300 sq km) and taking

Hamas has approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to be returned as part of a possible Gaza ceasefire deal, an official from the Palestinian group has claimed. But the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put out a statement saying Hamas had not provided a hostage list “up to this moment”. Israel

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has announced he will resign in the coming days after talks on forming a new government failed for a second time. His declaration on Saturday came after the People’s Party and the Social Democratic Party continued coalition talks, a day after the liberal NEOS party’s surprise withdrawal from discussions. “Unfortunately I

More than 6,000 prisoners have been released in Myanmar as part of an amnesty to mark the 77th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain. The head of Myanmar’s military government has granted amnesties for 5,864 prisoners from the Southeast Asian country, as well as 180 foreigners who will now be deported, state-run media said.