World

South Korea’s president has declared a national period of mourning over a stampede during Halloween festivities – as the number of deaths has risen to 151. President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed condolences to the victims and wished for a speedy recovery for the injured in a statement on Sunday, before visiting the scene of the crowd

At least 146 people have been killed after a stampede in the South Korean capital of Seoul, according to local fire authorities. The victims were crushed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities near the Hamilton Hotel in the Itaewon area. Footage on social media showed many victims lying

Joe Biden has described the violent assault on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband as “despicable” – as San Francisco’s police chief has said it was “not a random attack”. Paul Pelosi, 82, is recovering from a skull fracture after he was attacked by an intruder with a hammer on Friday. The intruder – David

They tell us to run, and so we run. Through the scrub, the mud and the undergrowth until we stop under the shelter of trees. Out of breath, out of sight and, for now, out of danger. This is a place of mud, weapons and nervous energy. We are in the area where the borders

Forty days of protest in Iran passed on Wednesday, with demonstrators making it clear their demands for change are as strong as ever. Tensions continued into Thursday, with anger over the death of at least one protester leading to attacks on official buildings. In Mahabad, the death of 35-year-old Ismaeil Mauludi prompted chaotic scenes as

Liz Truss was “crazy” when she raised concerns about nuclear weapons, Vladimir Putin has claimed. During a major speech in Moscow, the Russian president hit out at the UK’s former prime minister. He said she must have been “a bit out of it” and he claimed to have “never said anything proactively about possible use

As the Russians retreat from communities in the Ukrainian region of Kherson, residents have been left with reminders of their stay. Vast swathes of destruction afflicted places like Velyka Oleksandrivka, a quiet market town that would spend months on the frontline. Image: Velyka Oleksandrivka is in the Kherson region The Russians were pushed out by

Vladimir Putin has watched military forces carry out nuclear exercises in Russia amid growing fears Moscow may trigger a major escalation in the Ukraine war. The Russian president oversaw the tests, which had been planned for some time, via video link from an office. During the exercises, the country’s nuclear forces carried out multiple practice

A Ukrainian minister has urged refugees who fled the country after Russia’s invasion to stay away this winter. Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy prime minister, said blackouts caused by Moscow’s bombardment of power stations would put a heavy strain on the country. In an interview on national television on Tuesday, she told Ukrainians sheltering in foreign

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine has not received “a single cent” towards its $17bn fast recovery plan.  Addressing a Berlin conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction by video link, he also revealed Russian rockets and Iran-made drones have destroyed more than a third of his country’s energy sector. “Russia destroys everything to make it harder for us to

Russia has engaged in an unusual burst of contact with the West’s three nuclear powers to raise baseless claims about a dirty bomb plot in Ukraine, amid fears of further escalation. In the past 48 hours, Vladimir Putin’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has spoken to his respective counterparts in the US, the UK and France,

Russian claims Ukraine could use a “dirty bomb” in the war have been branded “nuclear blackmail” and dismissed by the West. With its forces facing a string of battlefield defeats and a risk of being routed in the south, the Kremlin has pushed allegations that Kyiv could use such a blast on its own territory

The blackouts in Kyiv creep up on you. There is no Hollywood moment when the whole city goes dark or when the twinkling lights of a block of flats go out in unison. Instead, these cuts happen sporadically, with a sense of tiring unpredictability. The electricity will be cut from half a building, but not

History has been made in China after it was confirmed that President Xi Jinping will remain in power – breaking with a decades-long precedent that limits the terms of Chinese leaders. Having ruled China for 10 years already, he will now stay on for at least another five-year term – and he could, in theory,

Russian-installed authorities in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson have ordered an “immediate” evacuation of residents, amid warnings of a looming Ukrainian counteroffensive to recapture the city. In a Telegram post, authorities called on all civilians of Kherson to leave the city “immediately”, citing the “tense situation” and increased danger of shelling. Thousands of people

When President Xi Jinping came to power 10 years ago, he had a very clear vision for China. He would return the country to its former glory, he would be unapologetic about its ascendant place in the world order, and he would make it strong, rich and stable. A lot of what he set out