World

I put my ear plugs in and take a step back. The flash from the tank barrel comes first, then the boom. Snipers to my left open fire. Red machine gun tracer fire zips towards the village and laser guided artillery thuds into walls. Israeli paratroopers are attacking a mock Hezbollah village. It’s a drill,

The US is trying to hit Iranian targets in the Middle East hard enough to stop attacks against American forces but not so hard that it triggers wider escalation or even direct war with Iran. Experts in recent days have dubbed the strategy the “Goldilocks” approach because it needs to be just right. Joe Biden

A dangerous new phase in the Middle East conflict has begun with a major US military action targeting multiple locations in Syria and Iraq. Seeking to both to punish and deter Iran and its Iraq-based proxies after an Iranian-backed militia killed three US service personnel in Jordan, manned and unmanned aircraft hit multiple locations with

Since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine there has been a revolution in the role of military UAVs (unmanned air vehicles), which have enabled much smaller forces to prevail against the traditionally dominant military powers. Has drone warfare become the dominant military capability for the underdog? The first flight of a powered UAV was on 6

At least two people have been killed and 29 injured after gas explosion in Nairobi, according to reports. A local newspaper in the Kenyan capital said the blast happened in the Embakasi neighbourhood just before midnight on Thursday. Wesley Kimeto, commander in charge of police in Embakasi, was quoted saying on the Standard newspaper’s X

A child’s body has been found encased in concrete in a storage unit – as police in the US continue to search for two youngsters missing since 2018. Officers in Pueblo, Colorado, discovered the remains on 10 January when the unit was being cleared out after the rent was not paid. Sergeant Franklyn Ortega said

Angry farmers have started fires outside the European Parliament building in Brussels in protest against taxes, rising costs and cheap imports. About 1,000 tractors have blocked major routes through the city, police estimate, with one displaying a banner reading “if you love the Earth, support those who manage it”. Another banner read “no farmers, no

A reservist who dealt with the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack says there was a “systematic genital mutilation” of women as multiple victims were shot in the crotch, breasts and head. Warning – contains graphic details of injuries Shari Mendes was part of an Israeli army reserve unit whose role was to identify and

Ukraine’s top general has reportedly refused a request from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step down amid an apparent long-running dispute between the two men. The Ukrainian president sought to have Valerii Zaluzhnyi moved into a new role, according to media reports. However the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces refused. Mr Zelenskyy’s office has denied reports the

A militant group that’s among those suspected of an attack that killed three US soldiers is pausing operations to “prevent embarrassment” to the Iraqi government. Kata’ib Hezbollah is one of several factions American officials believe may have carried out the drone attack in Jordan. Three army reservists died and more than 40 were injured in

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets. The decision was announced by special court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain during a hearing held at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Khan’s former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also given a 10-year jail sentence as part

The three US troops who were killed in a drone attack on an American base in Jordan have been named. The Pentagon has identified those killed in the attack as Sgt William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia, and Spc Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.

A wildlife charity which has Prince Harry as a board member is investigating allegations of human rights abuses by its guards in the Republic of the Congo. African Parks said it was “encouraging anyone with knowledge” of any abuse to come forward and said the investigation was its “highest priority”. In addition to sitting on

This is a troubling moment on many levels. It represents yet another clear indication that America and its allies are facing a regional conflict in the Middle East. It is a conflict in which they are protagonists, a conflict they are struggling to influence and a conflict which they have not contained. It’s moments like

Israel’s war against Hamas could be paused for two months should US negotiators reach a deal where dozens of hostages captured in the 7 October attack would be released, according to two senior administration officials. The American officials, who wished to remain anonymous, said the terms of the deal in progress would play out in

Ukraine would win the war faster if it had permission to fire British and other Western weapons against targets deep inside Russia, the head of the Ukrainian navy has signalled. Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa told Sky News the course of the entire conflict would have been very different had Ukrainian forces been allowed to use

The UK will temporarily pause funding to the UN’s relief agency in Gaza over claims members were involved in Hamas’ attack on Israel. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said on Friday it sacked “several” employees over accusations by Israel that 12 employees were involved in the 7 October attack. In the wake

An oil tanker is on fire in the Red Sea after a missile attack by Houthi fighters. In a statement, the ship’s owner Trafigura, which has offices in Britain, said firefighting equipment on board was being deployed to control the flames and the safety of the crew is its “foremost priority”. A spokesperson for the

An international court has not ordered Israel to end its offensive in Gaza – but demanded that it does everything in its power to prevent acts of genocide. The ruling by judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) comes at an early stage in South Africa’s case alleging that Israel’s military action in its

Josef Fritzl – who kept his daughter captive for 24 years, raped her thousands of times, and fathered seven children with her – can be moved to a regular prison, a court has ruled. The 88-year-old Austrian – who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 for incest, rape, coercion, false imprisonment, enslavement, and the