World

China has reported almost 60,000 COVID-related deaths since early December after the country dropped its strict lockdown restrictions. The announcement follows complaints that the Chinese government was failing to release data about the status of the pandemic. China dropped its strict zero COVID policy on 7 December, leading to a surge in infections among the

An explosion has hit a gas pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia. The blast happened in the Panevezys county, northern Lithuania, said the country’s gas transmission operator Amber Grid. Lithuanian broadcaster LRT said the village of Valakeliai, with about 250 inhabitants, was being evacuated as a precaution. Image: Pic: Gintautas Geguzinskas, Mayor at Pasvalys municipality Nemunas

The temperatures are well below freezing and spindles of snow swirl across the roads as gusts of icy wind cut like a million knives across the landscape.  But even in the depth of winter there’s no let-up in the fighting, and in and around the salt mining town of Soledar it is especially fierce. Armoured

Russia’s Wagner Group has claimed the body of one of the missing British aid workers in Ukraine has been found. Christopher Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 48, were last seen on Friday leaving Kramatorsk for Soledar. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the families of two British men

A suicide bomb attack outside the foreign ministry in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul has killed at least 20 people and injured many others, the Taliban have said. The attacker had planned to enter the ministry but did not succeed, a spokesman said. A photo of the area posted on social media showed at least nine people

Cardinal George Pell has died aged 81. The Australian clergyman was a leading Roman Catholic conservative and former top official at the Vatican. Pell, a former archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, served as Vatican economy minister from 2014 until he took a leave of absence in 2017 to return to Australia to face charges of

Russia has stepped up its offensive in Ukraine, with officials suggesting Vladimir Putin’s troops have taken control of an area outside the major city of Bakhmut. According to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “everything is completely destroyed, there is almost no life left”, in the Donetsk region, which includes the town of Soledar. “The whole land

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan will be back in court this morning – asking to be set free from detention in Romania. And around the world, many will be waiting to see what happens next. The allegations levelled against the pair, along with two women, centre around claims of rape, people trafficking and organised

A container ship loaded with more than 65,000 tonnes of corn from Ukraine has been refloated after running aground in the Suez Canal. The M/V Glory was 24 miles (38km) into its southward journey through the Egyptian waterway, near the city of Qantara, when it suffered a technical fault, according to the Suez Canal Authority

Brazilian President Lula da Silva has said rioters will be found and punished with the “full force of the law” after supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro invaded the country’s presidential palace, Congress, Supreme Court and ministries’ building. Footage and images on social media show what looked like thousands of people, many draped in

The survivors of a fatal mid-air collision involving two helicopters have heaped praise on their “hero” pilot for landing their stricken aircraft safely, as dramatic new images show them being rescued from the crash. Pictures show Marie and Edward Swart and Elmarie and Riaan Steenberg, two couples from New Zealand, being evacuated from the grounded

In the gloom of her kitchen, Halyna Bereznitska prepares the Christmas meal. Russian attacks on the energy grid have left many here in Kyiv reliant on the intermittent power of a generator. The celebratory dinner is low-key and there’s plenty to eat – but her husband and son are fighting on the front lines. Putin

At least 29 people have been killed in Mexico following violent clashes and hours of shootouts prompted by the capture of one of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s sons. Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in a wave of violence after Mexican security forces arrested Ovidio Guzman, the country’s defence minister Luis

The former Chelsea player and manager Gianluca Vialli has died aged 58 after a battle with cancer. The Italian, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five years ago, played for and managed the London club, scoring 40 goals in 88 games between 1996 and 1999 during his time on the pitch for Chelsea and becoming

Multiple videos of a crowd in China attacking and flipping over a police car have gone viral on social media, marking another incident of civil disobedience that has broken through the country’s wall of digital censorship. A large group of people gathered in Luyi County, Henan, on 2 January, where it’s understood that frustrations against

More than 40% of Earth’s glacial mass could disappear if humanity keeps investing in fossil fuels, warns a stark new projection. The bleak scenario would mean more than two thirds of the total number of glaciers would vanish by the end of the century, contributing to ever-increasing sea levels around the world. Lead researcher David