World

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned countries friendly with Moscow against sending representatives to Russia’s 9 May World War II Victory Day parade, as the Kremlin intensified threats of a strike on Kyiv that same day. Russia has unilaterally announced a ceasefire in its war on Ukraine from 8 to 10 May, yet the Russian military has simultaneously urged people to leave Kyiv amid the prospect of what it described as a retaliatory attack. "We have also received messages from some states close to Russia, saying that their…

A newly released court document has cast fresh light on the final weeks before Jeffrey Epstein’s death: a federal judge in the US has unsealed a handwritten note described as a suicide note purportedly written by the jailed financier. Epstein, the disgraced financier, convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. Authorities ruled the death a suicide. The handwritten note was said to have been discovered by Epstein’s former cellmate, convicted murderer and former…

Millions of voters are heading to polling stations in a pivotal electoral test for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with Labour braced for what forecasters say could be a bruising night. Polling expert Robert Hayward has predicted Mr Starmer's Labour Party could lose around 1,850 council seats across England, underlining the scale of the challenge confronting the prime minister. Labour is also expected to suffer in Wales, where the party in government could lose the national vote for the first time in more than 100…

Ahead of Moscow’s World War II Victory Day celebrations, Russia has warned foreign diplomats in Kyiv that the Ukrainian capital could come under attack if Ukraine disrupts this weekend’s events, underscoring how the war is spilling into one of the Kremlin’s most symbolic dates. Russian officials gave no further detail about the warning, and there was no immediate response from Ukraine. The threat came as both countries exchanged fresh strikes, with officials reporting 13 people wounded in the Russian border city of Bryansk…

From Sydney to the centre of the country, Australians came together to mourn a five-year-old girl whose alleged abduction and murder stunned the nation and set off riots in the Outback town of Alice Springs. The vigils were held a week after authorities found Kumanjayi Little Baby dead, ending a five-day search that drew hundreds of volunteers and police into the effort. The arrest of a man accused of abducting and murdering her then ignited violent unrest in Alice Springs, where a crowd of 400 Indigenous people gathered and…

A fragile opening is taking shape in the conflict between the United States and Iran, with sources and officials saying the two sides are moving toward a limited, temporary accord that would halt the war while postponing the hardest disputes. Rather than a full peace settlement, the plan now taking shape is built around a short-term memorandum, highlighting how far apart Tehran and Washington remain and suggesting that any deal reached for now would serve only as a stopgap. Even the prospect of a partial breakthrough has…

Pressure is mounting on Europe to respond to a flashpoint project in the occupied West Bank, with nearly 450 former EU ministers, ambassadors and senior officials urging member states and EU institutions to move against Israel’s planned construction of a controversial Jewish settlement that critics say would cut East Jerusalem off from the main Palestinian population centres. In their appeal, the signatories urged member states to impose targeted sanctions on all individuals and entities involved in what they described as…

A luxury cruise ship at the centre of a fatal hantavirus outbreak is heading for Tenerife, where Spanish authorities say passengers are expected to begin disembarking from 11 May. The vessel, which had been stranded off the coast of Cape Verde since Sunday, has now set course for Spain, according to a Reuters witness. Its departure came after three people were evacuated, including two who were seriously ill. The MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 people, is due to reach Tenerife within three days, Spain's health minister said.…

Israel has carried out its first strike on Beirut since reaching a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, hitting the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital in what it said was an attack on a commander from the group's elite Radwan force. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation in a joint statement. Israeli media said the commander was killed, though there was no immediate confirmation from either the Israeli military or Hezbollah. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity,…

As Vienna readies for the Eurovision Song Contest's provocative songs and glittering spectacle next week, the festival's 70th edition is unfolding under heavy security and an intensifying row over Israel's participation. The world's biggest live televised music event will feature contestants from 35 countries — the lowest total since participation widened in 2004 — after several countries, including Ireland, withdrew over Israel's war in Gaza. The semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday will narrow the field before Saturday's…