With pressure building inside a tank of hazardous chemicals in Southern California, firefighters racing to stop an explosion or toxic leak have turned to outside specialists in a bid to avert disaster, as several nearby shelters filled up with evacuees. Evacuation orders stayed in force across a zone affecting tens of thousands of residents in Garden Grove, a Los Angeles-area suburb. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County, while his office urged residents to comply with evacuation…

A powerful blast struck a train carrying military personnel in Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Balochistan, killing at least 24 people, according to a senior official. Among the dead were army servicemen in the provincial capital of Quetta, where the attack also left more than 50 people wounded, the official told AFP. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced as a "cowardly" act of terrorism. Images from the scene…

Kyiv woke to one of the fiercest assaults it has faced since Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago, as waves of drones and missiles slammed into the capital and nearby areas, including an Oreshnik hypersonic missile fired close to the city. During the hours-long overnight attack, two people were killed in Kyiv and another two died in the surrounding region, while nearly 100 others were injured, Ukrainian officials said. Officials said dozens of apartment buildings and several schools were damaged, with many…

Drone warfare is intensifying sharply on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with each passing week bringing heavier strikes, broader reach and higher casualties. On Friday, Russian officials said Ukrainian drone attacks on a college dormitory in the town of Starobilsk in Luhansk, an eastern Ukrainian region that Russia almost entirely occupies, killed at least 18 people. Ukraine's armed forces said the strikes had targeted military sites in the town. The attack came one week after a Russian ballistic missile tore…

Gunfire erupted outside the White House when a man opened fire on Secret Service officers, then died after agents returned fire, the agency said in a statement carried by US media. A bystander was also struck in the exchange, the agency said, though officials did not disclose the person's condition. US President Donald Trump said the gunman had a "violent history and possible obsession" with the White House. "Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening…

History hangs heavily over Makerfield. The Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815, and Britain’s political class has now chosen 18 June as polling day for the Makerfield by-election — inviting comparisons they can hardly have failed to notice. The fall of an emperor? The ascent of a new prince? Or simply a bruising political mess? On the 211th anniversary of Waterloo, several endings remain possible. This by-election exists for one reason above all: to try to return Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to…

A fresh allegation has emerged in the UK police investigation involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with officers reportedly examining a claim that he acted inappropriately toward a woman at Royal Ascot. According to The Sunday Times, the alleged incident took place at the Berkshire racing fixture in 2002. Royal Ascot has long been one of the royal family’s signature summer events, and Queen Elizabeth II attended the 2002 meeting during the year of her Golden Jubilee. The Sunday Times reported that it remains unclear whether…

"A government of laws, not men." That message blazed across the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday, casting a sharp rebuke in light against one of the most powerful buildings in the country. The words, drawn from founding father John Adams, were projected above a banner of US President Donald Trump that has hung from the building for months. Washington has hardly been quiet since Mr Trump returned to the White House last year, and the capital has become familiar terrain for demonstrations of…

France has barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country after he posted a video ridiculing bound activists detained by Israeli soldiers during a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. "From today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory" because of "his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens" involved in the humanitarian flotilla, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. Barrot said he was also joining Italy in pushing for European Union sanctions…

Houston is counting down to the FIFA World Cup, with seven matches on the schedule and a landmark fixture between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal set to draw global attention to Texas. DR Congo booked its place at the tournament by surviving a play-off against Jamaica in Mexico in March. Yet as the city prepares to welcome the team, the buildup has been overshadowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a "public health emergency of international concern" after an Ebola outbreak in the central…