World

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been withdrawn from the Brazilian World Cup qualifiers squad amid concerns surrounding an FA and FIFA betting investigation. The investigation is believed to centre around Paqueta getting booked in games, with the bets being placed in Brazil, and the 25-year-old will now miss World Cup qualifiers against Peru and

Soldiers from 11 West African nations are “ready” to be sent into coup-hit Niger to restore ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, officials have said. It comes after leaders of the countries agreed to commit troops for a military operation in Niger, led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). “We are ready to go

Ukraine’s much-anticipated spring counteroffensive is now in its 10th week, with limited evidence of any significant breakthrough of the formidable Russian defences. President Zelenskyy remains laser-focused on his objective of liberating all Ukrainian territory, but if Ukraine’s military fails to gain momentum in the coming weeks, what next? In September last year, Ukrainian forces mounted

No more need for dreaming – England are in a World Cup final for the first time since 1966 and the hopes of a nation rest in the boots of the Lionesses who have fought to be there. Standing in the way of their path to ultimate glory are Spain’s La Furia Roja, who have

Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting Moscow in a drone attack after one smashed into a building causing a “powerful explosion”. It hit the Expo Center complex in central Moscow, which hosts conventions and conferences, in the early hours of Friday. Image: The damaged Expo Center complex in central Moscow Russia’s defence ministry and city

Police in Georgia are investigating threats to members of the grand jury which voted to charge Donald Trump over alleged election interference. The names and addresses of members of the jury were posted on a fringe website that reportedly often features violent rhetoric. Two NBC News reporters who wrote about the grand jury incident also

The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency has abruptly resigned – a day after saying he had no regrets about not using sirens to warn residents of wildfires that killed at least 111 people. Maui County Emergency Management administrator Herman Andaya had been heavily criticised by residents and the media over the island’s response

Sweden’s prime minister says planned attacks against his country have been averted, as the security service raised the terror threat level to its second highest. The move to increase it from three to four, with five being the maximum, means there is a “high threat” of an attack. The Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson told a

The world’s longest rail tunnel has closed for repairs after a freight train derailed – and it is not expected to open for months. The Gotthard railway tunnel in Switzerland will be shut until the end of 2023, much longer than was initially anticipated. The 16 cars that derailed last Thursday caused considerable damage to

Being in possession of small amounts of cannabis is on its way to becoming legal in Germany after the country’s cabinet approved a plan to begin decriminalising the drug. A bill that lets people have 25 grams (nearly one ounce) of cannabis for recreational purposes, grow up to three plants, or acquire marijuana at “cannabis

Hot on the heels of a blockbuster Ashes series, England fans are in for another high stakes sporting clash with Australia as the Lionesses take on the Matildas in the Women’s World Cup semi-final. The old rivalry has already been ignited in the build up to the match at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, with tickets allocated

England will thrive playing Australia in front of more than 70,000 fans in Sydney in their World Cup semi-final, captain Millie Bright has said. Far from being intimidated, Bright sees the prospect of a raucous, sell-out crowd in Stadium Australia as a sign of welcome progress for women’s football. She said: “That is what we

For the firefighters on Maui, it’s been a grim and gruelling week and they are still tackling new outbreaks of fire, sparked from smouldering wreckage. I find several of them chatting at the side of the road. They say they’re not permitted to speak on camera but tell me that on Tuesday afternoon when fires

Georgia state prosecutors are set to bring charges including conspiracy to commit forgery against Donald Trump, Reuters reports. The charges appeared on a document posted to the Fulton County court website on Monday – but it was later taken down. Other charges listed were violation of the state’s RICO act, and solicitation of violation of

A passenger has been arrested after a flight from Australia to Malaysia was flown back to Sydney in what police called an “emergency incident”. The Airbus A330 plane returned to Sydney Airport after more than three hours into its eight-hour journey to Kuala Lumpur due to a “disruptive passenger”, Malaysia Airlines said. The incident involving

Sicily’s Mount Etna has erupted, sending ash and lava high over the Mediterranean island, forcing flights to be suspended and leaving tourists facing holiday disruption. The Italian volcano, which at 3,330m (10,925 ft) high is Europe’s tallest and most active, began erupting overnight, officials said. Although the lava flow subsided before dawn, ash was still

Russian experts monitoring their moon-bound unmanned spacecraft Luna-25 have switched on its scientific equipment and started processing the first data. Russia is aiming to become the first country to carry out a soft landing on the lunar south pole – a region thought to hold pockets of water ice. Space agency Roscosmos said in a

The political party of Ecuador’s assassinated presidential hopeful, Fernando Villavicencio, has picked his replacement just a week before the election. Mr Villavicencio, 59, an ex-lawmaker and journalist with a track record of exposing corruption, was shot dead last week after leaving a campaign event in the capital Quito despite his own government-provided security detail. His

Vladimir Putin is the man who brought war back to Europe, by sending his tanks into Ukraine on 24 February last year. Little is known about the murky workings of the Kremlin and of Mr Putin’s state of mind – to his citizens, he is both “the old man” and the symbol of Russia. To

The Lionesses have secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup after beating Colombia 2-1. Colombia led the match with Leicy Stantos’s goal 44 minutes in after she looped a shot over Mary Earps from the right, but England’s Lauren Hemp managed to equalise just minutes before half time after a mistake