World

South Korea’s police chief has said he feels a “heavy responsibility” over the stampede that left more than 150 people dead. Some 156 people were killed and 152 injured when thousands of Halloween partygoers became trapped in a 3.2-metre-wide alley in the Itaewon area of Seoul on Saturday night. Thirty of the injured are in

“I think it’s a civil war,” Zach Scherer told me. We were sitting on the back of his Trump-branded pick-up truck earlier this week when he made the prediction. “I think that’s the only thing that’s going to bring America back together after this election if we lose.” Civil war? When I moved to America

The diversity of a Lula crowd is really quite exceptional; it’s a melting pot of Brazilian society.  Lula’s rallies and gatherings are usually part political, but mainly party, and this extraordinary day was no exception, although at times it looked like it was going to be short-lived as this election went down to the wire.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has won the Brazilian election, narrowly beating Jair Bolsonaro, official figures show. It has been Brazil’s most polarised election in recent memory, pitting far-right incumbent President Bolsonaro against leftist former leader Lula da Silva. On his victory, Mr da Silva tweeted a simple picture of his hand over the Brazilian

South Korea’s president has declared a national period of mourning over a stampede during Halloween festivities – as the number of deaths has risen to 153. President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed condolences to the victims and wished for a speedy recovery for the injured in a statement on Sunday, before visiting the scene of the crowd

At least 146 people have been killed after a stampede in the South Korean capital of Seoul, according to local fire authorities. The victims were crushed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities near the Hamilton Hotel in the Itaewon area. Footage on social media showed many victims lying

The commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards has warned protesters not to leave their homes to demonstrate and that Saturday will be the “last day” of taking to the streets. “Do not come to the streets! Today is the last day of the riots,” Hossein Salami said. His ominous warning comes amid reports that two

They tell us to run, and so we run. Through the scrub, the mud and the undergrowth until we stop under the shelter of trees. Out of breath, out of sight and, for now, out of danger. This is a place of mud, weapons and nervous energy. We are in the area where the borders

Forty days of protest in Iran passed on Wednesday, with demonstrators making it clear their demands for change are as strong as ever. Tensions continued into Thursday, with anger over the death of at least one protester leading to attacks on official buildings. In Mahabad, the death of 35-year-old Ismaeil Mauludi prompted chaotic scenes as

Liz Truss was “crazy” when she raised concerns about nuclear weapons, Vladimir Putin has claimed. During a major speech in Moscow, the Russian president hit out at the UK’s former prime minister. He said she must have been “a bit out of it” and he claimed to have “never said anything proactively about possible use

Australia has become the first team to release a group statement criticising Qatar for its poor human rights record. Addressing the issue in a video, 16 players, including ex-Arsenal and Brighton goalkeeper Matt Ryan, took aim at the host nation’s treatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQ+ community. “There are universal values that should define

Vladimir Putin has watched military forces carry out nuclear exercises in Russia amid growing fears Moscow may trigger a major escalation in the Ukraine war. The Russian president oversaw the tests, which had been planned for some time, via video link from an office. During the exercises, the country’s nuclear forces carried out multiple practice

Global coronavirus cases are projected to rise slowly in the coming months to about 18.7 million per day by February. The current daily average is around 16.7 million, according to the University of Washington report. It is far fewer than last winter when the Omicron variant pushed the estimated peak daily average to about 80

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine has not received “a single cent” towards its $17bn fast recovery plan.  Addressing a Berlin conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction by video link, he also revealed Russian rockets and Iran-made drones have destroyed more than a third of his country’s energy sector. “Russia destroys everything to make it harder for us to

Russia has engaged in an unusual burst of contact with the West’s three nuclear powers to raise baseless claims about a dirty bomb plot in Ukraine, amid fears of further escalation. In the past 48 hours, Vladimir Putin’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has spoken to his respective counterparts in the US, the UK and France,

In the centre of Kyiv – protected by checkpoints, sandbags, soldiers and guns – stands the city’s military heart. It is here that we meet Oleksiy Danilov, head of the country’s national security council – President Zelenskyy’s most trusted security adviser. Mr Danilov is not a shrinking violet. We speak for 20 or 30 minutes,

Russian claims Ukraine could use a “dirty bomb” in the war have been branded “nuclear blackmail” and dismissed by the West. With its forces facing a string of battlefield defeats and a risk of being routed in the south, the Kremlin has pushed allegations that Kyiv could use such a blast on its own territory

History has been made in China after it was confirmed that President Xi Jinping will remain in power – breaking with a decades-long precedent that limits the terms of Chinese leaders. Having ruled China for 10 years already, he will now stay on for at least another five-year term – and he could, in theory,

Fear is a powerful thing and it is motivating many to leave the Ukrainian city of Kherson. With Ukrainian troops closing in on the city, thousands have left using ferries to cross the great Dnipro River. Kherson was the first major city to fall to Vladimir Putin’s military after the invasion began in February and

China’s former president Hu Jintao has been unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of the ruling Communist Party. The 79-year-old, who was seated on the left of President Xi Jinping, was led off the stage of the main auditorium of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing by two stewards. Mr Hu, Mr