World

Rescuers have broken through debris that has trapped 41 men in an Indian tunnel, an official has said. The low-wage workers from India’s poorest states have been stuck in the three mile (4.5km) highway tunnel in Uttarakhand for more than two weeks. Last week, a drilling machine broke down, delaying the rescue operation. But on

Qatar has claimed that at least 40 women and children being held hostage in Gaza are not in the hands of Hamas – and are unaccounted for. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani said they may “never be able to reach them” – despite their communication lines with Hamas – and that locating

As the four-day truce between Hamas and Israel in Gaza enters its final 24 hours, calls for an extension are growing from various quarters. Hamas has said it is pushing for an extension to the temporary ceasefire if “serious efforts” are made to increase the number of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel. Under the terms

The families of three Palestinian students who were shot in Vermont have called on US officials to investigate the incident as a hate crime. The three men, all aged 20, were wearing keffiyehs – a traditional scarf – and speaking Arabic when they were attacked as they walked down a street in the city of

The flight data recorder has been removed from a US navy surveillance plane that overshot a runway and ended up in the water off Hawaii. The large aircraft was on its approach to a marine base when it landed in Kaneohe Bay. Nine people, including three pilots and six crew members, were on board at

An Irish-Israeli schoolgirl is among 17 hostages freed by Hamas in return for dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in the second swap under a truce deal. Emily Hand, from Kibbutz Be’eri, celebrated her ninth birthday in captivity on Friday. The girl, who was one of 13 Israelis freed on Saturday, was among 240

An Israeli boy who was kidnapped by Hamas has been reunited with his family more than six weeks after he was taken prisoner. Ohad Munder, nine, was one of 13 hostages released after the warring sides agreed to a pause in the fighting. More hostages expected to be released – live updates In touching footage

Thirteen Israeli hostages released by Hamas have now crossed into Egypt, according to local media, as part of a truce deal with the militant group. Twelve Thai nationals have also been freed by Hamas, Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has said. The Thai hostages were released as part of a separate deal with Hamas mediated

Former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius will be released from prison in January, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend. Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 at his home in Pretoria, South Africa. He said he fired his gun through a bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder in the early hours. The

The World Health Organisation has asked China for more detailed information about an outbreak of a respiratory illness and reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children. Since mid-October, the WHO said northern China had reported an increase in influenza-like illnesses compared with the same period in the previous three years. In recent days, local media

Thirteen women and children hostages held by militants in Gaza will be the first to be released – as the the temporary truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas begins at 7am on Friday, Qatar has said. Dr Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, said it had received a list of the civilians

A temporary truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, lasting at least four days, is set to begin on Thursday morning with the war now in its seventh week. As part of the deal, there are plans for a hostage-for-prisoner swap and for more much-needed aid to get into the besieged coastal territory to help

The King dropped some references to South Korean popular culture as he hosted the country’s president at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Listening to the King’s banquet address were singers Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim, Lisa Manobal and Rose Park from the K-pop band Blackpink, South Korea’s biggest girl group who became the first Korean

Israel’s government has agreed to back a deal with Hamas for the release of some hostages in Gaza and a temporary pause in the fighting. The agreement involves swapping the hostages for Palestinian prisoners being detained in Israel. The prime minister’s office said the deal involves the release of 50 women and children being held

Yemen’s Houthis rebels have released a video showing armed men seizing a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea. The video from Yemeni Military Media shows at least seven masked men, carrying what appears to be AK-47s, drop from a helicopter and land on the top deck of the ship. Israel-Gaza live updates The video

There’s a makeshift shrine like none other outside the Ayoub family home in southern Lebanon. Underneath a large picture of three little girls and their grandmother is a bright pink and white wreath of flowers. But there are also black charred children’s shoes, a singed pencil case and blackened schoolbooks, with the edges of each

Israel’s latest evidence is the most convincing yet of Hamas military activity at al Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest.  Thus far, it falls short of proving there was a substantial secret subterranean command and control base below the medical complex. What it does show is the presence of men with guns inside al Shifa, something doctors

Israel’s military has released a video of what it claims is a 55-metre tunnel used by Hamas beneath Gaza’s largest hospital. The footage, published on social media, is “more proof” that Hamas is using patients as “human shields”, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claim. The video, at al Shifa, begins with images of what is

The Shifa Hospital in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is a “death zone” with a mass grave at the entrance and a “desperate” situation inside, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. A team of UN and WHO experts conducted a “high-risk operation” on Saturday to get inside the hospital, despite heavy fighting reported to be

Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is doing all it can to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza but had “not been successful”. The Israeli prime minister was speaking to CBS when he made the comments regarding the thousands of reported deaths since his forces began their operation against Hamas. Mr Netanyahu laid the blame for the