World

Reuters Rebel forces launched the largest offensive against the Syrian government in years on Wednesday. By Saturday, they had taken control of “large parts” of the country’s second-biggest city, Aleppo. The surprise offensive prompted the first Russian strikes on Aleppo since 2016, and saw Syria’s military withdraw its troops from…

Cate Blanchett has told the BBC she is “deeply concerned” about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI). Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Australian actress said: “I’m looking at these robots and driverless cars and I don’t really know what that’s bringing anybody.” Blanchett, 55, was promoting her new…

Significantly, Fifa emphasises that its human rights evaluations are “not about peremptorily excluding countries based on their general human rights context” and are instead “based on evidence of how effectively bidders intend to address human rights risks connected with a tournament”. Explaining the Saudi bid’s ‘medium’ risk assessment for human…

PA Media Counting will start across the Republic of Ireland at 09:00 local time Counting has begun in the Irish general election, as exit polls suggest a close contest between the three major parties. Figures from Friday’s exit poll show Sinn Féin slightly ahead of both Fine Gael and Fianna…

Huge flooding caused by heavy rain in Malaysia has forced more than 122,000 people out of their homes across the country. Three people have also died, according to disaster officials. There are fears the number could rise, as heavy rain and storm warnings remain in place. Thousands of emergency services…

Mass protests have continued for a second consecutive night in Georgia, sparked by the government’s decision to suspend accession talks with the European Union. In the capital, Tbilisi, police used water cannon, tear gas, and rubber bullets against crowds gathered outside parliament. The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg reports from the scene….

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Florida to meet Donald Trump as Canada seeks to head off the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, a source has confirmed to the BBC. Canadian media reported that Trudeau landed in Palm Beach International Airport on Friday evening to…

President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that the parts of Ukraine under his control should be taken “under the Nato umbrella” to try and stop the “hot phase” of the war. In a long, wide-ranging interview with Sky News, the Ukrainian president was asked whether he would accept Nato membership, but…

This potential was realised in late September with the birth of Hurricane Helene. It intensified rapidly before making landfall on the Florida coast as a major category four storm. Helene brought catastrophic flooding and widespread wind damage across large swathes of the south-east US, from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the…

A selection of news photographs from around the world. Andres Cuenca/Reuters Supporters of Yamandu Orsi celebrate his election as president of Uruguay. Orise, a left-wing former history teacher, beat Álvaro Delgado, candidate of the governing conservative coalition, by more than three percentage points in Sunday’s run-off. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images The…