Russia said that yesterday it would block access to 81 EU media outlets, including AFP’s websites, as a “retaliatory measure” after Brussels imposed broadcasting bans on several Russian state media outlets.

The death toll from a series of brazen attacks on churches and synagogues in Russia’s mainly Muslim region of Dagestan rose to 20 yesterday after gunmen went on the rampage in coordinated attacks in two of the republic’s most important cities.

The Kremlin yesterday directly blamed the United States for an attack on Crimea with US-supplied ATACMS missiles that killed at least four people and injured 151, and Moscow formally warned the US ambassador that retaliation would follow.

Gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, an Orthodox church and a police post in attacks across two cities in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday, killing an Orthodox priest and multiple police officers, the region's head said

An official from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party is being investigated by Britain’s gambling regulator over allegations he placed bets on the date of the general election before it was announced, the Sunday Times reported.

Gunmen yesterday attacked synagogues and churches in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing a priest, six police officers, and a member of the national guard, security officials said.

A Swiss court handed jail sentences to four members of Britain’s richest family, the Hindujas, on Friday, branding them “selfish” for exploiting Indian staff at their Geneva mansion.

As many as 15 countries -- including the US and the UK  -- and development partners yesterday expressed concern over the worsening situation in the Rakhine State of Myanmar and the cross-border implications.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday faced calls to launch an inquiry after a member of his security detail was arrested for allegedly betting on the timing of the general election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed a deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un that included a mutual defence pledge, one of Russia’s most significant moves in Asia for years that Kim said amounted to an “alliance”.

Russian forces have escalated attacks near Toretsk, a frontline town in eastern Ukraine that has remained relatively calm over recent months of fighting, officials said yesterday.

Eleven migrants died and 64 were missing on Monday after two shipwrecks off southern Italy, according to a German charity, the Italian coast guard and United Nations agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time in 24 years, the two countries said, underscoring Moscow's burgeoning partnership with the nuclear-armed state since the invasion of Ukraine

France’s left put up a united front yesterday, vowing a “total break” with President Emmanuel Macron’s policies if it wins historic polls, while far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen pledged a “national unity government” if her party emerges victorious.

The Conservative party of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has fallen behind the hard-right anti-immigration Reform UK party for the first time in a poll by YouGov, which called the development a “seismic shift”.

G7 leaders meeting in Italy yesterday hardened their tone against China, warning Beijing to stop sending weapons components to Russia and play by the rules on trade, according to a draft summit statement.

President Vladimir Putin said yesterday Russia would end the war in Ukraine only if Kyiv agreed to drop its Nato ambitions and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow, demands Kyiv swiftly rejected as tantamount to surrender.

Nato countries have “comfortably exceeded” a target of placing 300,000 troops on high-readiness as the alliance grapples with the threat from Russia, a senior alliance official said yesterday.

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies yesterday agreed an outline deal to provide $50 billion of loans for Ukraine using interest from Russian sovereign assets frozen after Moscow launched its invasion of its neighbour in 2022.

US President Joe Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement yesterday aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defence against Russian invaders and getting Ukraine closer to NATO membership.