Labour says the "small boats nightmare" must end after six people died trying to cross the Channel.

By Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) -An eight-party alliance seeking to form Thailand's next government reaffirmed its backing

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is expelling a Chinese diplomat whom Canada’s spy agency alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate an opposition lawmaker and his relatives in Hong Kong

A California state senator and member of a historic task force studying reparations proposals for African Americans says it could be tough to pass large payments for eligible residents

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The Ukrainian military continues to hold its ground in the face of Russia’s relentless assault on the eastern city of Avdiivka, Volodymyr Zelensky, as the battle intensified for a third day. Russia has moved a large armoured column of three battalions, including some 2,000 troops, dozens of armoured vehicles and jets into the northern flank of the Avdiivka front for what has been described as the biggest military offensive in months. The Ukrainian forces said they repelled more than 20 attacks by the Russian army in Avdiivka and the surrounding regions in the past 24 hours, in what was described as a blow to Moscow’s attempts to use the offensive to show the tide of the war turning in its favour. Mr Zelensky said: “Avdiivka. We are holding our ground. It is Ukrainian courage and unity that will determine how this war will end. We must all remember this.” Municipal officials said the Russian attacks were relentless and the enemy was attacking from all sides. Vitaliy Barabash, head of the city military administration, told Ukrainian television: "The enemy does not stop storming, they come from all directions." Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said Kyiv’s troops had "foiled the plans of the crazed enemy, repelled all attacks and held their positions". Avdiivka holds significant strategic importance for Russia, serving as the crucial gateway to Donetsk, the primary communication hub within the occupied territories. To gain a foothold in occupied Donbas, the Kremlin aims to shift the front line away from Donetsk. In 2022, Russian forces initiated an offensive against Avdiivka, attempting to encircle the city deeply from both sides. This offensive was halted and the region has become a symbol of resistance, holding out against Russian troops ever since. "On average, there are 50-60 instances of intense shelling with artillery and rockets targeting the town," said Mr Barabash. "As for military positions, they get hit at least 500-600 times a day." Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern group of forces, said Russia saw Avdiivka as an opportunity to win a significant victory and "turn the tide of fighting". "Today the capture or encirclement of Avdiivka is probably the most it can achieve at this stage," he said. Geolocated footage of the area showed Russia had advanced in some villages southwest and northwest of Avdiivka this week, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an American non-profit research group and think-tank. Around 64 clashes have been reported in the last 24 hours involving 4 missile attacks, 65 airstrikes and around 54 attacks using multiple launch rocket systems on Ukrainian troops and various settlements, the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an update on Facebook. In the latest overnight attacks, Russia intensified strikes on Danube River ports in the southern Odesa region that have become Kyiv’s main route for food exports since Moscow quit a deal allowing shipments via the Black Sea in July. A military spokesperson said Russia had hit a grain storage facility in the Odesa region and some grain had been damaged but did not say how much. It comes amid fears that Moscow will intensify attacks on power infrastructure to freeze Ukrainians as winter sets in in the repeat of events from last winter. Read More IOC bans Russian Olympic Committee for including annexed Ukraine territories French police probe ‘poisoning’ of TV journalist who denounced Putin’s war live on air Ukraine-Russia war – live: IOC bans Russian Olympic Committee for including annexed territories The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Al Pacino, 83, and Noor Alfallah, 29, are expecting their first child together in June 2023

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IShowSpeed collaborated with Mark Rober in his recent video where he exploded 1000 ping pong balls

A truck driver suspected of causing reckless endangerment to life has been detained in Denmark after potatoes were found spilled on a bridge linking two islands

Sam Brinton, the former Department of Energy official who was accused of stealing a Tanzanian fashion designer’s dresses from her airport luggage, has been arrested as a “fugitive from justice” by Maryland police. Brinton was reportedly taken into custody in Rockville, Maryland by police on Wednesday, according to police records. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police, said the arrest was again related to the alleged theft of airport luggage, reported Fox News. It is the third such allegation made against Brinton. “Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police executed a search warrant May 17 in Montgomery County, Maryland, in connection with allegations of stolen property in luggage from Reagan National Airport that was brought to the department’s attention in February 2023,” James Johnson, a spokesperson for the MWAA, said in a statement. They previously oversaw nuclear waste policy at the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, but more recently has been battling charges related to luggage theft in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton was charged in October for allegedly stealing a traveller’s bags worth a total of $2,325 from the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport on 16 September. They were charged again in early December by Las Vegas prosecutors with grand larceny of an item with a value between $1,200 and $5,000. Those charges accuse Brinton of stealing a suitcase from the Harry Reid International Airport with an estimated worth of $3,670 on 6 July, 2022. That bag also contained jewellery valued at $1,700, clothing valued at $850, and makeup valued at $500. Brinton faced a combined 15 years in prison for the alleged thefts, but judges in both cases determined jail time was not necessary. Brinton made headlines after Tanzanian fashion designer Asya Khamsin spotted them wearing one of her custom-made dresses packed in her luggage that she reported missing in 2018. “I saw the images. Those were my custom designs, which were lost in that bag in 2018,” she told Fox News at the time, adding that Brinton “wore my clothes, which [were] stolen”. She reported the theft to the Houston police, who then forwarded the complaint to the FBI for investigation. The DOE announced Brinton had left the agency shortly after the second set of luggage theft charges were brought against them. The agency did not provide further detail on why Brinton was no longer working at the DOE. Read More Fashion designer who lost her luggage in 2018 claims embattled US nuclear official has been wearing her clothes US nuclear official fired after being accused of stealing luggage from airport Man accused of stealing ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby-red slippers in 2005 indicted by federal grand jury

"It breaks my heart," the Afrobeats star tells fans on Instagram, but says he needs time to recuperate.