The supreme leader of the Taliban met in Afghanistan with Qatar’s prime minister this month

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections

Deep-sea researchers have completed the first full-size digital scan of the Titanic, showing the entire wreck in unprecedented detail and clarity

A Russian helicopter pilot defected to Ukraine after reportedly being "lured" during a six-month intelligence operation, Ukraine claims. Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency said an Mi-8 helicopter landed at a Ukrainian airfield with the pilot and his unsuspecting crew members, without specifying when. It comes after a Russian military blogger claimed in recent weeks that a helicopter crossed the border with three people on board after it had lost its way, but Ukraine now claims this was a deliberate move. "This was a GUR operation,” spokesperson Andriy Yusov said on Wednesday. “The aircraft moved according to the plan. "You will need to wait a bit, work is being conducted, including with the crew. Everything is fine, there will be news." Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda cited unnamed intelligence sources saying the agency worked for months to convince the pilot to cooperate and fly the aircraft to Ukraine. The report said the helicopter landed in eastern Ukraine with the pilot. Two other crew members who were unaware of the plan were subsequently "liquidated". Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov said the helicopter was fully operational and would serve in the Ukrainian armed forces after being examined. According to The Guardian, Russian blogger Fighterbomber, presented the cross-border flight as an accident originally, saying: "The crew, for some reason, lost their bearings and crossed the border. “Realising where they landed, they made an attempt to take off, but were shot while the helicopter was on the ground. Presumably, two board members died and the commander was taken hostage.” If true, the news of such a defection would come as a huge blow to Moscow as it has struggled to establish air superiority in Ukraine. Just days ago it was reported that a supersonic Russian bomber was destroyed in a drone attack hundreds of miles from Ukraine. Ukraine is also awaiting the delivery of dozens of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands. However, the planes will only be handed over once after the pilots are trained, which will not happen until next year. Read More I warned Wagner chief to watch out for threats to his life, says Belarus president Lukashenko Ukraine aid faces a stress test as some GOP 2024 presidential candidates balk at continued support Estonia's pro-Ukrainian PM faces pressure to quit over husband's indirect Russian business links The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

A survey shows Chinese factory activity contracted in July as export orders shrank

Lucy Dacus has always been vocal about their political views, and previously criticized Donald Trump by calling him an 'evil, bigoted man'

The US will send cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Friday, following months of debate within the Biden administration about whether to provide Kyiv with the controversial weapons banned by over 100 countries including key US allies.

US stock futures opened higher at the start of Asian trading on Thursday as risk sentiment turned positive

MrBeast has produced content centered on giving away expensive goods and incredible sums of money, earning the nickname 'the giveaway king'

The White House says it has new intelligence that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia looks to North Korea for additional munitions for the Ukraine war

Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his long-expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week

A local activist in Niger with ties to the military regime says the only way to avoid conflict in the country between mutinous soldiers that ousted the president and regional nations who are threatening an invasion to reinstate him, is to recognize the new regime as the ones in power