World News

Poland is recalling 50 of its ambassadors as Warsaw tries to improve diplomatic missions at a difficult time, with neighbouring Ukraine battling Russia's full-scale war.The diplomats were all appointed by the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which had held power since 2015 before losing December's general election. Those being recalled have not been named by Poland's foreign ministry, which said in a statement the "necessary" move "will help to […]

Russians are set to head to the polls for their country's presidential election - with only one expected outcome.With Alexei Navalny dead in unexplained circumstances and opposition candidate Boris Nadezhdin barred from running, there is nobody remaining to pose a serious obstacle to another six years of rule by Vladimir Putin. Nonetheless, the election will be closely watched by those looking for insight into Russia's political machinations, as well as […]

Gunmen who kidnapped at least 286 students and staff from a school in Nigeria have demanded one billion naira – the equivalent of £486,000 – for their release, community leaders have said.The children and adults were abducted last Thursday in Kuriga, a town in Nigeria's north-western Kaduna State. At least 100 of the pupils are aged 12 or younger.Jubril Aminu, a spokesperson for the families of the hostages, said the […]

Director Roman Polanski is facing a civil trial in the US after being sued by a woman who has accused him of raping her at his home when she was under 18 in 1973.The claim was aired in a news conference led by well-known US lawyer Gloria Allred. The claimant also appeared but did not give her name and was introduced as Jane Doe. "It took me a really long […]

A polio survivor, who lived inside an iron lung for 70 years, has died at the age of 78.Paul Alexander, widely known as "Polio Paul", contracted the viral disease in the summer of 1952 when he was six years old and was left paralysed from the neck down.He was rushed to hospital in Texas - and woke up inside the metal cylinder where he would spend the rest of his […]

Migrants who have been refused asylum in the UK will be offered thousands of pounds to move to Rwanda under a new "voluntary" scheme drawn up by the government, according to reports.The move, which is separate to the government's plan to send to people to Rwanda to have their claims processed, has already been agreed with the east African country, The Times newspaper is reporting. The new relocation scheme is […]

Israel has been urged by Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron to open one of its ports to allow aid arriving by sea to get through to Gaza.He also called for more visas to be issued to UN workers to ensure humanitarian assistance could be distributed in the Palestinian territory. Politics latest: Minister breaks ranks over Tory donor rowSpeaking in the House of Lords, Lord Cameron said: "We are doing all […]

A British baby has died after a car crashed into a group of holidaymakers in Lanzarote, according to local media. The driver, a 23-year-old British woman, who lives on the Spanish island, tested positive for drugs and alcohol, according to reports.Two vehicles are said to have collided before a car mounted the pavement near the Aqualava water park in the southern holiday resort of Playa Blanca on Monday evening.Officials said […]

Former RTE correspondent Charlie Bird has died aged 74 after a long battle with motor neurone disease.Bird was chief news correspondent with RTE News until January 2009, before later retiring in 2012. Seamus Dooley, Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: "Although we have been expecting this news, it is still a moment of enormous sadness."Supported by his wife Claire, Charlie lived his battle with motor neurone disease […]