Nato leaders yesterday agreed that Ukraine’s future lies within the alliance but they stopped short of handing Kyiv the invitation or timetable for accession it sought, a stance that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier criticised as “absurd”.

A prickly American caterpillar’s trauma-inducing venom can punch a hole in cells thanks to a mechanism inherited 400 million years ago from bacteria, a team of Australian scientists said yesterday.

The United States yesterday slapped sanctions on Serbia’s pro-Moscow intelligence chief and former defense minister for alleged corruption and involvement in drug trafficking.

Russia blocked a nine-month extension of a key Syria aid route at the United Nations Security Council yesterday, throwing the vital mechanism that provides life-saving support to millions of people into doubt.

Human Rights Watch yesterday called on the International Criminal Court to investigate possible “war crimes” in Sudan’s Darfur region where fighting has intensified despite calls for an end to the conflict.

Authorities in Nepal retrieved the bodies of all six people killed in a helicopter crash yesterday, including five Mexican nationals, authorities said, the latest in a series of air disasters to strike the Himalayan nation.

The wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is petitioning the British government’s decision to extradite him to the United States, on Monday appealed for clemency from the US president.

Asean foreign ministers gathered in Indonesia yesterday for talks dominated by the crisis in Myanmar, with the regional bloc divided over how or whether to reengage with the country’s ruling junta.

According to the latest declarations by the West Bengal State Election Commission, the TMC is leading in 18,332 gram panchayat seats. Its nearest rival BJP is leading in 4,592 seats out of 63,329 seats as of 5:30 pm yesterday. CPI(M) is leading in 1,894 seats. The Congress in 1,142 seats.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday announced his retirement from politics, nine years after he took power in a military coup, and promised to stay in charge only temporarily.

The goals the world set to ease extreme poverty, improve access to drinking water and take steps toward sustainable development for all humanity are “in peril,” the United Nations has said in a report published Monday.

The goals the world set to ease extreme poverty, improve access to drinking water and take steps toward sustainable development for all humanity are "in peril," the United Nations has said in a report published Monday

Spain's coastguard said Monday it rescued 86 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa aboard a boat near the Canary Islands that had been spotted earlier in the day by a rescue plane

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he was "very happy" and hailed "a good day for Sweden".

US President Joe Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview that Ukraine is not yet ready for Nato membership, saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, in an unexpected move, said yesterday the European Union should open the way for Ankara’s accession to the bloc before Turkey’s parliament approves Sweden’s bid to join the Nato military alliance.

Sudan’s government yesterday refused to participate in a regional meeting to resolve the crisis in the conflict-wracked nation, accusing Kenya, which chaired the talks, of favouring rival forces.

Israeli forces yesterday shot a gunman who the army said fired on soldiers in the occupied West Bank, with the Palestinian health ministry reporting the alleged assailant was killed.

President Vladimir Putin held Kremlin talks with Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin days after denouncing an armed mutiny he had led as treasonous, Putin’s spokesman said yesterday, as Russia’s top general resurfaced for the first time.

More than 61,000 people died due to the heat during Europe’s record-breaking summer last year, a study said yesterday which called for more to be done to protect against even deadlier heatwaves expected in the coming years.