3 h. ago Venezuela says none of 11 killed in US boat strike were Tren de Aragua members

Interior minister says ‘murder has been committed’ amid rising tensions over US military strike on boat in CaribbeanNone of the 11 people killed in a US military strike on a boat in the Caribbean last week were members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s interior minister has said, as the South American nation deployed troops amid heightened tensions with the US.The administration of Donald Trump has said the boat was transporting illegal narcotics, but has provided scant further information about the incident, even amid demands from members of the US Congress for a justification for the action. Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago Venezuelan president deploying military and militias to 284 ‘battlefront’ locations as tensions with US rise

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro raised the stakes and said the country was ‘ready for an armed fight’

Events

4 h. ago WW3 fears rise as Putin ordered drones into Poland 'on direct path' to NATO base

A number of Russian missiles have been spotted incurring into Polish airspace, but now the motive behind the invasions has been unearthed, only heightening fears of war

Politics

4 h. ago Cyriel Dessers row escalates as Nigeria legend leaps to ex Rangers hero's defence after brutal World Cup slamming

The former Ibrox man came under fire for his display in the 1-1 draw with South Africa on Tuesday

Politics

6 h. ago Emergency UN security council meeting convened after Russian drone incursion into Poland

Numerous European countries offer support but some allies dispute whether incident was deliberate attackAn emergency session of the UN security council will convene on Friday at Poland’s request as Warsaw seeks to rally support after an incursion into the country by Russian drones on Wednesday.Numerous European allies pledged support for Poland, including a promise by Germany to strengthen its military presence on Nato’s eastern flank, but some disputed whether the incursion was a deliberate attack on Poland by Russia and Donald Trump offered little in the way of public support. Continue reading...

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8 h. ago Poland sends 40,000 troops to eastern border as Europe moves closer to war with Russia and Putin masses his forces in Belarus for huge Zapad 2025 military drills following drone 'attack'

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has dubbed the upcoming military exercises 'very aggressive' and has closed the country's border with Belarus in anticipation of the intimidating display.

Events

9 h. ago Poland says UN will hold emergency meeting after Russian drone incursions

Polish, Ukrainian and Lithuanian foreign ministers say act was deliberate and coordinated as Trump offers little supportEurope live – latest updatesPoland said the UN security council would hold an emergency meeting over an incursion into the country by Russian drones on Wednesday as allies disputed whether it was a deliberate attack on Poland by Russia and Donald Trump offered little in the way of public support.Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, told local radio Poland planned to use the security council meeting to “draw the world’s attention to this unprecedented Russian drone attack on a member of the UN, EU and Nato”. Continue reading...

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9 h. ago Voices: ‘Error of judgement’: Starmer’s backing of Mandelson draws fury from Independent readers

Our community has criticised Starmer’s initial defence of Mandelson, questioning the prime minister’s judgement, and calling for accountability over the Epstein-linked scandal

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9 h. ago NATO’s first battle with Russian drones inside its own borders puts alliance on defensive

For over three years, Ukraine has been battling Russian attack drones

Events

10 h. ago Drones fired into Poland by Putin's forces 'were on a direct path to NATO base that supplies Ukraine'

Russian drones sent into Polish airspace were reportedly heading to a NATO base used to supply Ukraine, it has been revealed. 

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10 h. ago Russian drone incursion an ‘aggressive, reckless act’, says EU as Poland plans no

Poland is seeking to step up its defences with plans to restrict air traffic in the eastern part of the countryGrynkewich now gets a specific question on Poland.He speaks about how allied command operations worked in this case, with every level “doing exactly what they were supposed to do, which was to defend Alliance territory.”“But when you’re when you’re an operational commander, and you have a capability and there’s an attack or an incursion into your airspace, the cost of the weapon doesn’t matter at that moment in time; you’re going to use it to defend our population.” Continue reading...

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10 h. ago Jared Harris: ‘Dad knocked out an Irishman then brought him round by throwing Guinness in his face’

Ahead of his new film Brave the Dark, the star of Mad Men and The Terror (and the son of Richard Harris) answers your questions about his favourite pub, feeling seasick in Hamlet and playing John LennonYou seem to have a predilection to play real-life characters who die prematurely. Who would you like to play who lives to old age? NeilHVWell, I don’t know if that’s true. Captain Crozier [from The Terror] didn’t die, and Lane Pryce [from Mad Men] wasn’t real. I would love to play [the 19th-century US president] Ulysses S Grant. His history has largely been written by southern US historians and so his achievements have largely been denigrated. But his campaigns are taught in all the military academies around the world. Despite a pretty disastrous presidency, he still managed to [sign a] Civil Rights Act – and he destroyed the Ku Klux Klan.When the civil war broke out he sold firewood by the side of the road to try to put food on the table for his family. Eight years later, he was pres...

Politics

11 h. ago British Army sends message to Putin as UK readies for drills amid NATO tensions

The British Army will carry out military exercises in the Scottish Borders later this month as NATO ramps up efforts to prepare for more Russian incursions.

Events

11 h. ago British Army sends message to Putin in Scottish Borders mission

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed the drills will run until early October

Politics

12 h. ago South Park under pressure as episode mocking Charlie Kirk before shooting is pulled

South Park writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been slammed by Charlie Kirk fans after the right-wing influencer was shot dead at a rally - but others have leapt to the show's defence

Events

13 h. ago Vladimir Putin reaches grim milestone as Ukraine war death toll for 2025 confirmed

Ukrainian officials claim Russia's military losses are three times higher than Ukraine's

Events

14 h. ago Europe on edge as Putin's forces gather for huge Zapad 2025 military drills feared to be potential rehearsal of invasion as UN security council holds emergency meeting following Poland drone 'attack'

The drills come around roughly every four years. The last, in 2021 (pictured), led to a massive buildup of forces in Belarus that were used to attack Ukraine

Events

14 h. ago UN security council to hold emergency meeting as Poland plans no

Poland is seeking to step up its defences with plans to restrict air traffic in the eastern part of the countryForeign ministers of Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland have just issued a joint statement “strongly condemning the recent incursion of Russian drones into Polish territory,” calling it a “deliberate and coordinated attack” and an “unprecedented provocation.”They recognised the need for “better coordination and operational coopration between our respective structures responsible for air security” to “prevent the harmful consequences of Russia’s outrageous actions.”Only an adequate and resolute response will half further escalation. Continue reading...

Events

15 h. ago What we know about the Gerbera drones that caused chaos in Poland’s airspace

Ukraine and Western analysts say Russia uses the Gerbera as a cheap way to saturate Ukraine's air defences

Events

15 h. ago Young people across Dumfries and Galloway enjoy packed summer activity programme

The youth work service arranged everything from magic masterclasses and self-defence workshops to sports sessions, movie nights and more.

Politics