The EU will not lift sanctions on Syria before its new rulers ensure minorities are not persecuted and women’s rights are protected within a unified government that disavows religious extremism, the EU’s top diplomat said. An EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Monday, which had Syria on the agenda, would not discuss expanding financial support to the country beyond …

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested for the first time he would be willing to give up Ukrainian territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership — a deal he says would end the “hot phase” of the 33-month-old war. The Ukrainian president told UK-based Sky News the NATO membership invitation would have to be officially extended to the entire country as …

This page is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates from the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday, August 11: The Paris Olympics 2024 comes to an end with the closing ceremony. The event at Stade de France in Paris moved to Los Angeles at the end, ahead of the 2028 Games, where Billie Eilish, …

More than 60 people have been killed and 145 wounded when camouflage-clad gunmen fired automatic weapons on concertgoers near Moscow with Islamic State claiming responsibility for what was one of the deadliest attacks on Russia in decades. Gunmen sprayed civilians with bullets just before Soviet-era rock group Picnic was to perform to a full house at the 6200-seat the Crocus …

Western governments have lined up to condemn Vladimir Putin’s landslide election victory as unfair and undemocratic, but China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran Russian leader on extending his rule by a further six years. The contrasting reactions underscored the geopolitical fault lines that have gaped wider since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, triggering …

The Kremlin has rejected what it said were lies that President Vladimir Putin had lookalike body doubles who stood in for the 70-year-old leader and that he spent much of his time shielding in a nuclear bunker. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov listed what he said were fabrications about Russia in a speech that touched on the country’s history since the …

Australia is being called on to increase its military and economic support for Ukraine as other nations step up their assistance. Next month marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine and the United States and Germany have expanded their support with additional tank commitments. Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said similar military equipment help was expected from Poland, Finland and the …

Russia’s defence ministry says its forces have taken control of the salt-mining town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces captured the town, long the focus of heavy fighting and bombardment, on Thursday evening, the ministry said, according to a state media report on Friday. This would now allow its troops to cut off Ukrainian forces from the nearby, much …

Ukraine has accused Vladimir Putin of invoking a “new state of terror” as the Russian president declared martial law in four annexed regions where Moscow’s troops are losing ground. Mr Putin made the decree in four territories that Russia claims are its own but where it’s struggling to take control as Ukraine regains territory. These regions are Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia …

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II has died “peacefully”, age 96, bringing an end to the Elizabethan era which lasted more than 70 years. Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday afternoon (local time) after doctors had recommended she remain under medical supervision. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the palace …