A month of air strikes, economic collapse and harsh crackdowns has left many Iranians living on edge, sleepless and worried about survival.In Tehran a young woman — given a pseudonym for her safety — describes the moment the war came into her office: a violent blast, smoke on the skyline and instant panic as colleagues fled to the roof.Her employer closed the business that day and let staff...

Two Russian men have gone on trial in Angola accused of running a covert influence campaign to stir anti-government unrest and interfere in next year’s presidential vote.Igor Ratchin and Lev Lakshtanov were arrested in August and face 11 charges between them, including terrorism, espionage and influence peddling.Angolan prosecutors say the pair worked with a wider network that grew out of...

A leading offshore trade group has urged the UK government to allow more North Sea oil and gas activity, warning that shrinking domestic output is leaving the nation exposed to volatile global markets.Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said recent supply shocks and rising crude prices have underlined the need for more home-grown hydrocarbons to reduce import dependence.The trade body pointed to...

Two Russian men are set to stand trial in Angola, accused of running a covert campaign to sow dissent, spread false information and interfere in next year’s presidential vote.Igor Ratchin and Lev Lakshtanov were detained in August and face 11 counts including terrorism, espionage and illicit influence.Angolan prosecutors say their activities were part of a wider operation tied to a network that...

Rachel Reeves arrives at today's Budget under intense scrutiny, aiming to steady a struggling government and buy a little breathing room for Labour.She will frame the package as a set of difficult but necessary trade-offs, focused on three headline goals: easing pressure on household budgets, shortening NHS waiting lists and beginning to bring public debt under control.Delivering on those aims...

One of Jacob Zuma’s daughters has filed a criminal complaint alleging her sister recruited South African men to fight alongside Russian mercenary forces in the Ukraine war.Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube says Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a member of parliament, and two others persuaded 17 men to travel abroad by telling them they were going to Russia to train as bodyguards for the former president’s party,...

A criminal complaint has been lodged by Nkosazana Zuma‑Mncube, one of former president Jacob Zuma’s daughters, alleging that her sister recruited South African men to fight in the Russia‑Ukraine war.The complaint names MP Duduzile Zuma‑Sambudla and two others, accusing them of deceiving 17 men into traveling to Russia.According to the allegation, the recruits were told they would train as...