Survivors who fled northern Mali say Russian-linked mercenaries carried out summary killings, brutal interrogations and other abuses as part of counter-insurgency operations, forcing thousands to escape across the border.One man, who is now in a refugee camp in Mauritania, described being seized in the town of Nampala last August and subjected to repeated water torture and threats after fighters...

The Royal Navy intercepted and shadowed two Russian ships as they sailed west through the Dover Strait into the English Channel, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.HMS Severn moved to intercept the corvette Stoikiy and the tanker Yelnya in the past fortnight before handing monitoring duties to a NATO vessel off the coast of Brittany.Severn remained nearby, observing from a safe distance and...

Seven suspects have appeared in a Dresden court accused of belonging to a militant far-left cell dubbed Antifa Ost, or the "hammer gang." Prosecutors say the group carried out a string of brutal assaults in Germany and in Budapest.The defendants — six men and one woman — face serious counts including attempted murder, aggravated assault and damage to property.German privacy rules mean they...

Overnight drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine left at least five people dead and sparked fires and blackouts as diplomats weigh revisions to a US-backed peace proposal.Kyiv officials said a large Russian drone strike hit the capital in the early hours, striking at least two high-rise residential buildings and causing multiple fires.Emergency teams evacuated residents, rescued 18 people...

The Royal Navy says it intercepted two Russian naval vessels as they passed west through the Dover Strait into the English Channel. HMS Severn shadowed the RFN Stoikiy, a corvette, and the tanker Yelnya during the encounter in the past fortnight, the UK Ministry of Defence reported. After initially tracking the pair, Severn handed monitoring duties to a NATO partner off the coast of Brittany but...