Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has criticised Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril islands on Thursday as “absolutely unacceptable”.

Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, one of four islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by Russia and Japan.

The countries have been locked in a dispute over the Kurils for decades – but why? And what do we know about the tiny islands?

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Four Renaissance paintings of “extraordinary value” have been stolen from a museum in Sicily, Italy’s culture minister has said.

Alessandro Giuli confirmed that three panels of the Polyptych of San Gregorio and a double-sided panel of the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà, all attributed to Antonello da Messina, were taken from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina on Saturday night.

Police are now probing how the thieves were able to enter the museum without triggering its alarms and who may have been responsible.

The incident is the latest in a string of museum heists across Europe that have led to a growing number of priceless works disappearing from public view.

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It’s been confirmed that British-made drones are being used to strike targets deep inside Russia.

The drones, built by two British companies, have been used in mainland Russia in widespread and strikes on military and industrial targets, including refineries and warehouses of online retailer Wildberries.

A well-placed military source confirmed to the BBC the UK drones had been used.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has previously said drones using UK components and configurations have been used to attack Russian territory, including a fuel depot in the Kamensky District of the Rostov Region.

In April, the UK Ministry of Defence announced it would supply Ukraine tens of thousands of drones, including long-range strike devices, in its biggest ever package.

The MoD described its support for Ukraine is “unwavering” and said it would stand by its ally “until it wins”. A spokesperson said: “We are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion.

In the latest wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russia, Moscow’s mayor said that hundreds of drones had been launched towards the Russian capital overnight.
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A warehouse belonging to Russian retailer Wildberries was hit. The company, a Russian mass retailer of goods online, equivalent to Amazon, has been repeatedly targeted since July.

Kyiv said at the time it was targeting logistics hubs used by Russians to buy military equipment and disrupting supplies to the Russian army.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Dan Johnson and Joe Inwood.

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As US President Donald Trump lays claim to controlling the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran has called his claims “lies”.

Meanwhile, the US has made a rare criticism of Israel, its ally in the war in Iran, after its defence minister said troops would stay in southern Lebanon.

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