World

Vladimir Putin has paid his first visit to Chechnya in 13 years to visit military volunteers – who he hailed for making Russia “invincible”. Mr Putin’s visit came against the backdrop of Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, which shows no signs of abating. But elsewhere in the war – which started after Mr Putin

A man who police said confessed to killing 42 women and was being detained over the discovery of dismembered bodies in Kenya’s capital has escaped from custody. Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, was being held at a police station in Nairobi after a court allowed detectives seven more days to investigate his alleged crimes before charging

The Kremlin’s threats of retaliation are a bluff, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed, with his country’s forces now said to be in control of 90 settlements in the Russian border region of Kursk. The Ukrainian president told a gathering of diplomats that troops have gained over 1,250 square kilometres in Russia since the surprise

One person is dead and six are missing after a superyacht carrying mostly British people was caught in a tornado and sank off the coast of Palermo, according to Italian media. Fifteen people were rescued from the 49-meter (160-foot) sailboat after the disaster, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the Italian fire rescue service. The

The military pickup truck accelerates as it bursts out of a treeline and across an open field towards a Ukrainian mortar position about half a mile from the Russian border. A soldier sitting in the back with a Sky News team says the extra speed is needed because of the threat from Russian drones. Once

Frenetic shuttle diplomacy is under way to end the war in Gaza and avert an Iranian and Hezbollah attack on Israel. But there remains a wide gap between Hamas and Israel on the face of it. Hamas wants Israel’s military out of Gaza and not coming back before it gives up the Israeli hostages it

Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of people including two families in both Gaza and Lebanon, while Hezbollah fired a volley of 55 rockets into northern Israel in response. World leaders urged restraint and tried to frame the ceasefire negotiations as heading in a positive direction. But in an interview with Sky News, the leader of Hamas

Joe Biden’s optimism about an imminent Israel-Hamas ceasefire is just a bid to keep hostile powers calm and there have been “no improvements”, a spokesman for the militant group has told Sky News. The US president told reporters on Friday he was “optimistic” and there are “just a couple more issues” that US, Qatari, and

A key Russian bridge has been destroyed by Ukraine’s air force, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Kyiv is “strengthening” its positions in the Kursk region. Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleschuk shared a video of the moment when a bridge was hit by “high precision strikes” on Telegram. The bridge – which crosses the River Seym

Hundreds of protesters have been arrested in India after mass demonstrations over the rape and murder of a doctor. More than 1,500 people have been detained in the state of West Bengal, where the crime took place, during the days-long protests by doctors and women’s groups who have been calling for better protection. Richa Garg,

A key ally of Vladimir Putin has urged Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to the conflict, as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s troops had captured a key Russian town. The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with Russian state television amid Ukraine‘s ongoing incursion on

A round of talks aimed to restore peace in Gaza will take place in Qatar on Thursday, with a deal the likeliest way of preventing a wider conflict from breaking out in the Middle East. Officials from the US, Qatar and Egypt will be meeting an Israeli delegation in Doha in the latest efforts by

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has said she doesn’t feel like she is in her own body, having returned to tennis after giving birth. The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to professional tennis in January after giving birth to her first daughter, Shai, last July. But since her comeback, the 26-year-old has struggled for consistency, failing

Thailand’s prime minister has been removed from office after a court ruled he violated ethical standards. Srettha Thavisin was dismissed after judges said he failed to perform his duty with integrity after his appointment of a cabinet member who had been imprisoned over an alleged attempt to bribe a court official. The court ruled 5-4

A Ukrainian soldier holds up a Russian rifle taken from inside Russia.  “A trophy,” he says, smiling. One of his colleagues, also grinning, produces a military uniform patch that reads “Armed Forces of Russia” and a 10 rouble note. “Russian money,” he says. Image: Ukrainian ‘trophies’ – a Russian military uniform patch and a 10-rouble

On the eve of crucial Gaza ceasefire talks, Iran has dramatically upped the ante. For two weeks Israel has faced a nerve-wracking wait for Iranian retaliation for the assassinations of two Hezbollah and Hamas figures in Tehran and Beirut. Now Iranian officials say Iran will attack Israel directly if Gaza ceasefire talks, scheduled tomorrow in

A new strain of Mpox is spreading across Africa at an alarming rate. There is a 160% increase in cases compared with the same period last year, while deaths have jumped by around 19%. The continent’s top health body has declared a public health emergency as it tries to limit infections, with more than 15,000

Hospital services have been disrupted in several Indian cities following nationwide doctor protests over the rape and murder of a trainee medic. Thousands of doctors marched on Monday in Kolkata and the surrounding West Bengal state to denounce the killing at a government-run hospital. Protesters are demanding better security and justice for the 31-year-old doctor,

Germany has issued a European arrest warrant against a Ukrainian diving instructor who was allegedly part of a team that blew up Nord Stream gas pipelines, according to German media.  Police believe the man, last known to have lived in Poland, was one of the divers who allegedly planted explosive devices on pipelines running from

A homeless charity in New Zealand has unwittingly given out sweets containing a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine after they were donated by a member of the public. The amount of the drug in each wrapper is up to 300 times the level someone would normally take and could be lethal, the New Zealand Drug