World

NATO looks set to agree next week to the biggest overhaul of its defences since the Cold War, including a major expansion of a 40,000-strong force on alert to respond in a crisis. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which is not in NATO – has triggered a fundamental rethink in how the alliance deters President

Kyrbartai, in the south-west corner of Lithuania, is not a town that feels like it was designed for fame. Nobody comes here to admire the architecture or dwell on the natural beauty. It’s hardly tranquil or relaxing – a steady stream of lorries thunder along its main road. To be honest, it’s not particularly welcoming

At least 255 people have been killed after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan, officials have said. The quake struck about 27 miles (44km) from the city of Khost, close to the country’s border with Pakistan, and was at a depth of 31.6 miles (51km), according to the US Geological Survey. Afghanistan’s state-run news

UNICEF has told Sky News there will be a mass death of children in the Horn of Africa without international help, as the worst drought in 40 years is made worse by the war in Ukraine. “The statistics are showing that the malnutrition levels among children are higher than the 2011 famine,” Jamal Abdi Sarman,

Vladimir Putin was “playing hockey” at the weekend, the Kremlin has said, dismissing rumours the Russian president may be suffering from a secret medical illness. Barely a day has passed without fresh speculation about the health and welfare of the Russian leader since his country’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine news live: First Russian vessel destroyed

A Russian journalist awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, has sold his medal for £84 million – and donated the money to Ukrainian refugee children. Dmitry Muratov, editor of the Russian Novaya Gazeta newspaper fiercely critical of the Kremlin, was jointly awarded the prize last year with fellow journalist Maria Ressa of the Philippines. But on

The ward for severely malnourished children was full. They were putting patients on mattresses on the floor. One-year-old Mohamed was having a nasal drip inserted to make sure he gets vitally-needed fluids. On the bed above him another Mohamed was being examined. Just two months old, he was born two months premature. He is his

Deep in the woods in eastern Ukraine, a tank unit has hidden itself underneath the trees.  Their giant machines, which include Soviet-era T-72s and a more advanced T-84 are protected by summer foliage in a luxurious stand, the plump leaves blocking out most of the light. Still, that is not enough to reassure the tank

Dozens of people have died and millions of homes are underwater following huge floods in north-eastern India and Bangladesh. At least 59 people have been killed according to the AFP news agency. Lightning storms have killed at least 21 people in Bangladesh, while the remainder were lost to floods, lightning and landslides in India, the

Evan Somers says he’s used to verbal abuse over his sexual orientation. As a young gay man living in Dublin however, he wouldn’t let it get in the way of him enjoying the vibrant nightlife. But in the early hours of one Saturday, that abuse turned into a devastating physical attack that has left him

Boris Johnson has said he hopes Ukraine will be able to host next year’s Eurovision song contest, after the country was ruled out due to the war with Russia. Ukraine won this year’s contest, but the event’s organisers said the 2023 edition could not go ahead in the war-torn country, with the UK being considered

A pensioner shot dead three guests at a church potluck dinner in a wealthy suburb of Alabama. Police said the 71-year-old man, who had previously attended services at the St Stephen’s Episcopal Church, pulled out a handgun at the event and killed three elderly participants, one of whom died in his wife’s arms. Another guest

Ukraine could become a member of the European Union after the EU Commission proposed it as a candidate, the first step on a long road toward membership for the war-torn country. Ukraine applied for membership in the bloc less than a week after Russia first invaded the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the news from

Russia has “strategically lost” the war in Ukraine and is a “more diminished power”, the head of the UK’s armed forces has said. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said Vladimir Putin had lost 25% of Russia’s land power for only “tiny” gains. And while Russia may achieve “tactical successes” in the coming weeks, he said any

The wife of a British journalist killed in the Amazon has said his family can “say goodbye with love” after his body was found. The remains of Dom Phillips and his companion, indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, were found near where the pair disappeared on 5 June, the Brazilian justice minister Anderson Torres said. A suspect

The main suspect in the killings of a British journalist and indigenous expert has confessed – and taken officers to the site where their bodies were buried, police have said. Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira went missing on 5 June on a remote stretch of the Itaquai River in Brazil. Police investigator, officer Eduardo Alexandre

Rumours constantly circulate about Vladimir Putin’s health – but is there anything to back up the claims? During a live session of questions and answers on Sky News with defence and security analyst, Professor Michael Clarke, one viewer asked: Is Putin really ill or is it just wishful thinking? Mr Clarke said speculation about Mr

Russia has demanded that Ukrainian forces holed up in a Severodonetsk chemical plant lay down their weapons and surrender this morning. It comes as Moscow’s forces inch closer to gaining control of the strategically important city – one of the last in the Donbas region that they have yet to win. Ukraine has said that

Pope Francis has said the war in Ukraine was “perhaps in some way provoked or not impeded”. While condemning “the ferocity, the cruelty of Russian troops”, he said “we must not forget the real problems if we want them to be solved” – including the armaments industry among the factors that provide incentives for war.

All bridges to the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk are now impassable, making it impossible to get civilians out and humanitarian aid in. Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, which includes Severodonetsk, said that Russians had destroyed two of the three bridges connecting the city with Lysychansk, and the third is old and unsafe. Mr