World

Multiple videos of a crowd in China attacking and flipping over a police car have gone viral on social media, marking another incident of civil disobedience that has broken through the country’s wall of digital censorship. A large group of people gathered in Luyi County, Henan, on 2 January, where it’s understood that frustrations against

A woman who lived in the same house where four University of Idaho students were murdered says she saw a masked man in black clothing walking towards her, according to an investigator. The unidentified housemate said she awoke to the sound of crying and opened her second-floor door around 4am and stood in “frozen shock”

He made history during his life – and now, Pope Benedict XVI will do so in death. For the first time in many hundreds of years, the Vatican will hold a funeral service for a former pope, presided over by the present Pope. The service begins this morning after three days in which Benedict’s body,

Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon”, has been removed from his role as head of Russia’s war in Ukraine only three months into the job. He has been replaced by chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov, who is head of the Russian military. The change was announced by Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, and was

The landscape around the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut has come to resemble a First World War battlefield, the ground carved up by artillery and cut with networks of trenches. For months, Russian forces including Wagner Group mercenaries have relentlessly attacked the city as they pursue full control of the Donbas region, but to no avail.

Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Kevin McCarthy to become the new House of Representatives speaker as chaos gripped the Republicans when hardliners blocked the appointment. Republican bosses had planned to replace Democrat speaker Nancy Pelosi with party leader Mr McCarthy after wrestling control of the House in the recent midterm elections But the

The coffin of football legend Pele has been carried through the streets of Santos in Brazil as the public paid their final respects to the sporting icon. Thousands of fans gathered to watch the procession to say their last goodbye to the three-time World Cup winner ahead of his private burial. The casket, draped in

Unseasonably warm conditions and sparse snowfall has forced some low-level ski resorts to shut in recent days – as Europe started the new year with record-breaking temperatures. Bare mountainsides and slushy runs have reignited fears over the effect of climate change on many mountain towns that rely on winter tourism. Temperatures in France at the

Two Britons were among four killed after two helicopters collided mid-air near a marine theme park in the Australian state of Queensland. An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of two British nationals who died in Australia and are in contact with the local authorities.” The collision occurred on the Gold Coast at

Thousands of football fans are saying a final farewell to Brazil football hero Pele at the home of his former club Santos. The coffin of the three-time World Cup winner was carried to the centre circle of the Brazilian’s club’s Vila Belmiro stadium where he will lie in state for 24 hours. The sporting icon,

Brazil officially has a new but familiar president as Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in for the third time. The leftist politician, known as Lula, had held Brazil’s highest office between 2003 and 2010 after three attempts to get the top job. Now aged 77, he entered office having defeated far-right candidate Jair

Andrew Tate’s Twitter account has been used to protest the influencer’s innocence after he was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking. Tate’s account, which is followed by more than four million people, tweeted on Saturday: “God is on our side, so the Matrix will not win.” It comes after the controversial “self-help” social media influencer,

Blasts have been heard in Kyiv and air raid sirens wailed across the country just after midnight, forcing Ukrainians to abandon New Year celebrations and head to bomb shelters. The latest apparent Russian salvo followed blasts on New Year’s Eve in multiple regions of Ukraine, with one person killed and 20 reported injured in the capital

Former pope Benedict XVI, who became the first pontiff to resign in some 600 years, has died aged 95. Pope Francis, who replaced him as head of the Catholic Church, had asked the faithful to pray for him at the end of his general audience on Wednesday morning. The Vatican said Benedict’s body will lie

People arriving in England from mainland China will have to provide a negative COVID test before flying, the government has said. A growing list of countries, including the US, have announced similar rules in recent days. The Department of Health and Social Care said the “precautionary and temporary” measure would take effect from 5 January.

Brazil football great Pele has been praised all over the world following his death at age 82. But his greatness on the pitch has been hailed by his peers for decades. Here is a selection of quotes by fellow players, past and present. Sir Bobby Charlton, England’s World Cup winner in 1966: “I sometimes feel

The former pope is “absolutely lucid and alert” and his condition is serious but stable, the Vatican has said. The update comes a day after Pope Francis said his predecessor, Benedict XVI, was “very sick” and asked people to pray so God would comfort him “to the very end”. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “The

Brazilian football star Pele has died at the age of 82, his agent has confirmed. The former Santos FC star, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, had been at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo since 29 November. A medical report just before Christmas showed that he needed

Doctors in China have described the chaos unfolding within hospitals as COVID-19 infections sweep the country. Three health care professionals spoke anonymously to Sky News, painting a picture of emergency departments “packed” with patients, “ventilators and oxygen machines everywhere” and “not enough IV beds”. Strict zero-COVID restrictions were lifted just three weeks ago in China

More than half of passengers on a flight from China to Italy have tested positive for COVID-19 – as China prepares to open up its borders despite a huge surge in infections. Two flights into Milan were among the first to see passengers subjected to new mandatory testing imposed on Chinese travellers. Guido Bertolaso, Lombardy