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

Ukrainian troops are thought to have used British Challenger 2 tanks in their offensive inside Russia, Sky News understands. If confirmed, it would be the first time British tanks – operated by Ukrainian soldiers – have been used in combat on Russian territory. The Ministry of Defence in London declined to comment on operational detail.

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

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

Russia has begun to thwart a week-long Ukrainian incursion into its Kursk region, Moscow has claimed. Russian army units – including fresh reserves, aircraft, drone teams and artillery forces – have stopped Ukrainian troops from gaining further territory near the settlements of Obshchy Kolodez, Snagost, Kauchuk and Alexeyevsky, the Russian defence ministry said. The influx

Newborn twins in Gaza were killed with their mother and grandmother as their father went to collect birth certificates earlier today. Aysal, a girl, and brother Aser were born over the weekend and were just four days old when father Mohammed Abu al Qumsan left their home in Deir al Balah, central Gaza. By the

An Israeli hostage held in Gaza has been shot dead by his guard, Hamas has said. In a separate incident, two women being held in Gaza were seriously wounded, the militant group said. Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’ armed al-Qassam Brigades, said a committee has been formed to investigate what happened in both incidents. More

This was everything Paris could have hoped for. The world was captivated by the wondrous distraction of the Olympics; venues fizzing with excitement and energy. There were daring reimagining of Olympic norms – the opening ceremony shifted from a stadium to water and a cauldron floating in the air. All contrasting with the soullessness of

A snaking line of armoured personnel carriers takes us to the epicentre of the last stand of Islamic State (IS). The troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) move swiftly through the Deir Azzour region in northeast Syria. They’re often the target of attacks from IS sleeper cells they believe operate here – and which

With his troops battling hard inside Russia, Ukraine’s president has finally broken his silence on an invasion that has stunned his much larger and more powerful neighbour. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the operation, which began on Tuesday in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, as “our actions to push the war out into the aggressor’s territory”. Giving a