World

Ukraine says it is launching a counter-offensive in the south but as this gruesome war enters its sixth month people living on the frontline in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine fear the shelling will never end. And they worry they’ve been forgotten about and left behind in the face of a slowly advancing Russian

North Korea is ready to mobilise its nuclear war deterrent “accurately and promptly”, leader Kim Jong Un has claimed. He said the country was ready for any potential military conflicts with the United States as well as South Korea, criticising it’s new president Yoon Suk-yeol for the first time and warning Seoul was pushing towards

Russia’s foreign minister has denied his country is responsible for the worldwide surge in food prices following its invasion of Ukraine as shipping companies continue to avoid the war-torn nation. Speaking during his visit to several African nations, Sergei Lavrov dismissed the “so-called food crisis” and accused the US and Europe of causing prices to

China has threatened “firm and resolute measures” if US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi makes her rumoured trip to Taiwan. Mrs Pelosi had planned to visit the island in April, but the trip was cancelled after she tested positive for coronavirus. Her office has not confirmed any details of a rescheduled trip, but her comments last

European Union members have agreed a plan for dramatic cuts in their use of natural gas in the event that Russia halts its supply to the continent. Under the deal agreed by the energy ministers in Brussels, member states will reduce their consumption by 15%. However, the deal has been done on a voluntary basis,

The pope donned an indigenous feathered headdress as he visited Canada to apologise for the Catholic Church’s roles in schools where indigenous children were abused. Pope Francis said the forced assimilation of native peoples into Christian society destroyed their cultures, severed their families and marginalised generations in ways which are still being felt today. “I

It’s five months since Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine and four since Russia published any kind of casualty count. 1,351 Russian servicemen killed they said then, with no update since. No word on the missing either. “The families aren’t told where they’ve gone missing or the circumstances,” says Valentina Melnikova who runs the Committee

Myanmar’s military authorities have executed four democracy activists accused of helping carry out “terror acts”, state media has reported. The four were sentenced to death in January in a closed-doors trial, accused of helping militias to fight the army that seized power in a coup last year. The executions mark the first carried out in

Britain’s controversial Rwanda policy could work, according to several Iraqi people smugglers who spoke exclusively to Sky News. The widely criticised strategy, introduced by the current Conservative government, has been the subject of numerous court cases and received widespread international backlash. However, both Conservative Party leadership hopefuls, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, have said they

Ukraine’s president has described the missile strike in Odesa as “barbarism”, adding Russia cannot be trusted to implement the landmark deal agreed to resume grain exports from Black Sea ports. Less than 24 hours after the landmark agreement was signed by Ukraine and Russia, the port city of Odesa was hit by a missile strike.

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the monkeypox outbreak a “global health emergency”. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference that despite the WHO committee being unable to come to a consensus, he declared the emergency anyway as the tie-breaking vote. He added the risk globally is “moderate”, except in

Ukrainians may be growing used to the costs that come with fighting a war. But civilian deaths are irreconcilable, according to one frontline volunteer, who spoke to Sky News’ Ukraine War Diaries podcast. Seva is a 40-year-old company chief executive, who makes weekly supply drops to Ukrainian soldiers in the east of the country. He

Russia and Ukraine have signed a landmark deal allowing grain exports to resume from Black Sea ports after they were blockaded by Vladimir Putin’s forces. Russian and Ukrainian representatives declined to sit at the same table at the ceremony, and the display of the two countries’ flags was adjusted so that they were no longer

Moscow and Kyiv are set to sign a deal to reopen Ukraine’s Black Sea ports for grain exports, Turkey has said – raising hopes an international food crisis caused by Russia’s invasion could be eased. Full details of the reported agreement between Russia and Ukraine have not yet been released. However, it is due to

Russia is “about to run out of steam” in Ukraine, the head of MI6 has said. Richard Moore said President Vladimir Putin’s soldiers will “have to pause” as they find it hard to find more troops and equipment to send to the frontline in eastern Ukraine in the coming weeks. This will enable the Ukrainian

A lost royal city where worshippers prayed to a water goddess 2,000 years ago and whose existence was known only from ancient coins may have been found by scientists. Precious little is known about Natounia, believed to have been part of the Parthian Empire and one of many cities in the Middle East that are

Sri Lankans rose up in their hundreds of thousands and clamoured for change – instead they have been handed more of the same. President-elect Ranil Wickremesinghe has been prime minister six times, is a veteran of 50 years in the swamps of Sri Lankan politics, and is closely aligned with the elites that have brought

Sri Lanka’s acting president has become the country’s new permanent leader after being selected in a parliament vote. Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the prime minister in May 2022 but was temporarily placed in charge of the presidency on 13 July after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives. Sri Lanka is in the

Cyber spies suspected of working for Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR) are targeting NATO countries in a recent hacking campaign, according to a new industry report. The hackers are using online storage services such as Google Drive and Dropbox to avoid being detected, said cyber security company Palo Alto. The hacking attempts have included phishing

Vladimir Putin visits Iran today for his first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian president will meet Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as he seeks to bolster the few foreign alliances his regime still enjoys. Mr Putin has described Western sanctions against Moscow as a declaration of economic