World

Israel has been warned of repercussions if its military launches a ground invasion in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, while Israel has suggested civilians could evacuate and find refuge in tent camps which are not yet built. The warning came after Israeli air strikes killed at least 44 Palestinians, including more than a dozen children,

Pakistan is in political limbo after an election result that few in the establishment predicted. Independent candidates backed by Imran Khan‘s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) have delivered a major upset. Many seemed to underestimate the level of discontent and desire for change in a country that’s experienced years of turbulence. The army generals who have

Vladimir Putin has said Bill Clinton misled him over Russia’s potential membership of NATO two decades ago. During a lengthy interview with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the Russian president said he asked the outgoing President Clinton if his country could join the alliance when he visited the Kremlin in 2000. He claims

Alexei Navalny has become the latest in a string of deaths of critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Over his more than two decades at the top of the Kremlin, a number of Mr Putin’s opponents have suffered unfortunate fates – including being jailed, shot dead in the street, or poisoned with tea spiked with

The caretaker prime minister of Pakistan has told Sky News there is no attempt to “target a specific party or group” amid claims of pre-poll rigging and candidate harassment. Speaking on the eve of the election, Anwar ul Haq Kakar did acknowledge they couldn’t totally guarantee free and fair elections. “Absolute is a very relative

Polling stations have opened in Pakistan in a general election which has already been marred by violence and allegations of fraud. On the eve of Thursday’s election, bombs struck two political offices in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 30 people. Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at polling stations to

China has handed an Australian writer a suspended death sentence – five years after he was arrested on suspicion of spying. Pro-democracy academic Dr Yang Hengjun was detained at Guangzhou Airport in 2019 accused of espionage for a country China has not publicly identified. Dr Yang’s sentence, which comes three years after a closed-door trial,

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said the timing of Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave for Ferrari “bit us a bit” – but insists there is “no grudge” between them. Wolff said he had heard rumours that Hamilton might quit the team but didn’t know for sure until the F1 great confirmed it in a

At least two people have been killed and 29 injured after gas explosion in Nairobi, according to reports. A local newspaper in the Kenyan capital said the blast happened in the Embakasi neighbourhood just before midnight on Thursday. Wesley Kimeto, commander in charge of police in Embakasi, was quoted saying on the Standard newspaper’s X

The idea of Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari is simultaneously shocking but not remotely surprising. Hamilton is, obviously, a prodigiously talented driver. We all know that. But he’s not just fast, he’s smart. At his best, he can manage races and exploit the strengths of the car while minimising its weaknesses. And, like the very

British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes and join Ferrari for the 2025 season, Sky Sports News understands. It is understood the Mercedes factory are to be briefed by chief executive of the team, Toto Wolff, ahead of a formal announcement later today. The new F1 season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix

Ukraine and Russia have exchanged around 200 prisoners of war from each side. Russia’s defence ministry said the swap involved 195 soldiers on each side – but President Zelenskyy said 207 Ukrainians were freed in Wednesday’s exchange. There was no immediate explanation for the different figures. Ukraine-Russia war latest – Putin’s US missile accusations “We

Facebook is 20 years old today. On 4 February 2004 Mark Zuckerberg launched ‘thefacebook.com’ from his Harvard dormitory. Two decades later, many users struggle to remember a time they weren’t scrolling through its news feed – or that of its social media sibling, Instagram. While allowing us to find long-lost friends and family, and supporting

Ukraine’s top general has reportedly refused a request from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step down amid an apparent long-running dispute between the two men. The Ukrainian president sought to have Valerii Zaluzhnyi moved into a new role, according to media reports. However the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces refused. Mr Zelenskyy’s office has denied reports the

Joe Biden has promised the US will “respond” to the attack on Tower 22, which left three US military personnel dead and dozens wounded. The problem is that the US has already been responding to attack after attack on its bases in the Middle East – and has nevertheless failed to deter them. There have

Japan’s SLIM spacecraft has regained power more than a week after it ran out of electricity after landing on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it re-established communication with its lander late on Sunday, nine days after Japan became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon. The Smart Lander

Ukraine would win the war faster if it had permission to fire British and other Western weapons against targets deep inside Russia, the head of the Ukrainian navy has signalled. Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa told Sky News the course of the entire conflict would have been very different had Ukrainian forces been allowed to use

An international court has not ordered Israel to end its offensive in Gaza – but demanded that it does everything in its power to prevent acts of genocide. The ruling by judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) comes at an early stage in South Africa’s case alleging that Israel’s military action in its

A prisoner in Alabama is set to become the first inmate in America to be gassed to death with nitrogen after the US Supreme Court declined to halt his execution. Convicted murderer Kenneth Smith is set to be executed on Thursday after his legal bid to have the method declared unconstitutional failed. Smith’s survival following

Turkey’s parliament has approved Sweden’s application to join NATO – lifting a key barrier to its entry into the military alliance. The decision means Hungary is the only NATO member yet to ratify Sweden’s application after 20 months of delays. Sweden’s membership would enhance the military alliance’s defences in the Baltic Sea region facing Russia.