World

Soldiers working within the UK’s special forces discussed concerns that Afghans who posed no threat were being murdered in raids against suspected Taliban insurgents, an inquiry has been told. One soldier, who was reading operational reports of SAS actions, said in an email in 2011 that they feared that UK special forces seemed “beyond reproach”,

The public articulation by Donald Trump of a new desired target for NATO allies to spend 5% of national income on defence will surely plunge governments across Europe into crisis mode – not least here in the UK. Britain presents itself to the world and in particular to the United States as the biggest defence

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation. The 53-year-old said he will step down as leader of the country’s ruling Liberal Party, which he has led since 2013. He says it will allow his party to choose a new leader as he suspends parliament until March due to political deadlock. Image: Chrystia Freeland,

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to announce his resignation in the coming days, according to reports. Sources have told Reuters news agency and Canada‘s Globe and Mail that the 53-year-old could announce as early as today that he would quit as leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party. But Reuters says no final decision

Ukraine has launched a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, according to the Kremlin. The attack looks to be an effort to seize new territory after Ukrainian troops swept across the border in a shock offensive in the same region in August, claiming control of almost 500 sq miles (around 1,300 sq km) and taking

More than 6,000 prisoners have been released in Myanmar as part of an amnesty to mark the 77th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain. The head of Myanmar’s military government has granted amnesties for 5,864 prisoners from the Southeast Asian country, as well as 180 foreigners who will now be deported, state-run media said.

The world’s oldest person has died at the age of 116, Guinness World Records has said. Tomiko Itooka died on 29 December at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, central Japan, according to staff. A funeral service was held with family and friends. Ms Itooka, who loved bananas and a yogurt-flavoured Japanese drink called

Israel has confirmed it is holding the director of one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza following reports of his arrest last week. Dr Hussam Abu Safiya was held along with dozens of other staff and taken to an interrogation centre during a raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital on 27 December. The

What will 2025 mean for Gaza, Ukraine, trade wars and African tech? Our foreign correspondents set the scene for trends that will shape their region. From elections in the EU to a bombastic Trump presidency to climate disruption, 2025 is shaping up to be a bumpy year. But it’s not all bad news… Immediate, dramatic

Russia’s unconventional attacks against NATO “look like war” and allies must set new red lines that will trigger a retaliation if crossed, a former foreign minister has warned. Gabrielius Landsbergis, who stepped down as foreign minister of Lithuania earlier this month after four years in the post, told Sky News he did not believe the

A 40-year-old man has died after a shark attack in Australia on Saturday evening. Church pastor Luke Walford was spearfishing with his family off the coast of Central Queensland when he was mauled by a shark. He died an hour and a half later, according to police. “He was attacked by a shark while doing

World chess number one Magnus Carlsen has quit a major tournament after being told he couldn’t wear jeans. The chess grandmaster was defending his titles at the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York when the incident occurred. Officials said Carlsen had broken the dress code regulations by wearing jeans and asked

Russian air defences may have shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines flight after misidentifying it, according to US military sources. Two unnamed officials who spoke to Sky News’ US partner NBC News said America had intelligence indicating Russia may have believed the flight was a drone and engaged its air defences. It added that this was

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would be open to peace talks with Ukraine in Slovakia “if it comes to that”.  Mr Putin said Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who this week visited the Kremlin, had offered his country as a location for negotiations as the war in Ukraine nears the three-year mark. The

An oil tanker transporting oil to Russia, which is suspected of severing power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea, has been seized by Finnish authorities. The ship, named by authorities as the Eagle S, was boarded by a coastguard crew that took command and sailed the vessel to Finnish waters, said Helsinki Police Chief

Syrian officials say 14 of its forces, part of the group which toppled Bashar al Assad’s regime, have died in clashes with supporters of the ousted dictator. Another 10 members of the security forces from Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) were also injured after being ambushed in northwest Syria, according to Syria’s interior ministry. They

The Albanian government plans to block access to TikTok for a year after the killing of a 14-year-old boy led to concerns about social media’s influence on children. Prime Minister Edi Rama said the proposed ban will start early next year as he particularly blamed the video-sharing app for fuelling violence and bullying, especially among

The OSINT team at Sky News uses satellite images, video and publicly available data to verify and investigate breaking stories. Whether helping inform out coverage of conflicts in the middle east, or showing the scale of damage caused by hurricanes and floods, satellite images have been an important resource throughout the year. As 2024 comes

Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini has been acquitted of kidnap and failing to fulfill his public duties. An Italian court has found him not guilty of refusing to let a migrant rescue boat dock in Sicily in 2019. The vessel, operated by the Spanish NGO Open Arms, was stranded in the Mediterranean Sea with

Vladimir Putin has said Russia should have invaded Ukraine earlier, in a national address spanning more than four hours. Russia began the conflict with its neighbour in February 2022 and at his annual televised news conference, Mr Putin claimed the war has made Russia “stronger”. The decision to invade “should have been made earlier” he