World

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have been Vladimir Putin’s favourite in this election. A hard truth to swallow for his Nato allies who will have been hoping, albeit privately, for change. Mr Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule, economic eccentricity and waywardness within NATO have all caused deepening alarm among allies. His defeat would have been welcomed

F-16s are on the way to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden‘s approval of the move at the G7 conference will certainly provide Ukraine with some much-needed aerial firepower – but combat air power is heavily dependent on modern technology and some F-16s are vintage jets. When the F-16 Fighting Falcon first flew in the late

What are the big threats to our way of life? This question was a lurking preoccupation at the London Defence Conference this week, attended by the prime minister and the chief of defence staff along with academics and politicians from across the Western world. The immediate crisis is Ukraine, of course. There was general consensus

Iran has successfully launched a 2,000km-range (1,243m) ballistic missile, according to the country’s state media – two days after the chief of Israel’s armed forces raised the prospect of “action” against Tehran over its nuclear programme. With one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, Iran says its weapons are capable of reaching

Russia has accused the west of “growing involvement” in the conflict with Ukraine after releasing pictures of western-made military vehicles it claims were used in a border incursion. The images, which Sky News has identified as showing US-made Humvees, have been criticised by analysts as being “staged”, with suggestions the scene could have choreographed. Security

A fire which killed 19 people at a secondary school dormitory in Guyana was deliberately set by a student, according to an official. The suspect – who is among the injured – was upset that her mobile phone was confiscated, investigators believe. She had been disciplined by the dormitory administrator for having an affair “with

Ukraine has said its troops are still advancing on the flanks of the devastated city of Bakhmut, but that the “intensity” of their movement has decreased.  On Saturday Russia said it had completely taken the city but Ukrainian officials have said since then that Kyiv’s forcesstill control a small part. On Monday, Deputy Defence Minister

Flights to eastern Sicily were disrupted on Sunday after the nearby Mount Etna volcano began to erupt, tipping black ash onto runways and vehicles. Video from the scene showed smoggy looking cloud blanketing roads and flakes of dark, gritty ash scattered across car windscreens. Flights in and out of the port city and tourist favourite

China poses “the biggest challenge” to global security, Rishi Sunak has said at the end of a G7 summit. The Prime Minister added: “China poses the biggest challenge of our age to global security and prosperity, they are increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.” “This is all about de-risking, not de-coupling.” Advertisement

Sudan’s warring factions have agreed to a new seven-day ceasefire. The Sudanese army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces signed the deal in the Saudi city of Jeddah, as the fighting entered its sixth week. The ceasefire, brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia, will start on Monday at 9.45pm in Sudan (8.45pm UK time).

As Western supplies of high-tech weapons flow into Ukraine in preparation for the anticipated spring offensive, Russia is also trying to bolster its arsenal. It has resorted to trading SU-35 fighter jets to Iran in return for continued supply of Iranian Shahid 136 attack drones, and also fielded state-of-the-art missile systems for the first time.

Almost 15 million global excess deaths by the end of 2021 were caused by COVID, according to figures released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It estimates a total of 336.8 million life-years were lost globally due to the pandemic which was declared in early 2020. This means that, on average, each excess death led

A copy of the Hebrew Bible, thought to be 1,100 years old and one of the world’s oldest intact books, has been sold at auction for $38m (£30m). The Codex Sassoon, a leather-bound, handwritten parchment volume, was bought by Alfred H Moses, a former US ambassador to Romania, in New York on Wednesday. It is

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan says police have “surrounded” his house and his arrest is imminent. Mr Khan, 70, was arrested last Tuesday in a corruption case which sparked countrywide violence. He tweeted: “Probably my last tweet before my next arrest,” adding that police have “surrounded” his house in the eastern city of Lahore.

France’s first lady has condemned the “cowardice” and “stupidity” of a physical attack on her great-nephew which took place on the sidelines of a protest against pension reforms. Police said eight people were arrested in the northern French city of Amiens in connection with the attack on Monday. Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, 30, who runs a family

Elon Musk has been heard telling French President Emmanuel Macron that he had to “sleep in the car” before their meeting in Paris – hours after the billionaire was seen partying in Mexico and Los Angeles. The Tesla chief executive met Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace on Monday as part of the French president’s

After twenty years of running his country, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hardly going to change tack now. Cheered vociferously by thousands of his supporters, the President marked the last day of campaigning by firing tirades at his critics, his opponents and the West. Erdogan knows that this election, which pitches him against a coalition of

Imran Khan has claimed democracy in Pakistan is at “an all-time low” in an exclusive interview with Sky News. The former prime minister said – in his first interview since being bailed – that the government is “petrified of elections” and they fear being “wiped out” by his party at the polls. He continued: “So

After two decades in which he has exerted ever greater control over his nation, Turkey’s leader finds himself looking at something remarkable – the prospect of losing power. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held the job of president since 2014, representing the AK Party (AKP) that he himself founded back in 2001. Before becoming Turkey’s president,

Elon Musk has announced he has found a new Twitter chief executive – but is yet to name her. “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!” Musk said in a tweet on Thursday. He added that his role within the company will transition to