World

A Russian aircraft has been intercepted by British RAF and German fighter jets after it was identified near NATO airspace. Two Typhoon jets – one British and one German – reacted to the Russian aircraft after it failed to communicate with Estonian air traffic control close to the NATO nation’s airspace. The Ministry of Defence

A diplomatic row has erupted between Washington and Moscow after US forces accused a Russian jet of “recklessly” colliding with one of its drones, causing it to crash into the Black Sea. Russia denied involvement, with a senior figure describing the episode as a “provocation”. The incident has demonstrated the increasing risk of a direct

FIFA is set to approve an expansion of the men’s World Cup today with 40 more matches from the 2026 tournament in North America, Sky News understands. The decision to grow from 64 to 104 matches – rather than the 80 originally planned in 2026 – is due to come at a meeting of the

Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s aggression over Taiwan threaten to create a world “defined by danger, disorder and division”, the UK prime minister has warned. Rishi Sunak predicted a “difficult and dangerous decade” as his government published a long-awaited update to a major defence, security and foreign policy review on Monday. The 63-page document

China must modernise its military to make it a “Great Wall of Steel”, President Xi Jinping has said. Speaking for the first time in his precedent-breaking third term as head of state, Mr Xi called for China to step up its ability to safeguard national security and manage public security. “Security is the foundation for

The former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has told Sky News he is approaching death in the hospital he has been moved to from jail. In a moment of rare media access, the former leader also delivered a warning to the people of Georgia after days of protests had swept through the country. An appeal

Azad Safarov is a Ukrainian producer working with Sky News journalists in Ukraine. He is also the assistant director and line producer for the Oscar-nominated documentary film ‘A House Made Of Splinters’. Here he writes about going from the frontline to the red carpet. Do you like movies? I do, but sometimes real life is

We’d been worrying about Serhiy Petrushenko, a 21-year-old boy we met guarding a bridge in central Kyiv completely on his own on the second day of the war. He became an overnight sensation after our report, the interview was watched well over 50 million times on social media alone. When we spoke to him his

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been brutal and attritional, and has shocked most of the “civilised” world. Russia’s evident disregard for casualties and collateral damage in the pursuit of victory is very different to the West’s approach to warfare, which has profound implications for the war in Ukraine, and the West’s wider defence planning assumptions.

The gunman who killed seven people at a Jehovah’s Witness building in Hamburg was a former member of the congregation who police had been warned about, German police have said. The 35-year-old man, referred to by police as Philip F, left the religious community 18 months ago with “ill feelings”, Hamburg’s head of police Matthias

The unborn baby of a woman who was seven months pregnant was among those killed during a mass shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness building in the German city of Hamburg. Police identified the gunman as Philipp F, a 35-year-old German with no prior offences who had been a member of the congregation – but had

Several people have been killed in a shooting inside a building used by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the northern German city of Hamburg. Shots were fired at the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Kingdom Hall in the Gross Borstel district, with police alerted at around 9.15pm on Thursday. Police say “several people” died and “several” were wounded and taken

People planning to travel to Ibiza over the summer are being warned of an increased risk of dengue fever after an outbreak on the Spanish island.  Health officials have issued an alert to say the usual “low” risk rises to “moderate” between May and November. The alert comes after six German tourists were infected while

Ireland will hold a vote in November on removing “outmoded” references to a woman’s place being in the home from the country’s constitution. The Irish government said on Wednesday that it will hold a referendum on Article 41.2, which says Ireland recognises that “by her life within the home, woman gives to the state a

Iran has secretly supplied large quantities of bullets, rockets and mortar shells to Russia for the war in Ukraine and plans to send more, a security source has told Sky News. The source claimed that two Russian-flagged cargo ships departed an Iranian port in January bound for Russia via the Caspian Sea, carrying approximately 100

An anti-Kremlin activist jailed for social media posts criticising the invasion of Ukraine has told Sky News that “Russia is not Putin”. Dmitry Ivanov, who founded an opposition Telegram channel run for students at his university, was convicted in a Moscow court of spreading misinformation about the army. Mr Ivanov, a 23-year-old Russian blogger, will

China’s foreign minister has warned of likely conflict should the US continue its “reckless” approach to relations with Beijing. Qin Gang said rising tensions between the two powers were the fault of Washington, with last month’s downing of a suspected surveillance balloon the latest flashpoint. The mysterious reconnaissance aircraft was taken out on the orders

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his top military commanders have pledged to continue defending the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut in the face of intense Russian pressure. The Ukrainian president said the generals agreed at a meeting to strengthen the defences and the top brass would “find the appropriate forces to help our guys” there. It comes

Temperatures have reached 40C in parts of eastern Australia as an autumn heatwave saw fires threaten properties and forced schools to be closed. Sydney recorded its hottest day in more than two years with temperatures reaching 37.6 (99.7F) as nearly 40 bushfires broke out, while many people flocked to the beach to enjoy the hot

Dozens of Israeli air force reservists will refuse to turn up to training drills in protest over controversial plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the country’s legal system. Demonstrations have taken place nationwide for nine weeks running because of the proposals, which critics have warned would limit the power of judges and weaken