World

US intelligence accusing Russia of planning a fake attack to justify an invasion of Ukraine is “shocking evidence of Moscow’s aggression”, Liz Truss has warned. The foreign secretary tweeted: “This is clear and shocking evidence of Russia’s unprovoked aggression and underhand activity to destabilise Ukraine. “This bellicose intent towards a sovereign democratic country is completely

Revelations by Britain and the US about the threat of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine are “ruining” Moscow’s plans, the Ukrainian deputy defence minister has said. Hanna Maliar said the risk of an attack remained – but that the act of calling out suspected Russian schemes was a way to combat them. “It’s important

A production and storage vessel which can hold up to two million barrels of oil has exploded off the coast of Nigeria with ten crew members on board. The FPSO Trinity Spirit, with can process up to 22,000 barrels of oil per day, was situated near Warri in southern Nigeria when it burst into flames.

Boris Johnson has told Vladimir Putin of his “deep concern about Russia’s current hostile activity” on the Ukrainian border amid fears Moscow is planning to invade its neighbour. More than 100,000 Russian troops have amassed near the border in a major military build-up. The prime minister spoke to the Russian president in a phone call

The Pacific nation of Tonga has gone into lockdown following the discovery of two coronavirus infections in the community. The two cases are local port workers who had been helping to distribute aid received after a volcanic eruption and tsunami last month. The disaster polluted drinking water, severed communications, killed three people, and left dozens

As Boris Johnson prepares to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to cool tensions over Ukraine, one of Russia’s top diplomats says he doesn’t trust British diplomacy. Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told Sky News: “There is always room for diplomacy, but frankly, we don’t trust British diplomacy. I think in

There can’t be many people right now who could consider a trip to Ukraine as being a welcome diversion from the travails of their working life. But Boris Johnson is not living a normal life. He arrived in Kyiv with a smile and was greeted warmly by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Britain’s support for

Boris Johnson has urged Russia to “step back” from any military action against Ukraine, pledging that the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder” with Kyiv. During a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister said a Russian invasion would be a “political and humanitarian disaster” and a “military disaster as well”. A series

Mass murderer Anders Breivik has had his parole application rejected. Norway’s district court ruled that Breivik, an anti-Muslim neo-Nazi who killed 77 people, must stay in prison. “The risk of violence is real and significant and equal to what it was when (Breivik) was first sentenced,” the district court in Telemark said in its unanimous

Ahead of the Winter Olympics, Beijing has been a fortress. Flights and trains to the capital have been cancelled as soon as a region reports COVID-19 cases. And anyone who still makes the journey has to provide a negative PCR test. But now there’s a fortress within Beijing – the Olympics themselves. Read more: Parts

Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing “apartheid” and treating Palestinians as an “inferior racial group”. A new report alleges Israel has maintained “a system of oppression and domination” over the Palestinians going all the way back to its establishment in 1948. The London-based rights group said Israel’s policies of “segregation, dispossession and exclusion” amounted

Army trucks and armoured vehicles crunch through the snow and ice-covered roads of eastern Ukraine – through towns and villages still populated by people holding out, despite the frontlines a short distance away, and the constant rumble of explosions and crackle of machine guns.   It’s easy to forget this conflict has been going since

The mayor of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has told Sky News he is “very worried” about the situation with Russia and expressed concern that the West may not be united in its support of Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko, a previous world heavyweight boxing champion, criticised Germany for supplying Ukraine with 5,000 military helmets while stopping short of

A man has been charged by Irish police after the body of a pensioner was brought to a post office in an alleged attempt to collect his pension. It follows the arrest of two men in their 30s yesterday as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident that took place last week. The second

Warning: This article contains distressing content. In our first few days in Herat, we’ve met whole families who’ve sold their kidneys so they can eat. In one case, three brothers and their two sisters told us they flogged their organs for around £1,150 a piece to buy food for the rest of the family. We’ve

Kurdish-led forces have taken full control of al-Sina’a prison in Syria’s north-eastern city of Hasaka, ending a week-long assault by extremists on the detention facility. Spokesman Farhad Shami said all Islamic State militants had surrendered hours after 500 had given themselves up following clashes in some buildings. It comes a week after a breakout by

With a soldier on board, we were given directions to drive off main roads and along snow-covered tracks to a desolate spot and await further instructions.  The soldier’s telephone rang and he was given new orders, turning us around, then taking a sharp right down another track where a car was waiting for us. As

Boris Johnson has said the UK will “contribute” to any new NATO deployments if Russia invades Ukraine. The prime minister also told MPs that Western allies will react “in unison” to any Russian attack on Ukraine by imposing sanctions “heavier than anything we have done before”. He condemned Moscow for sending more than 100,000 troops

The Ukrainian soldiers speak in whispers as they trudge through the snow and mud of their trenches, keeping low as they pass the most exposed sections, past signs warning of sniper activity. Nothing has changed here for years. The daily exchanges with Russian-backed separatists and, what the Ukrainians are certain of, professional Russian soldiers, goes

With NATO bolstering its eastern flank, some UK and US embassy staff evacuating Kyiv and Britain warning of a Russian plot to install a puppet regime in Ukraine, signs of hostility seem far stronger than any signals of hope for a peaceful solution to a growing crisis with Russia. It was only last Friday that