World

Israel has said it is “more optimistic than before” about the chance of reaching an agreement over hostages held in Gaza. Foreign minister Gideon Saar said indirect negotiations were taking place over the return of about 100 hostages. It comes amid reports Hamas has asked for lists to be compiled of people still being held

Any evidence that Russia tried to influence an election in a NATO state would expose a form of hybrid attack that is designed to weaken the alliance from within. So-called “political influence operations”, which can use social media to amplify a particular candidate to boost their chances of success, are deliberately difficult to attribute –

Romania’s top court has annulled the results of the first round of the country’s presidential election after claims of Russian interference. The unprecedented decision came after declassified intelligence documents alleged Russia was behind a campaign to promote far-right candidate Calin Georgescu on platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. Mr Georgescu was viewed as an outsider

Israel has dismissed allegations it is committing genocide in Gaza, saying the claims from Amnesty International are “no surprise”. Government spokesman David Mencer called it “fake news” and told Sky’s Mark Austin the human rights group’s “raison d’etre is to criticise Israel – they do that at every opportunity and this is sadly just another

Russia’s ability to outmatch Ukraine with artillery barrages on the battlefield has significantly reduced to just 1.5 Russian rounds for every Ukrainian shell fired back, Western officials have said. This compares with Russian forces launching at least five times as many artillery rounds as Ukraine could in the war previously – with the ratio at times

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to stay in office until the end of his term in 2027 following the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier. It comes after politicians in France’s National Assembly passed a no-confidence motion in the government on Wednesday. In an address to the nation on Thursday evening, Mr

The man at the centre of negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire has told Sky News Donald Trump wants a deal done before he takes power in January.  Speaking exclusively to Sky’s The World with Yalda Hakim, the prime minister of Qatar expressed cautious optimism but said it required “maximum pressure” on all parties to end

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using Ukraine as a “testing ground for experimental missiles” and is “not interested in peace”, NATO’s secretary general has warned. Mark Rutte made the remarks as foreign ministers from the alliance’s 32 members gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting where there will be several discussions on Ukraine. In a

Syria’s military has said its joint airstrikes with Russia have killed at least 400 insurgents over the past 24 hours – as Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his support for Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The strikes are being carried out after insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al Sham and including Turkey-backed fighters launched a

Israel’s prime minister says he will “respond with force” after Hezbollah fired towards an Israeli military post in disputed territory in Lebanon. Two projectiles fell in open areas and no injuries were reported. Israel said they had been launched toward Mount Dov, a disputed Israeli-held territory known as Shebaa Farms in Lebanon, where the borders

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested to Sky News that he might consent to Russia temporarily holding on to occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a ceasefire deal. The Ukrainian president said such an arrangement could only be possible if land under his forces’ control was taken “under the NATO umbrella” – allowing him to negotiate the

Violence has broken out again in Georgia’s capital after protesters took to the streets near parliament over the suspension of EU membership talks. Police used water cannon and pepper spray as thousands gathered in Tbilisi to demand the government change its stance. Some protesters hurled fireworks at police and pushed a burning industrial bin towards

There was something desperately oppressive that came with being in Tbilisi today. Perhaps it was the sight of hundreds of police officers, massed together and lurking in packs, waiting for something to happen. Maybe it was the dark clouds that poured rain over the streets. But most likely it was the sense that this is

Warning: This article contains references to suicide On Friday this week, MPs will debate if England and Wales should legalise assisted dying. The proposed legislation restricts it to adults with six months or less to live. Canada introduced assisted dying in 2016 for adults with a terminal illness. In 2021, it was extended to people

A far-right and little-known NATO critic has won the first round of Romania’s presidential election after polls predicted he would win less than 10% of the vote. Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate, won with a 22.95% share, seeing off the incumbent prime minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who had been the

Israel is said to be edging closer to a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to reports. Israeli media outlets Haaretz, Walla, Ynet, Kan and American news website Axios reported both parties are getting closer to reaching a deal amid signs of progress in the US-led ceasefire talks. It is suggested Israel has agreed

Don’t be fooled by the applause. After two weeks of deadlock over a climate finance deal, when it finally came, it was a standing ovation of relief, not rejoicing. This was a deal so bad, and so unpopular, that this year’s COP host Azerbaijan was forced to gavel it through without allowing objections. Read more:

Russia launched a large drone attack on Kyiv overnight, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning the attack shows his capital needs better air defences. Ukraine’s air defence units shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones launched, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries as a result of the attacks. Russia has used more than 800 guided

The body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been found, Israel has said. Zvi Kogan, the Chabad representative in the UAE, went missing on Thursday. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office on Sunday said the 28-year-old rabbi was murdered, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror

Security protocols in the Philippines have been stepped up after vice president Sara Duterte vowed to have the president assassinated if she herself were killed. The daughter of the country’s previous president Rodrigo Duterte, the politician said she had contracted an assassin to kill the president, his wife and the House of Representatives speaker. Speaking