World

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said in his televised New Year address that his country’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable, renewing Beijing’s threats to take over the self-ruled island. Taiwan split from China amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing continues to regard the island of 23 million people as its territory. In recent years,

Denmark’s queen has unexpectedly announced her abdication in her traditional New Year’s Eve speech. Margrethe II will formally step down from the throne on 14 January – exactly 52 years to the day of her ascension to the throne in 1972. She will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik. This breaking news

At least 14 people – including two children – have been killed and more than 100 injured during shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod, officials in Moscow say. They have accused Kyiv of carrying out the attack – a day after an 18-hour aerial Russian barrage across Ukraine killed at least 39 people.

Russia has launched fresh airstrikes on Ukraine’s biggest cities, officials have said, hours after Moscow accused Kyiv of shelling the Russian border city of Belgorod, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 110. Ukraine’s air defence systems surrounding Kyiv were engaged overnight to repel Russia’s drone attack, the military administration of the region

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem faced a second opponent during a match in Brisbane – one of Australia’s most venomous snakes. The former world number three was facing Australia‘s James McCabe during a first round qualifier at the Brisbane International when the snake slithered on to the court. The umpire stopped play after the

A plane crash in Nepal that killed 72 people earlier this year was caused by an accidental cutting of the aircraft’s power by its pilots, government investigators have found. This meant the engine lost thrust, leading to “aerodynamic stall”, a report by the government-appointed panel said. The ATR 72, operated by Yeti Airlines, crashed on

An airstrike that killed 86 people at a Gaza refugee camp was a “regrettable mistake”, an Israeli government spokesperson has admitted. Eylon Levy told Sky News the incident at the Maghazi site on Christmas Eve was down to the use of an “incorrect munition” and “should not have happened”. But he refused to apologise for

Around 300 Indian travellers are stuck in a French airport after their flight was grounded in a human trafficking investigation. Those on board the Romania-based charter company Legend Airlines plane from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, in Nicaragua, included families and children. The youngest passenger is a 21-month-old toddler while some

A former TV journalist hoping to challenge Vladimir Putin in Russia’s next presidential election has been barred from standing. Independent politician Yekaterina Duntsova hoped to run on a platform to end the war with Ukraine. But on Saturday, she was disqualified after members of the central electoral commission voted unanimously to reject her candidacy, citing

Ukraine’s military has claimed it shot down three Russian fighter jets in the south of the country. The Su-34 fighter bombers were reportedly brought down in the Kherson region on Friday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the air force. President Zelenskyy praised Odesa’s anti-aircraft unit in his nightly video address. Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukrainian

Many Ukrainians are preparing to celebrate Christmas on 25 December for the first time. The main Orthodox church has traditionally observed the holiday on 7 January, following the Julian calendar – which Russia also uses. Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians. But in July this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill into law making 25

Threats have been made against the judges who banned Donald Trump from standing for president in Colorado next year. “Significant violent rhetoric” against the justices and Democrats was uncovered on social media in the 24 hours after Tuesday’s decision by the Colorado Supreme Court. NBC News, Sky News’ US partner, reported on the findings by

As smoke rose into the overcast skies of Deir al Balah in Central Gaza on 5 December, the whine of an aircraft could still be heard overhead. The Musabeh family’s home had been destroyed. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:19 Footage of smoke plume from the blast at the Musabeh

People in Iceland have been told to stay at home and “get into the Christmas spirit” rather than attempt the risky journey to the site of the erupted volcano. A gash two miles long has opened up on the Reykjanes peninsula, spewing between 100 and 200 cubic metres of lava every second. Though the lava

Africa’s first female billionaire has lost her High Court fight against an application to freeze up to £580m of her assets. Businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, whose father Jose Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola for 38 years until 2017, is being sued by Unitel, a telecoms operator in the African country. The firm asked London’s High

For the first time in India’s parliamentary history, 78 lawmakers were suspended in a single day. A large swath of INDIA Alliance MPs were dismissed on Monday, with a further 49 excluded today making a total of 141 suspended. The alliance, which has 142 MPs in the lower house and 101 MPs in the upper

Israel will compete at Eurovision next year, despite calls for the country to be banned over its conflict with Hamas, organisers have said. Artists from Iceland had called for a boycott of the contest in Malmo, Sweden, unless Israel was prevented from taking part, after its ground invasion of Gaza. Irish broadcaster RTE has also

Elon Musk’s X is being investigated by the EU over its efforts to combat disinformation and harmful content. The social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, is the first to be probed under the bloc’s Digital Services Act. It came into force in November 2022 and requires large online companies to do more to tackle

Artificial rain has been used for the first time in Pakistan to battle hazardous levels of smog. Planes equipped with cloud-seeding equipment – which helps clouds form and increases precipitation – flew over areas of Lahore on Saturday. The megacity in Pakistan’s east is often ranked as one of the worst places in the world

Israeli forces battling Hamas claim to have uncovered the largest Hamas tunnel found in Gaza, designed to carry carloads of Hamas fighters up to the border with Israel. Neutralising the hundreds of kilometres of underground tunnels and bunkers in Gaza is among the aims of the Israeli offensive, launched after Hamas fighters went on a killing and