World

Ukrainian forces are probing Russian defences along the frontline as they prepare to commit their new NATO-standard tanks to the fray. The highly anticipated counteroffensive is under way and in a “tidying up” phase, according to a military expert, as Ukraine seeks to prepare the battlefield for a big push when the time arises. Ukraine

A bus driver was driving too fast when the vehicle crashed in Australia, killing 10 wedding guests and injuring 25 others, police have alleged. Brett Button was arrested after mandatory hospital tests and had been in police custody but was released on bail when he appeared at Cessnock Local Court on Tuesday. He appeared in

The West cannot stop Iran from building nuclear weapons, the country’s supreme leader has said. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was speaking on Sunday as tensions continue to mount over the country’s nuclear work. In words reported by state media, he said: “Talks about Tehran’s nuclear weapons is a lie and [the West] know it. “We do

Counteroffensive action against Russian forces is under way, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, with troops engaged in intense fighting along the front line. Speaking at a Kyiv news conference alongside Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau, Zelenskyy was responding to Vladimir Putin’s comment that Ukrainian forces were taking “significant losses”. Mr Zelensky said: “The counteroffensive,

Iran has been supplying Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant that could be fully operational by early next year, the White House has said. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby added that the White House is releasing satellite imagery of the “planned location” of the manufacturing plant in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had pleaded for military aid, and the West responded. The stage was set for a spring offensive in the latest phase of Ukraine‘s efforts to liberate its lands. However, weeks have passed since modern tanks and weapons were delivered to Ukraine, providing invaluable time for Russia to put together robust physical defences.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Sky News he will do “whatever we need to do to defend ourselves” against Iran – and diplomacy has failed to stop Tehran from developing its nuclear capabilities. Speaking exclusively at the prime minister’s offices in Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu rejected US attempts to resolve the growing crisis only

The British Antarctic Survey has released its new maps and they are a stark visual depiction of the retreat of ice at our poles.  Just as stark is the warning from the secretary general of the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organisation, Professor Petteri Taalas. In an interview with Sky News, he emphasised that the melted

Australia is to ban the sale and display of swastikas and other Nazi symbols following a rise in far-right activity. It includes the insignia of the Schutzstaffel (SS) – the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party. Federal attorney general Mark Dreyfus said such images were “repugnant” and had “no place in Australia”. It will be

WhatsApp is adding the Twitter-like ability to follow accounts outside your personal contacts. The new feature will be in a new section of the app called “updates”, separate from your existing private chats, and behave similarly to news feeds on other social media platforms. Rather than needing to add a contact via their phone number,

Thousands of flights have been delayed and baseball games postponed across the US east coast as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift south, covering cities in a yellowy-brown haze. Canadian officials say this is shaping up to be the nation’s worst wildfire season ever. Forest fires have scorched 9.4 million acres of the country

The breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam is most worrying for what it says about the mind of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his generals – and their capacity for dangerous escalation. It takes the war in an even more perilous direction. The military impact is likely to be temporary. Armies blow dams or use

Football superstar Lionel Messi will join David Beckham’s club Inter Miami. The 35-year-old, who led Argentina to World Cup victory, told Spanish media he is heading to America’s Major League Soccer (MLS) after his contract expires with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the month. Messi had offers from Miami, his former club FC Barcelona

The Chinese embassy has been told running overseas police stations in the UK is “unacceptable” and that “they must not operate in any form”. Security minister Tom Tugendhat has set out the findings of an investigation into claims of unofficial stations being used to monitor dispersed communities and coerce people to return to China. Politics

A dam in the Russian controlled part of southern Ukraine has been damaged by shelling, leading to flooding in the area already hit by months of conflict. Both Ukrainian and Russian officials blamed each other for destroying the Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region. Ukraine’s military said that Russian forces blew up the dam. “The

The Russian Ministry of Defence has claimed that Ukraine launched a “large-scale offensive” in the south of the Donetsk region. Ukraine is attempting an information blackout on any possible offensive – but what evidence is there online? Sky News’ data and forensics team has been monitoring videos posted to social media and various Russian war

Russian reports that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun are being used to distract from Russian losses in Bakhmut, the Ukrainian deputy defence minister has said. The comments from deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar come after Moscow said it had thwarted a major Ukrainian assault in the south of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region. Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian

Pressure is mounting on the UAE oil boss running international climate negotiations this year to convince his critics he has a suitably ambitious plan, as diplomats meet in Germany this week for preparatory talks. The incoming president of the annual COP climate talks, Sultan Al Jaber, who is chief executive of state-owned Abu Dhabi National

An oil tanker broke down in the Suez Canal on Sunday, disrupting traffic in the vital global waterway.  The Malta-flagged Seavigour suffered a malfunction at the 12 km (7.5 mile) mark, said George Safwat, a spokesperson for Egypt‘s Suez Canal Authority. It stopped in a single-lane section and was towed away by tugs to a

A football game in Argentina had to be suspended after a supporter fell from the stadium. The fan, reportedly aged in his 50s, jumped and “died on the spot”, said a statement from club River Plate, which had been playing rivals Defensa y Justicia at Estadio Mas Monumental on Saturday. The match was suspended after