World

Israel has launched airstrikes inside Lebanon – as Hezbollah says it has begun an attack with a large number of drones. Sirens have been heard in northern parts of Israel – and reports suggest flights to and from Tel Aviv have been suspended. In a statement, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of “preparing to file

Israel has launched “pre-emptive” airstrikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah – as the militant group said it had fired drones and hundreds of rockets. Warning sirens sounded in northern Israel and explosions were heard as the military’s Iron Dome aerial defence system shot down missiles from southern Lebanon. Flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben

Police have arrested the person suspected of carrying out the stabbing attack at a festival in Germany. A 56-year-old woman and two men, aged 56 and 67, died following the attack in the city of Solingen on Friday. Eight people were injured, four seriously, while “many other people have suffered mental stress”. The state internal

A volcano has erupted in Iceland, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes. Red-hot lava can be seen shooting up from the ground on the Reykjanes Peninsula. It is the sixth time in the last eight months that the area has seen an eruption. The nearby town of Grindavik has been largely abandoned since late last

Brazil has awarded special protected status to Scotch whisky – with the UK’s trade secretary toasting the decision by visiting a distillery in Scotland. Brazil legally recognised Scotch whisky during the UK’s pre-election period in June and the move is expected to give distillers better access to South America’s largest economy. The Department for Business

Vladimir Putin has paid his first visit to Chechnya in 13 years to visit military volunteers – who he hailed for making Russia “invincible”. Mr Putin’s visit came against the backdrop of Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, which shows no signs of abating. But elsewhere in the war – which started after Mr Putin

A national taskforce of doctors has been set up by India’s top court to look at how medical professionals can be protected following the rape and murder of a trainee female doctor in Kolkata. The Supreme Court has asked the panel to come up with guidelines for ensuring the safety of medical professionals and healthcare

Twenty-two people were on board the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday. The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it got into difficulty at around 4.30am, the Italian coastguard said. A man is confirmed to have died, while six

The Kremlin’s threats of retaliation are a bluff, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed, with his country’s forces now said to be in control of 90 settlements in the Russian border region of Kursk. The Ukrainian president told a gathering of diplomats that troops have gained over 1,250 square kilometres in Russia since the surprise

China and the Philippines have blamed each other after a collision between their coastguard ships, in a new flashpoint between the countries. The confrontation in the South China Sea happened near Sabina Shoal, a disputed area in the Spratly Islands where overlapping claims are also made by Vietnam and Taiwan. Officials from the Philippines accused

At least six people have been killed by an Israeli strike in Lebanon, the health ministry there has said. Officials said the strike, in which three others were wounded, hit a residential building in the city of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, early on Saturday. Tensions have soared in the region in recent weeks, after a deadly

A key Russian bridge has been destroyed by Ukraine’s air force, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Kyiv is “strengthening” its positions in the Kursk region. Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleschuk shared a video of the moment when a bridge was hit by “high precision strikes” on Telegram. The bridge – which crosses the River Seym

A key ally of Vladimir Putin has urged Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to the conflict, as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s troops had captured a key Russian town. The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with Russian state television amid Ukraine‘s ongoing incursion on

Lebanon is preparing for all-out war; even as the Gaza ceasefire talks begin. We joined Firas Abyad, the Lebanese health minister, as he did a tour of hospitals to see their disaster plans and hear about their preparations if there is a major emergency. Middle East latest: Gaza ceasefire talks ‘likely to go into tomorrow’

The black box recording from a Brazilian plane which crashed, killing all 62 people on board, features the co-pilot saying the aircraft needed “more power”, according to local media. The plane was travelling from Cascavel to Sao Paulo when it crashed in a gated community around 80km away from its destination. Nobody on the ground

Sea lions have become underwater camera operators in Australia to help scientists learn more about the animals’ homes at the bottom of the ocean. Researchers enlisted endangered Australian sea lions to help identify their previously unmapped ocean habitats. “Using animal-borne video and movement data from a predator is a really effective way of mapping diverse

Thailand’s prime minister has been removed from office after a court ruled he violated ethical standards. Srettha Thavisin was dismissed after judges said he failed to perform his duty with integrity after his appointment of a cabinet member who had been imprisoned over an alleged attempt to bribe a court official. The court ruled 5-4

Hospital services have been disrupted in several Indian cities following nationwide doctor protests over the rape and murder of a trainee medic. Thousands of doctors marched on Monday in Kolkata and the surrounding West Bengal state to denounce the killing at a government-run hospital. Protesters are demanding better security and justice for the 31-year-old doctor,

Russia has begun to thwart a week-long Ukrainian incursion into its Kursk region, Moscow has claimed. Russian army units – including fresh reserves, aircraft, drone teams and artillery forces – have stopped Ukrainian troops from gaining further territory near the settlements of Obshchy Kolodez, Snagost, Kauchuk and Alexeyevsky, the Russian defence ministry said. The influx

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with the Iranian president as part of international efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Sky News understands. The 30-minute phone conversation with Masoud Pezeshkian followed a joint statement on Monday issued with France, the US and Germany calling on Iran and its allies not to “jeopardise the opportunity