World

Heroic Ukrainian resistance has withstood Russia’s full-frontal attack on Bakhmut for nearly a year – however, at huge cost, both in human life and the devastation of a once-thriving city. But it has limited strategic value – so why have both sides continued to fight over it? What has all the sacrifice been for, and

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan is to be released on bail for two weeks following a decision from the Islamabad High Court. Pakistan’s former prime minister was back in court following his arrest on Tuesday on corruption charges, which sparked countrywide violence that left at least 10 people dead and dozens injured. The country’s

The UK is sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed. The minister said that Storm Shadows missiles will be provided to Ukraine’s military. Ukraine has long been calling for such weapons, but the US and other countries have been unwilling to supply them in case strikes inside Russia lead to escalation.

A former Russian state TV journalist has claimed that an “isolated” Vladimir Putin “doesn’t have enough Novichok” to kill his growing number of critics. Russian dissident Marina Ovsyannikova, who made global headlines for her on-air protest against the war in Ukraine last year, spoke to Beth Rigby Interviews where she provoked the Russian president once

We are used to seeing political infighting in Pakistan but the fate of Imran Khan and ensuing unrest is raising major concerns across the region and as far afield as the UK. The dramatic pictures of a heavy-handed paramilitary operation to seize the former prime minister have guaranteed worldwide attention along with his global fame

Supporters of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, are planning a protest march to Islamabad today where he is being held in custody on corruption charges – after almost 1,000 of them were arrested in one province alone. The 70-year-old was arrested by security forces at the High Court in the capital on

Victory Day parades in Russia generally see throngs of people lining the city’s main thoroughfares, cheering on the tanks as they pass, the armoured vehicles and S-400 anti-aircraft systems and, the spectator’s favourite, the fearsome YARS intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a world-ending nuclear payload across the globe. The flyover is another highlight, with

Ukraine is preparing carefully for a new counter-offensive against Russian forces because the assault is “very important” and must “demonstrate success”, the prime minister has said. Denys Shmyhal told Sky News that the long-awaited operation would only be launched when the time is right but he gave no indication when that might be. With Russian

Russia launched dozens of drone strikes across Ukraine on the eve of a holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. Kyiv’s mayor said Russia had fired 60 Iranian-made kamikaze drones at Ukrainian targets, including 36 at the capital. All drones had been shot down but debris hit apartments and other buildings, injuring at least five

A boat has capsized in southern India, killing at least 21 people, authorities have said. The vessel, which was carrying about 40 passengers, overturned near the town of Tanur in the Malappuram district of Kerala state. Police think it was overcrowded when it got into trouble at around 7pm local time on Sunday. About 10

Two oil tankers seized by Iran have been spotted off the coast of one of the country’s key port cities on the strategic Strait of Hormuz.  Satellite images show the Advantage Sweet and Niovi tankers anchored near a naval base south of the city of Bandar Abbas in Iran‘s Hormozgan province. It is the most

Drones have been part of the military inventory for decades, but the war in Ukraine has seen a massive escalation in their exploitation. Does this herald the start of a new era in modern warfare, and will the rapid development of AI lead to the inevitable dawn of drone wars? Unmanned flight predates manned, but

A Nigerian senator, his wife and a medical “middleman” have been jailed for conspiring to traffic a market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney. Politician Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and 25-year-old daughter Sonia stood trial accused of a conspiracy to bring the man to Britain from Lagos for his organ.

A man has been shot dead and several people left injured during celebrations for Napoli’s first league title win in 33 years. The 26-year-old man was taken to hospital in Naples in a serious condition where he later died, Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica reported. Friends and relatives of the victim allegedly vandalised the emergency

At least eight people have been killed and 13 injured in a drive-by style shooting in Serbia as police hunt for the suspect, state TV reported. The attacker used an automatic weapon to shoot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50km south of the capital Belgrade, the Radio Television of Serbia (RTS)

Ukraine has said it has shot down more than a dozen Russian-launched drones in the early hours of Thursday morning. The 18 drones were among 24 launched in pre-dawn attacks across Ukraine, with a number aimed at Kyiv – all of which were destroyed alongside an unspecified number of missiles, city officials said. Administration officials

Russia has claimed it stopped two drone attacks on Vladimir Putin’s presidential home overnight. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine for what it called a “terrorist act”. It said Russian military and security forces disabled the drones before they could strike. No victims or damage were reported and Mr Putin was not injured, it added. “On Wednesday

A security guard has died and at least five students have been injured after a shooting at a school in Serbia. Police said a seventh-grade student has been arrested in Belgrade. Officers in helmets and bulletproof vests cordoned off the area around the Vladislav RIbnikar elementary school in the central Vracar neighbourhood, where the shooting

World Health Organization officials have said COVID is no longer a global health emergency. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat.” In May last year, WHO experts said the end

We barely slow for red lights as cars pull out of our way. We virtually take off as we scream over a hilly stretch of road. We’re on board a Red Cross ambulance answering an emergency call in the northern Mexican city of Tijuana. It’s one of the most dangerous cities in the world. A