World

British men being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been in contact with their relatives, a family spokesman has said. Charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53, and an unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul are believed to have been detained by secret police since January. A third Briton – so-called “danger tourist”

Women will be prosecuted “without mercy” if they are seen in public without a veil, Iran’s judiciary chief has warned. Following protests in recent months, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Saturday: “Unveiling is tantamount to enmity with [our] values. “Those who commit such anomalous acts will be punished and will be prosecuted without mercy.” He

In the vast windswept cemetery on the outskirts of Dnipro low clouds drift and mist drizzles over the graves of the fallen in this war. There is no noise apart from the flapping of hundreds of Ukraine flags – blue for the sky, yellow for the wheatfields of this farming country. Mounds of freshly dug

The mother of Reeva Steenkamp has said Oscar Pistorius is “not remorseful or rehabilitated” ahead of a parole hearing that will decide if he will be freed from prison after he shot and killed his girlfriend in 2013. June Steenkamp said she was feeling “very stressed” ahead of the parole hearing which must determine if

In the midst of a comeback, it is quite the comedown. The courthouse in New York’s Bowery district – aka ‘Skid Row’ before its gentrification – has seen its share of society’s sad cases through the years. A former president could hardly fall any further. And yet its to this setting that Donald Trump will

Pope Francis is “progressively improving”, the Vatican has said, after he was admitted to hospital with a respiratory infection. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the 86-year-old – who had part of one lung removed as a young man – had rested well overnight. He ate breakfast, read the newspapers and was working from his room at

Pope Francis will need to spend “a few days” in hospital for treatment for a respiratory infection, the Vatican says. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the 86-year-old had complained of breathing difficulties in recent days and went to the Gemelli hospital for tests. The pontiff does not have COVID-19 but requires several days of therapy, he

On the southeast coast of South Korea its military is rehearsing. It’s simulating the storming of a contested beach. Waves of KAAV amphibious assault vehicles crash on to the sand, groups of infantry disembark and run to take up positions. It is an impressive display with a precise focus, to defend peace on this peninsula.

The boulevards of central Paris were once again choking up with the fog of tear gas. But even through the haze it’s clear this is becoming a significant crisis for President Macron’s government. Tens of thousands of people marched on the streets as part of rolling demonstrations organised by the unions. But they soon deteriorated

Several people have died in a fire at a migrant facility in northern Mexico, near to the US border, according to reports. Two local government sources told Reuters news agency there were at least 10 fatalities – while volunteer rescue workers said up to 37 people had been killed in the blaze. Footage from the

A pause – not a halt After hours hidden out of sight and in emergency negotiations with his coalition partners, Benjamin Netanyahu eventually bowed to the inevitable. As the sun was going down on an extraordinary day in Israel, news emerged that a deal had been struck. The party of Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would

Israel’s president has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “stop the legislative process immediately” after the PM triggered widespread protests by sacking his defence minister for objecting to judicial reforms. President Isaac Herzog, the head of state who is supposed to remain above politics, said “the eyes of the whole world are on you”

Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his defence minister, a day after Yoav Gallant called for a halt to the planned overhaul of Israel’s judiciary that has divided the country. Mr Gallant, a former army general, is a senior member of Mr Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party. An increasing number of Israeli Defence Force (IDF) Reservists have been

Human blood is set to “drench” one of the UK’s most famous landmarks in a protest over Prince Harry’s controversial remarks about the number of people he killed in Afghanistan. Russian artist Andrei Molodkin says he will project a sculpture featuring blood donated by Afghans on to St Paul’s Cathedral in the coming days, along

Strikes on Iranian-linked bases will be met with an “immediate counter-response” after the reported deaths of 19 people in US attacks on Syria, an Iranian security spokesperson has warned. Keyvan Khosravi made the remarks after the US carried out a series of strikes on the east of the country in one of the deadliest exchanges

A super tanker anchored off the country’s coast and containing more than a million barrels of oil is “likely to sink or explode at any moment”, unleashing an environmental and humanitarian disaster, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen has told Sky News. The FSO Safer was all but abandoned in 2015 as Yemen descended

A Sky News team inside Yemen has discovered shocking evidence that donated UN food aid meant for the most needy is instead being sold in street markets to help boost stallholders’ profits. We found that donated cans of vegetable oil with World Food Programme (WFP) stamps on them were among the essential food items being

The King’s first state visit of his reign has been postponed after widespread unrest in France erupted into violence over President Emmanuel Macron’s retirement age reforms. The official trip will be rescheduled as soon as possible, the Elysee Palace said in a statement. King Charles and the Queen Consort’s visit has been put on hold

A Nigerian senator, his wife and a medical “middleman” have been found guilty of conspiring to traffic a market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney. Politician Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and daughter Sonia stood trial accused of a conspiracy to bring the man to Britain from Lagos for his body part. It

World Athletics has decided to exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from female events. The body’s president, Lord Coe, said “decisive action” had been taken to “protect the female category in our sport”. Lord Coe told a news conference in Monaco: “The council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes, who have