World

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’

Ukrainian troops are thought to have used British Challenger 2 tanks in their offensive inside Russia, Sky News understands. If confirmed, it would be the first time British tanks – operated by Ukrainian soldiers – have been used in combat on Russian territory. The Ministry of Defence in London declined to comment on operational detail.

A Ukrainian soldier holds up a Russian rifle taken from inside Russia.  “A trophy,” he says, smiling. One of his colleagues, also grinning, produces a military uniform patch that reads “Armed Forces of Russia” and a 10 rouble note. “Russian money,” he says. Image: Ukrainian ‘trophies’ – a Russian military uniform patch and a 10-rouble

Germany has issued a European arrest warrant against a Ukrainian diving instructor who was allegedly part of a team that blew up Nord Stream gas pipelines, according to German media.  Police believe the man, last known to have lived in Poland, was one of the divers who allegedly planted explosive devices on pipelines running from

Hamas has said it will not join ceasefire talks this week. Talks are due to take place on Thursday to discuss a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. However, a Hamas representative in Lebanon told Sky News that delegates from the militant group would no longer be taking part. In a statement, Ahmad Abdul Hadi said

When staff at Dublin Zoo learned Mujur the orangutan was pregnant, they were happy about the chances of preserving the endangered species, but worried she might fail again to bond with her new baby. The 19-year-old female seemed to lack maternal instincts and had failed to breastfeed either of her last two infants, born in

An Israeli hostage held in Gaza has been shot dead by his guard, Hamas has said. In a separate incident, two women being held in Gaza were seriously wounded, the militant group said. Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’ armed al-Qassam Brigades, said a committee has been formed to investigate what happened in both incidents. More

A snaking line of armoured personnel carriers takes us to the epicentre of the last stand of Islamic State (IS). The troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) move swiftly through the Deir Azzour region in northeast Syria. They’re often the target of attacks from IS sleeper cells they believe operate here – and which

With his troops battling hard inside Russia, Ukraine’s president has finally broken his silence on an invasion that has stunned his much larger and more powerful neighbour. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the operation, which began on Tuesday in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, as “our actions to push the war out into the aggressor’s territory”. Giving a

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has acknowledged his forces are fighting in Russia for the first time. The Ukrainian president said Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region was part of a drive to restore justice after Moscow invaded in 2022. Moscow said Ukrainian forces had pushed into the Kursk region last Tuesday and Russian military bloggers said they

Russia has used a thermobaric bomb against Ukrainian forces as it announced a “counter-terrorism” operation to retaliate against Ukraine’s shock incursion into Kursk. The Russian defence ministry said fighting was continuing in the western Kursk region following Ukraine’s unprecedented attack on its territory earlier this week. The Russian army has conducted airstrikes against Ukrainian forces,

Dozens of people have been killed in a strike that targeted a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, Palestinian health officials have said – as the Israeli army said it had struck a “Hamas control centre”. The Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry’s ambulance and emergency service said the strike on the Tabeen school in central Gaza City killed

A passenger plane carrying 62 people has crashed in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Footage broadcast by TV GloboNews showed a large area on fire and smoke appearing to billow from an apparent plane fuselage. Video on social media showed an aircraft falling at speed towards the ground. The local firefighters corps confirmed that

It is the dead of night in north-east Syria and armed soldiers are hunting Islamic State (ISIS) extremists, five years after declaring that the terror group was crushed. The mainly Kurdish soldiers who make up the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) run in and out of tents in the sprawling Al-Hol refugee camp which sits near

In a momentary turning of the tables, a seemingly unprecedented Ukrainian ground incursion into Russia signals a new type of attack that is causing alarm in Moscow. Up to 1,000 Ukrainian troops, driving tanks and other armoured vehicles and supported by drones and artillery, are reported to have charged across the border into Russia’s Kursk

A prominent British crocodile expert has been jailed for 10 years and five months for raping, torturing and killing dozens of dogs. Adam Britton, a zoologist based in Darwin, Australia, pleaded guilty to 56 charges of bestiality and animal cruelty at the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory (NT) in September last year. He also

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of a “large-scale provocation” as his officials say they are fighting off cross-border raids for a second day. Mr Putin accused Ukrainian forces of “indiscriminate shelling of civilian buildings, residential houses, ambulances with different types of weapons” in an incursion into Russia‘s south-western Kursk region. Ukrainian officials have

On the seafront in Beirut, it feels like business as usual – people dining out, many enjoying the sun. But the spectre of war looms large over Lebanon – after a 30-minute drive, we’re suddenly in the heart of Hezbollah, where the reality of that threat feels very heavy. We’re on our way to the

A former teacher and member of the US Army National Guard, Tim Walz has gone viral for attacking Donald Trump and JD Vance as “weird” – an insult the Harris campaign has embraced.  But now they have embraced the Minnesota governor entirely and put him on the presidential ticket. Mr Walz may not have the

Nine staff members working for the UN’s aid agency for Palestinian refugees have been fired after an investigation found they may have been involved in Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel. The possible involvement of some UNRWA workers in the attack has been investigated since January, when Israel raised the allegations against the main aid