World

Spy planes are conducting missions to track Russian movements, which might include listening to Russian soldiers’ phone calls home, according to one expert. The planes are equipped with devices that allow them to collect signals sent from Russian bases and to intercept communications. Sky News analysis of flight tracking data from a typical day in

China is targeting Uyghurs and critics abroad, pressuring other countries to detain and deport them, an investigation by Sky News has found, with high-ranking Chinese officials even conducting interrogations at “black sites” abroad. Chinese agents and police routinely operate abroad, attempting to identify Uyghurs who have fled China. Some are coerced into spying for the

Six Russian warships are heading for the Black Sea for naval drills amid escalating tension between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. The Russian defence ministry said the exercises were a planned movement of military resources, according to the Interfax news agency. It came hours after Paris said Vladimir Putin had promised not

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned European countries will be drawn into military conflict if Ukraine joins NATO, following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Russian leader also warned there would be “no winners” from the ongoing crisis, after meeting with his French counterpart at the Kremlin, for talks he described as useful,

The Falklands are “part of the British family”, according to Liz Truss, after China backed Argentina’s claims over the south Atlantic islands. The foreign secretary wrote on Twitter that “China must respect Falklands’ sovereignty” after Argentina‘s President Alberto Fernandez met with Xi Jinping during the Beijing Winter Olympics. The Chinese and Argentine leaders spoke of

The cells of Herat’s main prison are crammed full. In each of the cells we go into, there are about 40 men laying jammed up against each other on the floor with some on bunk beds around the edges. We’ve been given exclusive access to one of the Taliban’s jails and we’re escorted by the

Singer Lata Mangeshkar, one of India’s biggest cultural icons, has died aged 92. She died of multiple organ failure at a hospital in Mumbai after she was admitted on 11 January with COVID-19, hospital officials said. Born in 1929 in pre-independence India, Mangeshkar began singing in her teens, and in a career spanning 73 years sang

Rescuers have said they are edging nearer to a five-year-old child who has been trapped in a well in Morocco for four days, despite unstable soil affecting their efforts. The child, who has only been identified by his first name Rayan, fell into the well outside his home in the village of Ighran in Morocco’s

The ordinary people of Beijing were not allowed to buy tickets to the opening ceremony so they stood at the Bird’s Nest, waiting for the fireworks. They watched the ceremony on their phones, shivering in the freezing cold. At least until police moved them away, a mile and a half down the road, to a

A five-year-old boy who spent four days trapped in a 32m (105ft) deep well has died, Morocco’s king has said. Footage from the scene in the north of the country showed workers emerging from a tunnel – dug specifically for the rescue – carrying the child, Rayan Awram, on Saturday evening. An Associated Press reporter

Russia and China have put on a united front as the country’s leaders met in Beijing ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, with the two looking to present themselves as a counterweight to the US and its allies. China said it supported Russia’s demands for security guarantees from the West, as both countries called

US intelligence accusing Russia of planning a fake attack to justify an invasion of Ukraine is “shocking evidence of Moscow’s aggression”, Liz Truss has warned. The foreign secretary tweeted: “This is clear and shocking evidence of Russia’s unprovoked aggression and underhand activity to destabilise Ukraine. “This bellicose intent towards a sovereign democratic country is completely

A production and storage vessel which can hold up to two million barrels of oil has exploded off the coast of Nigeria with ten crew members on board. The FPSO Trinity Spirit, with can process up to 22,000 barrels of oil per day, was situated near Warri in southern Nigeria when it burst into flames.

Boris Johnson must encourage the EU and Joe Biden to provide aid for Afghanistan to prevent a “needless loss of lives”, Gordon Brown has said. The former prime minister was speaking after viewing a Sky News report from the Taliban-run country, showing “malnourished, horribly weak” children and a toddler who had frozen to death. Multiple

Satellite images reveal a build-up of Russia’s military presence in Crimea and western Russia as tensions continue to rise with Ukraine. The pictures show an increase in tents designed to accommodate troops at a number of Russian bases. Previous satellite images have shown that Russia has been deploying large equipment, such as military vehicles, to

Boris Johnson has urged Russia to “step back” from any military action against Ukraine, pledging that the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder” with Kyiv. During a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister said a Russian invasion would be a “political and humanitarian disaster” and a “military disaster as well”. A series

Army trucks and armoured vehicles crunch through the snow and ice-covered roads of eastern Ukraine – through towns and villages still populated by people holding out, despite the frontlines a short distance away, and the constant rumble of explosions and crackle of machine guns.   It’s easy to forget this conflict has been going since

The foreign secretary has announced new legislation which could be used to toughen the UK’s sanctions in response to the massing of Russian troops at Ukraine’s border amid fears of an invasion. Liz Truss said it means a much broader range of oligarchs and businesses could be sanctioned because of their significance to the Kremlin.

A British woman found guilty of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has won her appeal to overturn the conviction at the country’s Supreme Court, her lawyers said. The then 19-year-old, from Derby, was given a suspended four-month jail term in 2020 after a judge found her guilty of public mischief following a trial. The

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone starts with a checkpoint and souvenir wagons. You can buy Chernobyl condoms that glow in the dark, keyrings and t-shirts. “Visit Chernobyl, die later” was the slogan on one. We had to set off early through driving snow from Kyiv, but despite the weather, the drive took little more than a