World

North Korean troops appear to have temporarily pulled back from the frontline in Russia after suffering heavy losses, a Ukrainian special forces commander has told Sky News. The commander, who goes by the codename “Puls”, said Kim Jong Un‘s men were likely either learning lessons from mistakes made during their first, bloody clashes with Ukrainian

People in Belarus have started to vote in the presidential election, which is all but certain to extend the rule of Alexander Lukashenko. The authoritarian leader is expected to win as seventh term as leader in Sunday’s election, extending his 31 years in power in Sunday’s election. Citizens were pictured heading to the polls in

At least 13 soldiers serving with peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been killed in clashes with M23 rebels, United Nations officials have said. The rebel group M23 has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling the strategic city of Goma, which has a population of about two million people

Around us, a cacophony of sound – the wails of sirens blended with chants, shouts and revving engines. Ramallah is never a quiet city but today, here in its heart, it was frenetic. Ahead of us, three coaches edged their way through the crowds, accompanied by motorbikes and Palestinian police officers, pushing people out of

Four Israeli soldiers held by Hamas in Gaza have been handed over to the Red Cross. Hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, all aged 20, and 19-year-old Liri Albag, were all serving with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) when they were captured. They are being freed by Hamas in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners,

Hamas has released the names of four female soldiers expected to be freed on Saturday as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. Hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, all aged 20, and 19-year-old Liri Albag, who were serving with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), are set to return to Israel in exchange for

The world’s largest iceberg is on a collision course with the British territory of South Georgia – potentially putting millions of penguins and seals in danger.  The trillion-tonne slab of ice, named A23a, broke free from its position last month and started drifting northwards. The “megaberg” – which is twice the size of Greater London

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has told Sky News he is seeking the arrest of two senior Taliban figures over the ”systemic and deliberate” persecution of women in Afghanistan. Karim Khan KC, speaking on Sky News’ The World with Yalda Hakim, said the pair bore “criminal responsibility” over the treatment of women

Hundreds of same-sex couples have been tying the knot in Thailand today as it becomes by far the largest nation in Asia to allow equal marriage and the first in South East Asia. A mass LGBTQ wedding at a shopping mall in Bangkok saw hundreds of marriage registrations as the law came into effect. It

A series of videos show the moment a car carrying a family in the occupied West Bank came under attack during an Israeli raid into the city of Jenin yesterday. At least seven gunshots are heard as the passengers including children scream before the footage filmed from inside the Kia vehicle shows the car crashing

Two people have been killed and two others injured in a stabbing in the southern German state of Bavaria. A man, described by police as a 28-year-old Afghan national, has been arrested following the knife attack in a park in Aschaffenburg on Wednesday. A two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man were killed, police said in

Eight people have been killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli troops carried out a raid in the city of Jenin – an area not covered by the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israel described it as a “significant and broad military operation” against Palestinian militants, just two days after a long-sought deal to stop the

A fire at a hotel in a popular ski resort in Turkey has killed at least 66 people, the country’s interior minister has said. Ali Yerlikaya added that at least 51 other people were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains in northwest Turkey, around 185

An Australian broadcaster has apologised to Novak Djokovic and Serbian tennis fans after calling the 24-time Grand Slam champion “overrated” and a “has-been”. Djokovic, 37, refused to give a customary post-match interview to Channel Nine anchor Jim Courier after beating Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic at the Australian Open on Sunday. He said in a

Donald Trump will pull the US, the world’s second-largest climate polluter, out of the most important global treaty for tackling climate change for the second time. The White House announced the move to withdraw from the Paris Agreement shortly after Mr Trump’s inauguration on Monday. The decision would place the United States alongside Iran, Libya

Emily Damari, a 28-year-old British-Israeli woman, is among the first three hostages Hamas plans to release today as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal. She was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel when she was “shot in the hand, injured by shrapnel in her leg,

Israel retains the “right” to resume fighting if negotiations with Hamas over the implementation of a ceasefire – expected to take effect today – do not progress, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said. Speaking hours before a long-sought Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was expected to take effect, Mr Netanyahu warned: “If we

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and prisoners. It will now go to the full cabinet for final sign-off, with a full government meeting scheduled later today. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said approval came “after examining all political,

The ceasefire deal is “the last chance for Gaza”, Qatar’s prime minister has said, adding: “Failure is not an option.” In an exclusive interview with Sky News’ Yalda Hakim, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani warned that “peace won’t happen” if there is not a Palestinian state. He also criticised parties for the time it

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been given a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case, a defence lawyer has said. The verdict in the case came after allegations of possible bribery involving land in return for a £190m favour to a real estate tycoon. It is linked to the Al-Qadir Trust that