World

Two former Mississippi sheriff’s deputies who were members of a group calling itself “the Goon Squad” have been handed lengthy prison sentences for their part in torturing two black men. Hunter Elward, 31, was jailed for 20 years, and Jeffrey Middleton, 46, was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years on Tuesday during back-to-back proceedings at a federal

Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his determination to carry out a ground invasion of Rafah, despite growing pressure from Western allies. The Israeli prime minister rebuked Joe Biden, saying he made it “supremely clear” to the US president he intended to go ahead with an assault on the southern Gaza city where he believes Hamas‘s remaining

A French tennis player collapsed mid-match on court at the Miami Open. Arthur Cazaux was forced to retire from his qualifier against Harold Mayot on Monday after he fell to the ground during the third set. Cazaux had levelled the match by winning the second set 7-5 after Mayot took the first 6-4. Footage posted

Vladimir Putin has been cheered by large crowds in central Moscow after securing his fifth term as Russian president – in what Western nations have condemned as an “undemocratic” election. Thousands of people had gathered for an open-air concert to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Russian annexation of Crimea, which is internationally recognised as

A man has died after falling from a hot air balloon in Australia. The aircraft had only been in the air for around 30 minutes when the passenger went over the side of its basket above the city of Melbourne on Monday. Police said the man’s body was found in a residential street at around

A defiant Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with a long-expected assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite international criticism. The Israeli prime minister was speaking on Sunday following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as he reiterated his promise to “eliminate the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah”. But he also

Grant Shapps was forced to abandon a visit to a port city in Ukraine after British intelligence warned of a credible missile threat from Russia. Officials told the defence secretary Russia had become aware of his travel plans to Odesa, where a convoy carrying Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greece’s prime minister had narrowly avoided an airstrike.

Ireland are celebrating another Six Nations title win with a 17-13 victory over Scotland in Dublin. It is their fifth title in 11 years, having endured a drought of more than two decades between 1985 and 2009. Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter scored tries for the hosts, who have now won back-to-back championships. Player of

US air safety officials are investigating a Boeing 737-800 plane that was missing a panel when the United Airlines flight landed on Friday. The Federal Aviation Authority is probing United Airlines Flight 433, which left San Francisco and landed in Oregon on Friday. It was carrying 139 passengers and six crew members. Amber Judd, director

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has secured a 33% pay rise to run world football which meant his salary exceeded £3.6m last year, Sky News has found. The increase during the Women’s World Cup year featured deep in financial documents approved by the FIFA Council yesterday and sent to global football officials. Mr Infantino’s base salary

A federal judge has rejected a bid by Donald Trump to throw out a criminal case that charges him with illegally holding on to classified documents after leaving the White House. US District Judge Aileen Cannon issued the ruling after a day-long hearing in Florida during which the former president’s lawyers argued the Espionage Act

The most senior Jewish politician in the US has labelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and urged him to call an election. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, who has long been a supporter of Israel, said on the Senate floor that Mr Netanyahu‘s government “no longer fits the needs” of the

Josh Cavallo, who in 2021 became the first openly gay male professional footballer, is engaged after an on-pitch proposal to his partner, Leighton Morrell, at Adelaide United’s home ground. The 24-year-old made international headlines when he came out publicly in an emotional video, announcing: “There’s something personal that I need to share with everyone: I’m

Gunmen who kidnapped at least 286 students and staff from a school in Nigeria have demanded one billion naira – the equivalent of £486,000 – for their release, community leaders have said. The children and adults were abducted last Thursday in Kuriga, a town in Nigeria‘s north-western Kaduna State. At least 100 of the pupils

A long-time ally of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been attacked with a hammer near his home in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Lithuanian police are investigating the assault on 43-year-old Leonid Volkov as it remains unclear who carried it out – and their motive. A pine forest near Mr Volkov’s house was

Israel has been urged by Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron to open one of its ports to allow aid arriving by sea to get through to Gaza. He also called for more visas to be issued to UN workers to ensure humanitarian assistance could be distributed in the Palestinian territory. Politics latest: Minister breaks ranks