World

In an era of orbital satellites so advanced that they are able to make out objects half the size of cars from space, a spy balloon might seem like a bit of a relic. They were a prominent tool for reconnaissance during the Cold War and were even used in a more basic form for

Opposition to Russians being allowed to compete at next year’s Paris Olympics is intensifying, as the UK government prepares to convene talks with more than 30 countries. The summit is due to be held next Friday 10 February. The International Olympic Committee is facing dissent over its willingness to allow athletes from Russia to compete

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has avoided a conviction after pleading guilty to assaulting an ex-girlfriend. Kyrgios admitted pushing Chiara Passari to the ground during a row in Canberra in January 2021. His lawyer told a court in the Australian capital that it was an act of “stupidity” and “frustration”, while a psychologist said he

A former commander of Russia’s notorious mercenary Wagner Group who is seeking asylum in Norway has apologised for fighting in Ukraine. Andrei Medvedev said he wanted to speak out about his experiences in the war – and within the private group owned by millionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin –

Australia is removing the British monarchy from its banknotes and will feature an indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles on its new $5 note. The nation’s central bank said the new note would honour “the culture and history of the First Australians” – replacing the current portrait of the Queen, who died

A young couple in Iran have been jailed for more than 10 years each after a video on social media showed them dancing at one of Tehran’s main landmarks. Astiaj Haghighi and her fiancé Amir Mohammad Ahmadi were also banned from social activities on the internet and from leaving the country for two years. The

Ukraine is preparing for a major escalation by Russia – possibly even in the next two to three weeks, the Ukrainian president’s top security official has said. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, told Sky News that the hardest fighting was yet to come and said the next few

Arriving in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, the sheer scale of the poverty takes your breath away. The streets are teeming with people but everywhere is shrouded in acrid smoke from piles of burning rubbish. From the hills above Port-au-Prince, the city at times disappears in a fog of polluted air. Wherever you walk people ask for

It’s night-time, and the lights of our 4×4 guide the way up a mountain road in the West Bank. We’re above the village of Battir, south of Jerusalem, on rocky land that has been farmed by generations of the same Palestinian families over decades. They didn’t create this road. It was bulldozed one evening by

At least 59 people have been killed and 157 injured after a suicide bomber struck a mosque in Pakistan. The bomber detonated his suicide vest as a large number of worshipers – including many policemen from nearby police offices – were praying inside. Local police officer Zafar Khan said the impact of the explosion caused

Boris Johnson has claimed Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with a missile in a call ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The former prime minister has alleged the Russian leader told him “I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute” in an “extraordinary” conversation which took

Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open to equal Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam record, a year after he was deported over his COVID vaccination status. The Serbian tennis star beat Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets in the final in Melbourne on Sunday. It is Djokovic’s 10th Australian Open title and he has now

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he plans to “strengthen the settlements” in the West Bank in response to two shootings which left seven people dead and five wounded. Mr Netanyahu’s announcement threatens to further raise tensions after one of the bloodiest months in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in several years. In the

When Memphis, a city in southwest Tennessee, had a record number of homicides in 2021 for the second year in a row, many were calling for action. Attention turned to the Memphis Police Department to tackle the murder rate, which led to the creation of the Scorpion Unit in October 2021. “MPD’s New SCORPION UNIT

Seven people have been killed and several injured in a shooting at a synagogue in Jerusalem, according to Israeli police. The gunman was shot and killed and a large police presence was at the scene. Three others were injured in the shooting, including a 15-year-old boy who was recovering from surgery, hospital officials said. The