World

Public anger in China towards continuing COVID-19 lockdowns has sparked rare protests in a number of major cities in recent days, with some demonstrators calling on the Communist Party to step down. The latest demonstrations were prompted by a fire in a high-rise apartment block in the northwestern Xinjiang region on Thursday. The fire, in

Landslides have destroyed buildings and left residents cut off on the Italian holiday island of Ischia, authorities have said. A woman has been found dead and about 10 people are still missing, Claudio Palomba, the prefect of Naples, told reporters. A further eight people who had gone missing have been found, including a child, Mr

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the mayor of Kyiv over the provision of emergency shelters, in a sign of discontent rarely seen between Ukrainian leaders since the start of Russia’s invasion. The president indicated that Vitali Klitschko, the boxing legend turned politician, had not done enough to help the capital’s residents cope with Moscow’s most devastating

Vladimir Putin has met with the mothers of Russian servicemen for a cosy cup of tea and a lengthy, televised exchange of views. Contrary to his long-table treatment of Russian officials, the Russian president sat up close and personal among the women at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence just outside Moscow, telling them he shared the pain

There is never a good time to visit the migrant camp in Grande-Synthe, but now it looks particularly grim.  The mud is so deep that I see a man’s foot disappear up to his ankle as he comes to charge his mobile phone. A puddle has turned into a lake, straddling the width of the

Saudi Arabia says it wants its investors to take over Manchester United and Liverpool – and hopes Cristiano Ronaldo comes to play in its domestic league. Sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal revealed the country’s latest sporting ambitions in an interview with Sky News – with the sovereign wealth fund already owning Newcastle and

In Beijing, business after business is bolted shut. The authorities won’t use the word, but this city is essentially in lockdown. In a number of districts across the capital, all non-essential shops are shut, restaurants and cafes are open for takeaway only and people are being asked to work from home. COVID cases here have

As if there weren’t other things for Russian MPs to worry about nine months into the Kremlin’s war with Ukraine. But as their president seeks to exalt traditional Russian values above what he has called the “outright Satanism” of the West, his parliament has adopted in the second reading a bill that further tightens the

At least one person has died and 14 people have been injured after two explosions at bus stops in Jerusalem in what Israeli police say was a suspected Palestinian attack. An explosion went off along a highway leading out of the city that is usually packed with commuters, and a second was reported in the

Children killed when their schools collapsed are among the 268 dead following an earthquake that devastated a town in Indonesia. More than 1,000 people were injured and 58,000 displaced after the 5.6-magnitude quake struck in mountains in West Java on Monday, causing significant damage to the town of Cianjur and burying at least one village

It was a day that football fans back home had been dreaming of. Wales, in their first World Cup for 64 years; England, getting their campaign under way with genuine hope of finally ending 56 years of hurt. ‘Tickets disappear from phones’ – World Cup latest And both can be satisfied with their opening salvos

At least 162 people have been killed following an earthquake in Indonesia, with the “majority” of them being children, according to West Java’s governor. As of 9pm local time, 326 people had minor or serious injuries, 2,345 houses were heavily damaged and 13,400 were displaced in the 5.6 magnitude quake, governor Ridwan Kamil said. Herman

Twelve years ago, Qatar was awarded the World Cup and scrutiny has barely let up since. But on Sunday evening, after a build-up as strange and muted as anything that’s gone before, the controversy was put to one side as the football finally took centre stage. Outside Al Bayt stadium, designed to resemble a Bedouin

Football fans must keep their shirts on and not be “visibly under the influence of alcohol” at World Cup stadiums in Qatar, organisers have said in a prepared code of conduct for the tournament. Fifa has prepared a “stadium code of conduct” that applies to all 64 matches in the Gulf state. A section advises

Countries have agreed a historic dedicated fund to help vulnerable nations hit by climate disasters, but failed to step up efforts to tackle the damaging emissions that cause them. Many questions also remain about the hard-won compensation scheme, including who pays in and who is eligible for the cash. But it was seen as a

Rishi Sunak has visited Ukraine for the first time since becoming prime minister, meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The two world leaders discussed Ukraine‘s military advances and reconstruction plans, and the British PM pledged a £50m package to bolster Ukrainian air defence. The package comprises 125 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter Iranian-supplied drones,