World

A record-breaking Iranian footballer who criticised the authorities’ crackdown on anti-regime protesters has said his family were prevented from leaving the country. Ali Daei, who scored 109 international goals for Iran, the most for any country before Cristiano Ronaldo broke his record, said his wife and daughter were questioned by officials after a flight they

South Korea says it has scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters, firing warning shots, after North Korean drones “violated” its airspace. The country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, a group of chiefs from each major branch of the armed services, said several unmanned North Korean drones crossed the border and were detected in the South’s territory

Rescue workers are searching for two people feared buried by an enormous avalanche in western Austria, local media has reported. Initially up to 10 people were feared missing, based on video from a witness. But eight of those individuals have since been identified and are alive, according to the dpa news agency, citing a spokesman

Pele’s family are spending Christmas Day in hospital after the Brazilian football legend’s cancer progressed. A medical report earlier this week showed that the 82-year-old now needed care for cardiac and renal dysfunction, having been battling colon cancer since September 2021. He has been at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paul since 29 November.

The Taliban have banned Afghan women from working at non-governmental organisations in the country. The letter said female employees would not be allowed to work for NGOs until further notice because some had not adhered to the Taliban’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women. It added that failure to comply would mean the

Tragedy has once again struck Paris with three people dead and three others injured following a shooting. Here’s what we know so far about the incident in the French capital. Who is the suspect? A 69-year-old suspect, who was also injured, has been arrested after the incident and the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an

Three people have been killed and three others injured after a gunman opened fire in Paris. A man, 69, has been arrested in connection with the shooting at a local Kurdish cultural centre, the prosecutor’s department in the French capital said. The French government asked police to reinforce the protection of Kurdish community sites in

In her sunshine yellow coat, a 17-year-old girl clambered on top of a car and threw her hands in the air – fingers spread to show V for victory – and the crowd erupted in a loud cheer. Sonia Sharifi had just been released from the clutches of Iranian detention. It is the fourth month

In a bunker below the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, a jihadi commander with a half a million-dollar Russian bounty on his head, joins his men in prayer. Of the allies Ukraine has gathered in its war with Russia, among the most shadowy and deadly are the Chechens. They are some of Vladimir Putin’s oldest

Into a buttoned-up, power-dressed chamber of US politicians entered the man of war. Wearing khaki and a look of polite exhaustion, Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the adulation of a man fighting their fight as much as his own. That was certainly the message he carried into the well of the House chamber, an appeal from the

Sky News has unearthed evidence Russia has been abducting Ukrainian orphans and children in care. Allegations that the Russian military has been deporting children have been some of the most disturbing aspects of this nasty war. Sky News investigated reports Russians took children from two orphanages in Kherson. Our investigation found evidence supporting the claims

An open-air bus parade for Argentina’s World Cup heroes had to be called off part-way through to protect the safety of millions of fans who had poured onto the streets of Buenos Aires. Argentina captain Lionel Messi and his fellow teammates instead boarded helicopters for a flyover of the capital, which the government billed as

Female students have been banned from universities in Afghanistan with immediate effect, the Taliban has said. A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the higher education ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students until further notice in accordance with a cabinet decision. The United States and Britain have both

After taking the World Cup crown, Argentina returned home to Buenos Aires on Tuesday with the country declaring the day of celebration as a national holiday. Thousands of fans lined up in the middle of the night to try to get a glimpse of the Argentina football team that won one of the greatest World

Elon Musk will step down as Twitter boss – if he stands by his pledge to abide by the results of a poll asking users for their verdict on his tenure. The owner of Tesla and SpaceX set his poll in motion just after 11pm UK time, writing: “Should I step down as head of

Argentinian fans have been celebrating through the night after their team won the World Cup in what some commentators have described as one of the best games in the history of the tournament. The side beat defending champions France 4-2 on penalties after drawing 3-3 after extra time in front of a 88,000-strong crowd in