World

Major Chinese cities have started to lift COVID lockdowns and ease restrictions following widespread protests over stringent zero-COVID policies. Less than 24 hours after violent protests in Guangzhou, officials in at least seven districts of the sprawling port city north of Hong Kong announced they were lifting lockdowns. One district on Wednesday said it would

A crypto entrepreneur says his net worth has fallen from $26.5bn to $100,000 after his company imploded. Sam Bankman-Fried admitted it has been a “bad month” after FTX collapsed into bankruptcy, leaving thousands of people frozen out of their savings. The 30-year-old – who once positioned himself as a saviour for stricken firms – has

Crowds in a major Chinese city have clashed with white hazmat-suited riot police, footage on social media shows, as the biggest anti-government protests in decades continue over stringent zero-COVID policies. The clashes took place in Guangzhou on Tuesday night, according to posts online. In one video posted on Twitter, objects can be seen flying at

Ukraine’s first lady has urged the UK to lead the way in the creation of a special international tribunal to prosecute Russia for aggression against her nation – as she stressed that “just to stop the war is really the first step”. Speaking to Sky News’ Beth Rigby Interviews programme, Olena Zelenska said Russia is

“Whoever introduces external forces to get involved is a complete traitor!”  “I understand the rally organised this time was by… the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of America.” “Don’t be led astray by external forces. No matter what, you must love your country!” These comments are far from unusual on the Chinese social media site Weibo.

The risk of a miscalculation between Western and Chinese warships in the South China Sea is the highest it has ever been, an expert has said. With so many foreign navies sailing through what they see as international waters near China, the chance of Xi Jinping’s navy firing a misinterpreted warning shot is growing. Meanwhile,

The pictures we have been seeing from China have been astonishing. People using loudhailers to demand democracy – others calling for freedom, their faces exposed. We have not seen this for more than three decades for good reason. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:38 Why are people protesting in China?

I was part of a Sky News team on the ground in Wuhan when the world’s first COVID-19 lockdown was announced, in January 2020. It was so new that we were debating how to describe it – “shutdown” and “quarantine” were the other options. We certainly had no idea that we’d be living under some

Protests against stringent COVID restrictions have intensified across China – as a British journalist was seen being beaten and kicked by police. Demonstrators and police clashed in Shanghai on Sunday night, despite being forcibly removed by police using pepper spray only a few hours earlier. It marked the third night of chaos which has spread

As night fell in Shanghai, they gathered in their hundreds. Ordinary, angry people who took their frustrations on to the streets. When we arrived, we followed the crowds right up to a barricaded road. It was blocked by a row of police standing shoulder to shoulder. They were preventing people from congregating at Wulumuqi Road,

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

FIFA has confirmed fans will be allowed to wear rainbow bucket hats and take rainbow flags into the stadium for Wales’ match against Iran – after they were confiscated ahead of the side’s 1-1 draw with the USA earlier this week. The Football Association of Wales said venues in Qatar had been contacted and instructed

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

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

Tensions between Israel and Palestinians have been rapidly worsening The news of two bombings at bus stops in Jerusalem is an extremely concerning development, and will immediately bring back memories of the bad days of the 2nd Intifada. Tensions between Israel and Palestinians have been rapidly worsening, and attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli checkpoints

As Ukrainian battlefield victories continue with the liberation of the city of Kherson, the spotlight once more falls upon the question of Crimea. In the last few days, various Russian politicians have been discussing a possible attack on Kremlin positions on the key peninsula. They range from Viktor Bondarev saying that Ukraine has “neither 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