World

Vladimir Putin was “playing hockey” at the weekend, the Kremlin has said, dismissing rumours the Russian president may be suffering from a secret medical illness. Barely a day has passed without fresh speculation about the health and welfare of the Russian leader since his country’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine news live: First Russian vessel destroyed

A Russian journalist awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, has sold his medal for £84 million – and donated the money to Ukrainian refugee children. Dmitry Muratov, editor of the Russian Novaya Gazeta newspaper fiercely critical of the Kremlin, was jointly awarded the prize last year with fellow journalist Maria Ressa of the Philippines. But on

The ward for severely malnourished children was full. They were putting patients on mattresses on the floor. One-year-old Mohamed was having a nasal drip inserted to make sure he gets vitally-needed fluids. On the bed above him another Mohamed was being examined. Just two months old, he was born two months premature. He is his

Deep in the woods in eastern Ukraine, a tank unit has hidden itself underneath the trees.  Their giant machines, which include Soviet-era T-72s and a more advanced T-84 are protected by summer foliage in a luxurious stand, the plump leaves blocking out most of the light. Still, that is not enough to reassure the tank

Dozens of people have died and millions of homes are underwater following huge floods in north-eastern India and Bangladesh. At least 59 people have been killed according to the AFP news agency. Lightning storms have killed at least 21 people in Bangladesh, while the remainder were lost to floods, lightning and landslides in India, the

Allies have been warned to brace for a years-long war in Ukraine. Both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the world needed to dig in and be prepared to offer its support long term. In a stark interview with Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper, the NATO chief said: “We must

Claims that Boris Johnson missed a conference of Northern MPs for a trip to Ukraine over fears of a bad reception after partygate have been dismissed as “conspiracy b******s”. The prime minister unexpectedly pulled out of a conference of northern Conservatives in Doncaster on Friday, just days before a crucial by-election in Wakefield that the

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States acts as if it is “sent by God to Earth with their sacred interests” in a combative speech delivered at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. He vowed that nothing will be as it used to be in global politics and accused the US of

Ukraine could become a member of the European Union after the EU Commission proposed it as a candidate, the first step on a long road toward membership for the war-torn country. Ukraine applied for membership in the bloc less than a week after Russia first invaded the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the news from

Russia has “strategically lost” the war in Ukraine and is a “more diminished power”, the head of the UK’s armed forces has said. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said Vladimir Putin had lost 25% of Russia’s land power for only “tiny” gains. And while Russia may achieve “tactical successes” in the coming weeks, he said any

The wife of a British journalist killed in the Amazon has said his family can “say goodbye with love” after his body was found. The remains of Dom Phillips and his companion, indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, were found near where the pair disappeared on 5 June, the Brazilian justice minister Anderson Torres said. A suspect

The main suspect in the killings of a British journalist and indigenous expert has confessed – and taken officers to the site where their bodies were buried, police have said. Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira went missing on 5 June on a remote stretch of the Itaquai River in Brazil. Police investigator, officer Eduardo Alexandre

Rumours constantly circulate about Vladimir Putin’s health – but is there anything to back up the claims? During a live session of questions and answers on Sky News with defence and security analyst, Professor Michael Clarke, one viewer asked: Is Putin really ill or is it just wishful thinking? Mr Clarke said speculation about Mr

Russia has demanded that Ukrainian forces holed up in a Severodonetsk chemical plant lay down their weapons and surrender this morning. It comes as Moscow’s forces inch closer to gaining control of the strategically important city – one of the last in the Donbas region that they have yet to win. Ukraine has said that

Pope Francis has said the war in Ukraine was “perhaps in some way provoked or not impeded”. While condemning “the ferocity, the cruelty of Russian troops”, he said “we must not forget the real problems if we want them to be solved” – including the armaments industry among the factors that provide incentives for war.

All bridges to the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk are now impassable, making it impossible to get civilians out and humanitarian aid in. Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, which includes Severodonetsk, said that Russians had destroyed two of the three bridges connecting the city with Lysychansk, and the third is old and unsafe. Mr

Throughout the war in Ukraine, Russia has carried out consistent attacks on the country’s rail system. Ukraine‘s state-owned railway, Ukrzaliznytsia, is the country’s largest employer with over 200,000 staff across 233,000 square miles. During the war it has been a lifeline for millions of people who fled the country and has proved essential to Ukraine’s

Beijing is rushing to contain a COVID-19 outbreak traced to a 24-hour bar known for its cheap alcohol and large crowds – with millions facing mandatory testing and thousands under targeted lockdowns. The outbreak of nearly 200 cases was linked to the city centre Heaven Supermarket Bar – which had just reopened as curbs in

Rwanda is a densely populated country of 13 million people and the capital Kigali is bursting with life and energy. With a compulsory monthly street clean and a ban on single use plastics, parts of the country are pristine and picturesque. The east African nation is now getting ready to welcome the first group of

Maryna Berlizova is sitting on her low bed, a photo of her youngest daughter taped to the wardrobe and a pram in the corner, overflowing with baby clothes. She is absent-mindedly stroking her tummy and looking out the window of her mother-in-law’s small three-bedroom house she now shares with her children. In a few weeks’