World

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

Ukraine is preparing for Russia to try again to invade from the north – maybe around the anniversary of its first, failed attempt to seize Kyiv last February, a top commander has said. President Vladimir Putin could even ultimately order millions of soldiers into the war as Russia’s offensive falters in the face of fierce

Russia has launched a “massive missile attack” on Ukraine, officials said, knocking out power and forcing people to take cover in bomb shelters across the country amid reports of fatalities and “colossal damage”. Authorities on social media reported explosions in the capital Kyiv, southern Kryvyi Rih and northeastern Kharkiv on Friday morning, as air raid

A 30-day state of emergency has been declared in Peru after the country’s president was impeached and a week of protests left at least eight dead. It gives police the power to search homes without permission and limits certain freedoms, including the right to assembly. Demonstrations have been ongoing since the ousting of former president

A man accused of attacking the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there was “evil in Washington” and named other targets including actor Tom Hanks, a court has heard. David DePape is accused of breaking into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home on 28 October in a bid to kidnap the speaker – who

While it no longer controls vast swathes of Iraq and Syria, Islamic State remains a threat and will seek to spring 10,000 of its fighters from Syrian prisons in 2023, experts say. The infamous terror group is much diminished from its peak in 2014 but it remains a menace in a volatile part of the

The grey house with the Christmas wreath on the front door and twinkling fairy lights overhanging the back patio could be any other student home in the remote town of Moscow, Idaho. A blanket of snow covers the ground, and a rubbish bag overflowing with beer and seltzer cans is propped up near an outdoor

A group of 90 Ukrainian judges will undergo training, provided by the UK, to carry out war crimes trials for Russian soldiers. The first group of judges attended sessions at a secret location in the region last week, and more will follow in the coming months, as part of a £2.5m investment. In her first broadcast

US scientists have carried out the first ever nuclear fusion experiment to achieve a net energy gain, paving the way for a “clean energy source that could revolutionise the world”. During a landmark news briefing at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, officials revealed the successful fusion experiment had taken place last week. As

The European Parliament has stripped a Greek MEP of her role as one of the body’s vice presidents over allegations that Qatar had bribed her to influence decision-making. Eva Kaili, 44, one of the parliament’s 14 vice presidents, was among four people arrested and charged by investigators in Belgium over the bribery and corruption scandal.

The mother wept with relief as she cradled her newborn baby at the only maternity hospital still working in the Ukrainian city of Kherson. Yulia Khomchyk, 37, discovered she was pregnant after Russian forces had seized the regional capital during the first days of the full-scale invasion in February. But almost nine months later, a

The inside light of a car flickered in the darkness next to a cluster of large apartment blocks in the Ukrainian city of Odesa. A young couple, wrapped in furry dressing gowns over layers of clothes, were sat in the front seats, charging their mobile phones and enjoying a brief respite from the cold. Oleh

The man accused of making the bomb that blew up the Pan Am 103 flight over Lockerbie in 1988 is now in US custody. Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir al-Marimi is said to be the “third conspirator” behind the attack. The US Justice Department has confirmed Mas’ud is in custody and said he will make

Vladimir Putin could use any peace talks with Ukraine as an excuse to rearm and recruit Russian troops, the foreign secretary has warned. James Cleverly told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday that negotiations need to be “real” and “meaningful”. The Russian president said on Friday that Moscow may have to strike a deal with

Morocco made history by becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final after beating Portugal 1-0. Each of the previous three African sides to reach a quarter-final were all eliminated at this stage – Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010. It was a strong start for Morocco, scoring just

Vladimir Putin has said Russia may have to strike a deal with Ukraine to end its war. Speaking at a news conference in Kyrgyzstan, the Russian president also admitted there had been problems in mobilising hundreds of thousands of conscripts to fight in the conflict. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks since launching

A middle-aged woman with a bright yellow hat stepped out of a white van close to the frontline Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Smiling cheerfully, Liudmyla Bila handed out a jumble of supplies – from woollen socks and metal pans to dried noodles and cans of beans

A huge fire has ripped through one of Moscow’s largest shopping centres, killing at least one person. The blaze spread over an area of about 7,000sq m in the Mega shopping centre in Khimki, northwest of the Russian capital, authorities said. The fire caused part of the building to collapse, hindering firefighters’ efforts to tackle

From summer heat across the whole of the northern hemisphere to a cruel drought inflicting mass hunger in east Africa, 2022 felt almost unrelenting in extreme weather. While hazards like hurricanes and wildfires happen naturally, climate breakdown is making them worse, scientists say. And they agree that extreme weather events are going to become “more

A top US diplomat Wendy Sherman has refused to be drawn on exactly what Joe Biden’s vision of a Russian “pullout” of Ukraine would be. The US president said last week, for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, that he would be willing to speak to Vladimir Putin if he truly wanted to