World

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s president is said to have turned down a US offer to be evacuated with the words: “I need ammunition, not a ride.” Two years on, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is still standing firm – but so too is his urgent need for weapons and ammunition, everything from bullets to fighter

The German parliament has approved controversial plans to legalise the personal use of cannabis. The measure was passed by Germany’s lower house, the Bundestag, on Friday. From 1 April, adults will be able to buy up to 25 grams (one ounce) of the drug a day, or up to 50 grams (two ounces) per month

Wales and Ireland face each other in a Six Nations match wearing their traditional plain red and green shirts for the final time on Saturday – as rules come in to help colour blind supporters. Colour vision deficiency (CVD) is a particular issue for men – with one in 12 carrying the condition – while

Israel wants open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip, according to a long-awaited post-war plan drawn up by Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister presented the two-page document to his security cabinet late on Thursday for approval. But it was swiftly rejected by Palestinian leaders and flies in the face of

A police officer has been charged with murdering a missing Australian TV personality and his boyfriend. Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon handed himself in at a Sydney police station on Friday, two days after the bloodied belongings of his ex-partner Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, were found dumped in a skip in the beachside suburb

Bobi, who was crowned the world’s oldest dog, has had his title stripped from him following controversy around his real age. Bobi, who lived in Portugal, was said to have been 30 years and 268 days old when he was named the world’s oldest by Guinness World Records (GWR) last February. In October 2023, he

Russia has pulled out of a long-standing fishing deal with the UK – and said Britons should “lose weight and get smarter”. A 1956 agreement that allows British boats to fish in the Barents Sea has been ripped up, in the latest sign of growing tensions between Moscow and the West. The fishing deal was

Citizen soldiers on an Estonian island are dubbed “the SAS” because they train with weapons and war paint on Saturdays and Sundays. The volunteers – many of them middle-aged dads and the odd mum – said British civilians should also consider getting off their sofas and learning how to fight as the threat from Russia

A young girl has died after being buried in sand on a beach in Florida. She was digging a deep hole with a little boy when it collapsed on Tuesday. Emergency crews arrived at the scene and found the boy buried up to his chest in sand, while the girl was trapped underneath. Image: Investigators

Russian authorities have detained a ballerina from Los Angeles who they say is suspected of treason, over claims she took part in fundraising for Ukraine. Kseniya Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina, is being held by Russia, a senior US official told to Sky News’ US partner NBC News. The 33-year-old became a US citizen in 2021,

One of the world’s most prolific cyber crime gangs has been taken down by law enforcement agencies including the FBI, Europol and the UK’s National Crime Agency. Lockbit is an extortion website that held its victims’ data for ransom – some of the biggest UK bodies affected were the Royal Mail and the NHS. Five

The widow of former Russian Federal Security Service agent, Alexander Litvinenko, has said Vladimir Putin critics in Russia need support from the West. Marina Litvinenko’s husband, a prominent Putin critic, died in 2006 after being poisoned in London with Polonium 210, a rare and very potent radioactive isotope. The former FSB agent’s murder was suspected

A member of Israel’s war cabinet has indicated a ground invasion of Rafah may begin around Ramadan, which is expected to start on 10 March. Retired general Benny Gantz, part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s three-member war cabinet, told a conference of Jewish American leaders: “If by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting

The boss of a mining company, which runs a gold mine where nine miners are missing after a massive landslide, has been detained by authorities in Turkey. Cengiz Demirci, Turkey director and senior vice-president of operations at the Denver-based SSR Mining, was detained on Sunday morning. Hundreds of rescue workers are searching for those trapped

Donald Trump is promoting a line of Trump-branded trainers for $399 (£316) a pair. The presidential hopeful appeared at “Sneaker Con” in Philadelphia, a footwear convention which brands itself “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth”. Trump was met with boos and cheers at the Philadelphia Convention Centre as he introduced what he called the first

Russian forces have taken complete control of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka after months of intense fighting, the defence ministry has said. President Vladimir Putin congratulated troops on the development, labelling it a “success” and “important victory” just days away from the second anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence

Japan’s new H3 flagship rocket has reached orbit following a successful launch – in a key test almost a year after its debut flight failed. H3 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in the southwest of the country on Saturday morning, after a two-day delay due to bad weather. The rocket reached orbit at

Police in Russia have cracked down on people gathered to mark the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny – with one human rights group claiming that at least 100 people have been arrested. Footage and pictures from Russia’s two largest cities – Moscow and St Petersburg – showed officers ripping away placards from protesters and

The head of Ukraine’s army has announced his forces are retreating from the frontline city of Avdiivka. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s newly appointed commander-in-chief, says military bosses have taken the decision to “avoid encirclement” and “preserve the lives and health of servicemen”. “Based on the operational situation around Avdiivka, in order to avoid encirclement and preserve

US President Joe Biden has said he is “contemplating” steps to punish Moscow after he blamed Vladimir Putin and his “thugs” for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Mr Biden said he was “outraged” but “not surprised” by the death of the prominent Putin critic as he joined other world leaders in saying