World

Iran has passed a law to impose more severe punishments on women who refuse to wear the mandatory Islamic headscarf in public.  The new legislation comes just days after the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by the morality police for violating the country’s dress code. Her

The world’s foulest-smelling flower – which mimics the odour of rotting flesh – could be at risk of extinction. Scientists estimate 60% of the 42 Rafflesia species are at “severe risk” due to factors such as deforestation and a lack of seed-banking and propagation. They say some new species may be getting eradicated before they

A ceasefire has been agreed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region after dozens died in shelling, according to Azerbaijan and ethnic-Armenian officials. Azerbaijan deployed troops and launched strikes on Tuesday in what it called an “anti-terrorist” military operation after months of tension. Earlier on Wednesday, it said the offensive was continuing but a subsequent statement suggested it

Spain’s World Cup winning women’s squad has agreed to end their boycott of the national team. It comes after the country’s football federation (RFEF) said it would make “immediate and profound changes” to its structure. The players had said they would not represent Spain until there were changes at the federation. It followed a row

The King and Queen are starting their rescheduled state visit to France, six months after the original trip was postponed after protests spiralled into civil unrest. The three-day programme is similar to that planned for March, and aims to renew cross-channel relations after years of Brexit turbulence. There will be plenty of pomp and ceremony

More than a year and a half into this war, President Biden has felt the need to urge the world not to succumb to appeasement with Russia. Allowing any carving up of Ukraine will render everyone less safe – that was the gist of the argument he made in the UN General Assembly. In an

The Myanmar military junta is deliberately targeting medical facilities and medical staff with airstrikes, raids by soldiers and the burning down of buildings, using a map of public hospitals and clinics they drew up in 2019, according to a new report shared exclusively with Sky News. Myanmar Witness, a project run by the UK-based Centre

Joe Biden has said the world must stand up to Russia’s “naked aggression” and support the people of Ukraine. Speaking to the UN General Assembly, he said Moscow alone bears responsibility for the war, stands in the way of peace, and has the power to end the conflict immediately. The US president urged UN members

Azerbaijan has begun targeting Armenian military positions in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in what it is calling an “anti-terrorist operation”. There are fears the action could lead to a new war in the territory, which is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani. Part of it, however, is run by breakaway ethnic Armenian authorities who say it is their

Elon Musk has said he will start charging people to use the social media site formerly known as Twitter. NBC News reports the billionaire businessman, who renamed the platform to X, revealed on a live stream that the company would introduce a “small monthly payment” to combat “vast armies of bots”. Musk has long complained

India has expelled a Canadian diplomat amid an escalating row over the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Indian government also criticised Ottawa for expelling one of its diplomats, and dismissed allegations that it was linked to the killing of the activist in Canada earlier this year as “absurd”. “The decision reflects the

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there are “credible allegations” that the Indian government was behind the assassination of a Sikh leader in Canada earlier this summer. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on 18 June. The prime minister said he had raised his

Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso, who was kissed on the lips by ex-federation president Luis Rubiales after her side won the Women’s World Cup, has not been picked for the first squad named since the scandal erupted. New Spain head coach Montse Tome said she had talked to Hermoso and decided not to include her in

Almost 900 buildings in Libya’s coastal city of Derna were completely destroyed in last week’s catastrophic flooding, officials have revealed. A tally by the country’s government has found at least 891 structures had been totally demolished, while a further 211 buildings were partially damaged and almost 400 others were submerged in mud. It means approximately

Armenia’s prime minister has said his country and neighbouring Azerbaijan could reach a peace deal over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region by the end of this year. Nikol Pashinyan was quoted as saying he is doing everything he can to conclude an agreement. But the leader also said it was unlikely any documents would be signed

The central dock in the port of Lampedusa now stands at the meeting point between the developed and the developing world – a point of conflict between the affluent EU and the inequities and poverty of the global south. This reality is uncomfortable and unacceptable for those who govern Italy’s most southerly point. With some

The chief prosecutor of Libya’s eastern government has said he will prosecute those responsible for the neglect of two dams in Derna as the city struggles to cope with the thousands of corpses washing up or decaying under rubble. It comes as the World Health Organisation and other aid agencies urged Libyan authorities to stop

Ukraine has confirmed that British and French cruise missiles – fired from either wing of a Ukrainian bomber – were used in a major attack against Russia’s navy in occupied Crimea and worked “perfectly”. The strikes, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, devastated one of four Russian cruise-missile-capable submarines in its Black Sea Fleet

Beach cleans rapidly and dramatically reduce plastic fragments released into the environment, according to the first scientific evidence of its kind. Experts from Norce, one of Norway‘s largest research organisations, found that within a year of volunteers removing bottles, bags and other large pieces of plastic from the shore of an island near Bergen, the

Locals now call Wadi Derna “the dam of death”. In a moment’s notice, the structure unleashed tens of millions of cubic metres of floodwater on Derna’s residents. The torrents swept generational homes and entire families into the Mediterranean sea – leaving onlooking survivors in a state of shock and horror. Read more: Desperate search for