World

China’s outspoken foreign minister – who has not been seen publicly for a month – has been removed from office and replaced by his predecessor. Chinese state media gave no reason for Qin Gang’s removal but it comes after speculation over his personal affairs and political rivalries. The foreign ministry has provided no information about

The BBC has admitted asking an “inappropriate” question about sexuality to the Moroccan captain at the Women’s World Cup. A journalist – reported to be from the BBC’s World Service – has faced criticism after quizzing Ghizlane Chebbak on whether there were any gay players in her squad, with same-sex relationships illegal in the north

A woman and her parents have been arrested after a headless body was discovered in a hotel bathtub in Japan. The body of Hitoshi Ura was found in the red light district of Susukino – known for its so-called short-stay “love hotels” – in the city of Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido in

Efforts to tighten restrictions on women in Iran have reignited the protest movement that saw the country’s streets flooded with furious Iranians for more than half a year. Calls to commemorate Mahsa Jina Amini, the Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody last year, have rocketed on social media in the wake of announcements strengthening

Saudi football club Al Hilal have made a world record £259m bid for Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe. Sky Sports News reported at least five clubs have contacted the French club in recent days about signing Mbappe – with Premier League sides among those interested. The 24-year-old has been put up for sale by the French champions, who

The right-wing Popular Party (PP) is projected to be ahead after a general election in Spain – but it is likely to need the support of the far-right to govern. PP is likely to fall short of an outright parliamentary majority, according to two exit polls. However, the voter surveys suggest the party could govern

A little less than two weeks ago, we were taken to the camp at Tsel where Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have popped up. We were told by the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko that Wagner had other encampment plans for their Belarusian stay. But it seems not. Barely a week later Wagner military convoys were already

A tourist who saw a US soldier run across the North Korean border said she first thought it was part of a TikTok stunt. Private Second Class Travis T King was reportedly facing disciplinary action by the US military when he crossed into the secretive country, US officials said. Sarah Leslie, from New Zealand, was

Vladimir Putin will not be attending the BRICS trade summit in South Africa thereby avoiding the risk of arrest. The South African government broke the news with the following statement: “By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the Summit, but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister,

Businesses in Germany should consider allowing staff to take midday siestas, according to a public health chief, as temperatures in the country soar. Johannes Niessen, the head of the country’s public health officers association, also suggested staff could use cold foot baths under their desks to keep cool. He made the comments to German media,

Senior Ukrainian military officials believe Russia is planning a massive attack in the northeastern Kharkiv region in a bid to draw Ukraine’s efforts away from its counteroffensive. It comes as the boss of MI6, Sir Richard Moore, suggested the invasion was “doomed”. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson sits down with our international affairs

China has a responsibility for the “tragic” situation in Myanmar because it is the “foremost supporter” of the military regime, the head of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 has said. “It is appalling to see what is happening in that wonderful country,” Sir Richard Moore told Sky News during a briefing with journalists in

An American soldier who is believed to be in custody in North Korea was facing disciplinary action by the US military when he crossed into the secretive country, US officials said. The crossing has created a fresh crisis for Washington in its dealings with the nuclear-armed state. The US military has identified the soldier as

Police in Western Australia are trying to work out what a mystery object is after it washed up on a remote beach. The gold-coloured cylinder, estimated to be 2.5 metres long and 2.5 metres wide, was found and reported by local residents on Sunday afternoon at Green Head, about 155 miles north of Perth. Officers

In Italy today, the number of cities on red alert for extreme heat has climbed from 10 to 15. The warning points to conditions that threaten the whole population, rather than just the vulnerable. A police unit patrolling the river give a different view of how the heat is impacting Rome. Europe braces for ‘hottest

India has launched a spacecraft to the far side of the moon four years after a failed effort to land a rover softly on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3, meaning “moon craft” in Sanskrit, blasted off from a launch pad on the south-eastern island of Sriharikota with an orbiter, a lander and a rover. It will

Ukrainian forces say they have conducted a “special operation” on a Dnipro island, as dramatic footage shows soldiers using speed boats and drones. Ukrainian special forces are said to have headed towards the Russian-held island, firing weapons as they drew closer, aerial footage posted by the Ukrainian army’s command of the special operations forces shows.

A nursery teacher in China has been executed after killing one child and injuring 24 others by poisoning their porridge. Wang Yun was sentenced to death in September 2020 following the incident at Mengmeng Pre-school Education in Jiaozuo in March 2021. She put sodium nitrite into the porridge of the students of another teacher in

An Italian court’s decision to clear a janitor who groped a schoolgirl because he did it for “just a few seconds” has sparked outrage. The girl, who was 17 at the time of the incident, said the man approached her from behind, put his hands in her knickers and slightly lifted her in the air

A US dentist accused of the fatal poisoning of his wife searched the internet for “how to make murder look like a heart attack” weeks before she died, a court has heard. James Craig, 45, also sought answers to the question “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” at around the same time, it is alleged.