World

Almost 15 million global excess deaths by the end of 2021 were caused by COVID, according to figures released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It estimates a total of 336.8 million life-years were lost globally due to the pandemic which was declared in early 2020. This means that, on average, each excess death led

An 88-year-old Australian doctor held hostage in Africa for more than seven years by al Qaeda-linked militants has been reunited with his family after being released. Dr Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, who together ran a medical clinic in Burkina Faso, were kidnapped in 2016 by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) –

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan says police have “surrounded” his house and his arrest is imminent. Mr Khan, 70, was arrested last Tuesday in a corruption case which sparked countrywide violence. He tweeted: “Probably my last tweet before my next arrest,” adding that police have “surrounded” his house in the eastern city of Lahore.

President Joe Biden will cut a trip to Asia and Australia short to deal with the impending debt crisis in the US. The 80-year-old has cancelled stops in Australia and Papua New Guinea and will return to the US after the G7 summit in Japan. He will attend the three-day summit that starts on Friday

France’s first lady has condemned the “cowardice” and “stupidity” of a physical attack on her great-nephew which took place on the sidelines of a protest against pension reforms. Police said eight people were arrested in the northern French city of Amiens in connection with the attack on Monday. Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, 30, who runs a family

A chef has spent more than 100 hours cooking in a bid to achieve a new Guinness World Record. Hilda Baci, based in Lagos, Nigeria, has captivated the country with her culinary marathon, in the hope of setting a new record for the longest ever cooking session by an individual. The 27-year-old was backed by

Elon Musk has been heard telling French President Emmanuel Macron that he had to “sleep in the car” before their meeting in Paris – hours after the billionaire was seen partying in Mexico and Los Angeles. The Tesla chief executive met Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace on Monday as part of the French president’s

Russia has refused to comment on the health of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko amid speculation that he is seriously ill. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday it was best to be guided on the subject by official statements from the Belarusian authorities. Mr Lukashenko, 68, has not been seen in public since last Tuesday

An election that started with both leading candidates claiming victory ended up with neither of them getting it. Although the votes are still being counted, it now seems all but certain Turkey will be heading towards a run-off between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Neither managed to get past 50% of the vote, so

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in the UK for “substantive negotiations” with Rishi Sunak, as the UK is set to confirm further military aid for Kyiv. The Ukrainian president will meet Mr Sunak at Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat. Two Russian commanders killed – latest updates The government said Mr Sunak will confirm

Tens of thousand of people living along the coast of Bangladesh and Myanmar have been urged to seek shelter as the nations brace for an extremely severe cyclone – known as Storm Mocha – on Sunday. Volunteers used loudspeakers to warn individuals in coastal districts, that are expected to experience gusts of wind up to

Ukraine came under fire from Russian missiles during the Eurovision Song Contest. Ternopil, the university home town of the Ukrainian act Tvorchi was among the places targeted, according to Dame Melinda Simmons, the British Ambassador to Ukraine. “Meanwhile, this #Eurovision night Ukraine is under another Russian missile attack,” Dame Melinda tweeted. Praising Ukraine’s entrants in

After twenty years of running his country, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hardly going to change tack now. Cheered vociferously by thousands of his supporters, the President marked the last day of campaigning by firing tirades at his critics, his opponents and the West. Erdogan knows that this election, which pitches him against a coalition of

Poland says it has detected what appears to be an observation balloon in its airspace that flew in from the direction of Belarus. The country’s defence ministry tweeted that radar contact with the object was lost near Rypin, a town in central Poland around 180 miles from the border with Belarus. The object was spotted

Imran Khan has claimed democracy in Pakistan is at “an all-time low” in an exclusive interview with Sky News. The former prime minister said – in his first interview since being bailed – that the government is “petrified of elections” and they fear being “wiped out” by his party at the polls. He continued: “So

After two decades in which he has exerted ever greater control over his nation, Turkey’s leader finds himself looking at something remarkable – the prospect of losing power. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held the job of president since 2014, representing the AK Party (AKP) that he himself founded back in 2001. Before becoming Turkey’s president,

Elon Musk has announced he has found a new Twitter chief executive – but is yet to name her. “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!” Musk said in a tweet on Thursday. He added that his role within the company will transition to

The UK has been threated with a “military response” by Russia after pledging to send long-range missiles to Ukraine. The UK’s defence secretary said Storm Shadow missiles will be provided to Ukraine‘s military – and Sky News understands that some of the missiles are already with Ukrainian troops. In response to reports the deal had

Police in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands are asking for the public’s help to identify 22 women and girls who they believe have been murdered. The bodies were discovered across the three European countries between October 1976 and August 2019. “Most of the 22 victims died violently, and some were also abused or starved before

It has been said the only glue that holds Russia together is the memory of its great victory over Nazi Germany.  The country is vast and diverse. There is no ideology, no ‘ism’ to believe in any longer. No rule of law, no system of government beyond gangster kleptocracy, no Stalin or Lenin or any