World

Robert Fico: A divisive figure sympathetic to Putin Robert Fico is a populist who staged a political comeback last year. The 59-year-old has previously been compared to former US president Donald Trump. But his election victory last autumn meant NATO also had its first leader who was sympathetic to Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Critics have voiced

In a half-built home off the busy beaches of the fishing town Mbour, relatives and neighbours gather to grieve without a body to bury.  A young woman walks in and greets each of us with a handshake and curtsy. She turns to kneel at the feet of the man sitting in the centre room and

Divyendra Jadoun is proud of his professional alias: the Indian Deepfaker.  “I know we do deepfakes,” he tells Sky News. “Why would I use something else?” And Jadoun’s services have been in demand recently, as India holds elections – often billed as the biggest democratic election on the planet. Deepfakes have been a feature, in

Police in Amsterdam have moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest after demonstrators occupied university buildings. Footage from the Dutch capital showed a line of officers in riot gear holding back demonstrators, some of whom could be seen making peace signs with their hands while others held signs. Students could be heard chanting “we are

Protesters have smashed barriers at Georgia’s parliament after it approved the divisive “foreign agents” bill. Riot police are spraying crowds of people with water cannons as they enter the grounds of the Georgian parliament. Tear gas is also being used by the authorities as weeks-long mass protests opposing the divisive legislation continue. The legislation is

Russia claims its troops have seized control of four more Ukrainian villages as intense fighting continues in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine‘s military chief said on Sunday its forces are doing all they can to hold the line in Kharkiv – with Moscow claiming another five villages on Saturday – but they are facing a “difficult

Flames and black smoke chugged from the windows of a two-storey apartment block in a frontline Ukrainian town. Residents said a Russian missile or bomb had punched a large crater into the soil in front of the building, devastating their homes. The attack had only happened a short while ago and the scene on Saturday

Russia’s defence minister is set to be replaced, more than two years into the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed replacing his long-time ally, Sergei Shoigu, with civilian and former deputy prime minister Andrei Belousov, who specialises in economics. Mr Shoigu, who has served as defence minister since 2012, will take up

Israel has called on residents from more areas of Rafah in the Gaza Strip to evacuate and head to the “expanded humanitarian area” as it prepares to ramp up its military assault. Despite heavy US pressure, Israel has said it will proceed with an assault on the southern city, where more than 1.4 million people

The European Hospital, in southern Gaza, is a dangerous place to be.  The facility is the only remaining hospital east of the city of Rafah and an Israeli military operation has come perilously close to its doors. It was a hazardous time then, for three British medics to begin a short placement, arriving at the

FIFA has offered to hold peace talks with the World Leagues Association – headed by the boss of the Premier League – to stave off the threat of legal action over a new Club World Cup. In a letter to the WLA and global players’ union FIFPRO seen by Sky News, FIFA interim secretary general

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed Israel will “stand alone” if it has to in its war against Hamas, after the US threatened to stop sending some weapons to its ally. President Joe Biden earlier said the US would halt offensive munitions supplies to Israel if it attacks the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Israeli prime

Russia only had one tank on display during its Victory Day parade this year. Every year, Moscow wraps itself in patriotic pageantry for Victory Day, a celebration of its victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Today marks the 79th anniversary and Mr Putin addressed the parade in the Red Square, trying to

Setting red lines is all very well, as long as you follow through when they are crossed. President Joe Biden knows that all too well. But he also knows that if he follows through on this big new red line of withholding offensive weapons for Israel it could cost him dearly domestically. The push-me-pull-you balance

The mother of two Australian surfers allegedly shot dead by thieves in Mexico says “the world has become a darker place for us” after their deaths. The bodies of brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad were found south of Ensenada in northern Mexico last week, after the men went missing on

There are moments, more than others, that scream the humiliation of it all. Take this, before Tuesday’s proceedings got under way. “No descriptions of genitalia or anything but it’s important to elicit that she had sex with him.” It was the prosecution’s assurance prior to questioning Stormy Daniels after Donald Trump’s lawyers had objected, in

Israel has rejected a ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas and announced it is pushing ahead with an assault on the town of Rafah in southern Gaza. The Israeli military said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in the east of the city, which is the group’s final stronghold in Gaza. Soon after Israeli tanks

The term “inauguration” may feel slightly misleading. After all, this is not his first time. Today’s ceremony will be the fifth occasion Vladimir Putin has been sworn in as Russia’s president, and it marks the start of another six years at the top. He is already the Kremlin’s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin, having been

Senior Israeli officials have been threatening a major military operation into the city of Rafah and surrounding areas in southern Gaza for weeks. On Sunday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant warned it could take place “imminently” as talks on a ceasefire with Hamas fizzled-out in Cairo. Now, they have taken a major step towards it.

A week that started with cautious optimism for a breakthrough in negotiations between Israel and Hamas has ended, perhaps unsurprisingly, with the prospect of peace in Gaza looking as distant as ever. It has taken two days of talks in Cairo, with a delegation from Hamas – and intermediaries from Egypt, Qatar and the United