World

The Dalai Lama has apologised after footage emerged showing him kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck my tongue”. The Buddhist spiritual leader’s office said he wanted to apologise to the boy and his family “for the hurt his words may have caused”. It said the 87-year-old “often teases people

Eight people are feared to be trapped under the rubble of two buildings that collapsed following an explosion in the south of France. TV footage showed clouds of smoke rising from the ruins as firefighters tried to douse the flames in Marseille. Sniffer dogs are searching for victims. The cause of the explosion is not

Nearly 20 military ships – about 10 Chinese and 10 Taiwanese – are involved in a stand-off near the Taiwan Strait’s sensitive median line, Reuters reports. China also conducted simulated attacks on foreign military targets off Taiwan’s southwest coast on Sunday, the agency said, citing a source familiar with the situation. It comes on the

Two British-Israeli sisters who died in a shooting in the West Bank have been named by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. One of the sisters was 15 and the other was 20, according to local media. Their mother was also seriously injured in the attack near the Hamra settlement – about 30 miles north of

China has begun three days of military exercises around Taiwan in retaliation for a meeting between the US House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. A Chinese amphibious landing ship – capable of transporting troops, craft and vehicles – began live-fire drills in the seas facing the Taiwan

Three people have died across Israel and the West Bank in terrorist attacks as violence in the region continues. An Italian tourist, 30, was killed and five others were wounded in a Tel Aviv car ramming attack on Friday, Israeli and Italian officials said. An Israeli security source identified the assailant as an Israeli Arab

Two women killed in a shooting in the West Bank were British nationals, according to a UK official. The women were sisters – one aged 15 and the other in her 20s, according to local media. Their mother was also seriously injured when their car was attacked on Friday near the Hamra settlement, about 30

French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed to Xi Jinping to “bring Russia back to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table” over the Ukraine war. The Chinese leader called for peace talks but he gave no indication that Beijing would use its leverage as President Vladimir Putin‘s diplomatic partner to press for

Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with leukaemia after he was admitted to hospital, Reuters reports. The 86-year-old was being treated in intensive care at Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital on Wednesday after suffering breathing problems. Reuters cited a source who said he had been diagnosed with leukaemia, confirming what was previously reported

A man armed with a hatchet has killed four children after he attacked a nursery in Brazil. At least three others are injured and have been taken to hospital. The man has been arrested in the southern city of Blumenau. Local media reports that the attacker scaled a wall to enter the nursey, named Cantinho

A 68-year-old Spanish actress has revealed how she used her son’s DNA to create a surrogate baby – to fulfil his dying wish to have a child. Ana Obregón said Aless Lequio García’s sperm was preserved before his death from cancer in 2020 – with the intention of conceiving a child with a surrogate mother.

Finland has officially become a member of NATO after concerns over Russia’s aggression. The Kremlin has said it could be forced to take “counter measures” to ensure its own border’s security in response. Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, setting aside years of military nonalignment to seek protection under the organisation’s security umbrella

A senior Islamic state leader who was responsible for planning ISIS attacks into Europe has been killed in Syria by the United States. Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri died in a unilateral strike that did not kill or injure any civilians, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Monday. He was a “senior ISIS

For Donald Trump’s most entrenched supporters, this indictment is simply another cause to rally around. They gather on one side of the bridge that links the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate with Palm Beach, eagerly awaiting the passing of his motorcade on the way to the airport. Some wave Trump 2024 flags, others hold signs saying

Russian officials say they have arrested a suspect over the death of a pro-war military blogger killed in an explosion at a cafe in St Petersburg. Daria Trepova, 26, has been detained following the death of Vladlen Tatarsky in the blast, which took place at a cafe as he held a talk on Sunday, Russia’s

One person has died and at least 16 people have been injured in a blast in a cafe in St Petersburg, Russia. Well-known Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky died in the explosion, the Russian interior ministry said. Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had more than 560,000 followers on Telegram and was one of

Paris is voting on whether to ban rental e-scooters across the city. Self-hire e-scooters were first introduced to the French capital in 2018 as a greener alternative to cars and the public transport network. But an increased number of accidents and “irresponsible use” has seen Mayor Anne Hidalgo call a referendum on whether they should

Three British men are being held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan – including so-called “danger tourist” Miles Routledge who returned to the country after being evacuated by British armed forces less than two years ago. The other two men are charity medic Kevin Cornwell and another unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul. They

Pope Francis joked “I’m still alive” as he left hospital following treatment for a respiratory infection. The 86-year-old was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Wednesday to be treated for bronchitis. He sat in the front seat of a white car, waving to a group of journalists outside the hospital after being discharged. “I wasn’t

Oscar Pistorius will not be released early from his 13-year-five-month jail sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a parole board has decided. The former Olympic and Paralympic athlete, known as the Blade Runner, had applied for parole after serving half of his jail term. Earlier, Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp told Sky News that Pistorius

At least 35 people have died in a well after a structure built over it collapsed at a temple in central India. Worshippers were gathering at the temple in the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh state to celebrate the Hindu festival of Ram Navami, officials said. The well had not been used for several

Finland has moved a step closer to becoming a NATO member after Turkey’s parliament ratified its accession to the alliance. Turkey was the last of NATO’s 30 members to accept Finland’s application, which was submitted in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. President Erdogan said earlier in March that Finland had secured

At least 28 people have died after a ferry carrying about 250 passengers and crew caught fire in the southern Philippines. The Coast Guard Commodore Rejard Marfe confirmed that 28 people had drowned or died in the blaze However, Jim Hataman, governor of Basilan, the southern island province near where the ferry caught fire, said

Pope Francis will need to spend “a few days” in hospital for treatment for a respiratory infection, the Vatican says. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the 86-year-old had complained of breathing difficulties in recent days and went to the Gemelli hospital for tests. The pontiff does not have COVID-19 but requires several days of therapy, he

Star Wars star Mark Hamill is lending his voice to an air raid alert app to warn Ukrainians of incoming Russian bombardments. “Attention. Air raid alert,” he says in the calming, wise manner of his famous character Luke Skywalker. “Proceed to the nearest shelter. “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.” Losing city ‘could

The boulevards of central Paris were once again choking up with the fog of tear gas. But even through the haze it’s clear this is becoming a significant crisis for President Macron’s government. Tens of thousands of people marched on the streets as part of rolling demonstrations organised by the unions. But they soon deteriorated

Several people have died in a fire at a migrant facility in northern Mexico, near to the US border, according to reports. Two local government sources told Reuters news agency there were at least 10 fatalities – while volunteer rescue workers said up to 37 people had been killed in the blaze. Footage from the

A pause – not a halt After hours hidden out of sight and in emergency negotiations with his coalition partners, Benjamin Netanyahu eventually bowed to the inevitable. As the sun was going down on an extraordinary day in Israel, news emerged that a deal had been struck. The party of Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would

Israel’s president has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “stop the legislative process immediately” after the PM triggered widespread protests by sacking his defence minister for objecting to judicial reforms. President Isaac Herzog, the head of state who is supposed to remain above politics, said “the eyes of the whole world are on you”

Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his defence minister, a day after Yoav Gallant called for a halt to the planned overhaul of Israel’s judiciary that has divided the country. Mr Gallant, a former army general, is a senior member of Mr Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party. An increasing number of Israeli Defence Force (IDF) Reservists have been

Human blood is set to “drench” one of the UK’s most famous landmarks in a protest over Prince Harry’s controversial remarks about the number of people he killed in Afghanistan. Russian artist Andrei Molodkin says he will project a sculpture featuring blood donated by Afghans on to St Paul’s Cathedral in the coming days, along

Strikes on Iranian-linked bases will be met with an “immediate counter-response” after the reported deaths of 19 people in US attacks on Syria, an Iranian security spokesperson has warned. Keyvan Khosravi made the remarks after the US carried out a series of strikes on the east of the country in one of the deadliest exchanges

A super tanker anchored off the country’s coast and containing more than a million barrels of oil is “likely to sink or explode at any moment”, unleashing an environmental and humanitarian disaster, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen has told Sky News. The FSO Safer was all but abandoned in 2015 as Yemen descended