World

Former pope Benedict XVI, who became the first pontiff to resign in some 600 years, has died aged 95. Pope Francis, who replaced him as head of the Catholic Church, had asked the faithful to pray for him at the end of his general audience on Wednesday morning. The Vatican said Benedict’s body will lie

People arriving in England from mainland China will have to provide a negative COVID test before flying, the government has said. A growing list of countries, including the US, have announced similar rules in recent days. The Department of Health and Social Care said the “precautionary and temporary” measure would take effect from 5 January.

Brazil football great Pele has been praised all over the world following his death at age 82. But his greatness on the pitch has been hailed by his peers for decades. Here is a selection of quotes by fellow players, past and present. Sir Bobby Charlton, England’s World Cup winner in 1966: “I sometimes feel

The former pope is “absolutely lucid and alert” and his condition is serious but stable, the Vatican has said. The update comes a day after Pope Francis said his predecessor, Benedict XVI, was “very sick” and asked people to pray so God would comfort him “to the very end”. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “The

Brazilian football star Pele has died at the age of 82, his agent has confirmed. The former Santos FC star, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, had been at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo since 29 November. A medical report just before Christmas showed that he needed

Doctors in China have described the chaos unfolding within hospitals as COVID-19 infections sweep the country. Three health care professionals spoke anonymously to Sky News, painting a picture of emergency departments “packed” with patients, “ventilators and oxygen machines everywhere” and “not enough IV beds”. Strict zero-COVID restrictions were lifted just three weeks ago in China

More than half of passengers on a flight from China to Italy have tested positive for COVID-19 – as China prepares to open up its borders despite a huge surge in infections. Two flights into Milan were among the first to see passengers subjected to new mandatory testing imposed on Chinese travellers. Guido Bertolaso, Lombardy

From a music club sheltered underground in Ukraine’s capital, Mariana Navrotskaya cannot hear the air raid warnings sounding above her. It is her bandmate Anastasiia Khomenko who informs her after checking online that there is a nationwide warning in effect at the time of their Zoom call. “It is very good you are in a

A record-breaking Iranian footballer who criticised the authorities’ crackdown on anti-regime protesters has said his family were prevented from leaving the country. Ali Daei, who scored 109 international goals for Iran, the most for any country before Cristiano Ronaldo broke his record, said his wife and daughter were questioned by officials after a flight they

South Korea says it has scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters, firing warning shots, after North Korean drones “violated” its airspace. The country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, a group of chiefs from each major branch of the armed services, said several unmanned North Korean drones crossed the border and were detected in the South’s territory

Ukraine has said Vladimir Putin “needs to come back to reality” in response to the Russian president’s claim that he is ready to negotiate. Mr Putin had told state broadcaster Rossiya 1 on Sunday: “We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them – we are not

Several groups providing aid in Afghanistan have suspended their operations, after the Taliban ruled women could no longer work for non-governmental organisations with immediate effect. On 24 December, the Taliban said the ban on female employees was because some had not adhered to the Taliban’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women. Save The

The Taliban have banned Afghan women from working at non-governmental organisations in the country. The letter said female employees would not be allowed to work for NGOs until further notice because some had not adhered to the Taliban’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women. It added that failure to comply would mean the

Recent snowfall across several regions in Japan has killed 13, injured more than 80 and left more than 10,000 households without power, says authorities. By late Saturday afternoon, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency warned that more than 30 had been seriously injured and more than 50 sustained minor injuries. Along the coast in northern

Tragedy has once again struck Paris with three people dead and three others injured following a shooting. Here’s what we know so far about the incident in the French capital. Who is the suspect? A 69-year-old suspect, who was also injured, has been arrested after the incident and the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an

Three people have been killed and three others injured after a gunman opened fire in Paris. A man aged 69 has been arrested in connection with the shooting at a local Kurdish cultural centre, the prosecutor’s department in the French capital said. He was also wounded in the incident and is being treated in hospital,

In a bunker below the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, a jihadi commander with a half a million-dollar Russian bounty on his head, joins his men in prayer. Of the allies Ukraine has gathered in its war with Russia, among the most shadowy and deadly are the Chechens. They are some of Vladimir Putin’s oldest

A Shanghai hospital has told its staff to prepare for a “tragic battle” with COVID-19 as it expects half of the city’s 25 million people will get infected by the end of next week. It is two weeks since most zero-COVID restrictions were suddenly reversed in China, leaving the virus to sweep through the country largely

Sky News has unearthed evidence Russia has been abducting Ukrainian orphans and children in care. Allegations that the Russian military has been deporting children have been some of the most disturbing aspects of this nasty war. Sky News investigated reports Russians took children from two orphanages in Kherson. Our investigation found evidence supporting the claims

This will be a big moment in the war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has addressed world leaders and gatherings by video throughout the conflict but his visit to the US is the first time he has left the country since Russia’s invasion. There will be security risks but they should not be overplayed as

Female students have been banned from universities in Afghanistan with immediate effect, the Taliban has said. A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the higher education ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students until further notice in accordance with a cabinet decision. The United States and Britain have both

A 97-year-old former secretary to the SS commander of Nazi Germany’s Stutthof concentration camp has been found guilty of being an accessory to 10,505 murders. In perhaps the last ever Nazi war crimes trial, Irmgard Furchner attended court in Germany for more than a year as prosecutors outlined their case against her. Judge Dominik Gross delivered

The committee investigating the January 6 storming of the US Capitol is recommending criminal charges against former President Donald Trump. They include conspiracy to defraud the United States; obstructing an official proceeding (the certification of Joe Biden‘s election victory); conspiracy to make a false statement and inciting or assisting an insurrection. The recommendation is mainly

Argentinian fans have been celebrating through the night after their team won the World Cup in what some commentators have described as one of the best games in the history of the tournament. The side beat defending champions France 4-2 on penalties after drawing 3-3 after extra time in front of a 88,000-strong crowd in

Argentina have won the World Cup after a thrilling match which saw them take the lead and then lose it again twice before winning a penalty shootout, in what is already being described as one of the greatest finals in history. It was a special moment for Lionel Messi, who finally won the biggest prize

Qatar World Cup chief Hassan Al Thawadi says the tournament has changed perceptions of the region and transformed his country. He also insisted there should be recognition for improved workers’ rights after previously “unacceptable” conditions. Mr Al Thawadi told Sky News: “The progress will not end when the final whistle is blown.” Lusail – the

The deputy prime minister of Mongolia has defended his country buying almost 100% of its gas from Russia, saying that its position as a large landlocked country presents “a lot of problems and issues”. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan said that while Russian sources are important to ensure “continued supply with a reasonable

Thousands of tourists have reportedly been left stranded in the Peruvian city of Cusco along with hundreds of others in the area around the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu because of anti-government protests. The demonstrations were sparked by the ousting earlier this month of former president Pedro Castillo who is set to be held in

Ukraine is preparing for Russia to try again to invade from the north – maybe around the anniversary of its first, failed attempt to seize Kyiv last February, a top commander has said. President Vladimir Putin could even ultimately order millions of soldiers into the war as Russia’s offensive falters in the face of fierce

Russia has launched a “massive missile attack” on Ukraine, officials said, knocking out power and forcing people to take cover in bomb shelters across the country amid reports of fatalities and “colossal damage”. Authorities on social media reported explosions in the capital Kyiv, southern Kryvyi Rih and northeastern Kharkiv on Friday morning, as air raid

A 30-day state of emergency has been declared in Peru after the country’s president was impeached and a week of protests left at least eight dead. It gives police the power to search homes without permission and limits certain freedoms, including the right to assembly. Demonstrations have been ongoing since the ousting of former president

A boy has been killed in Montpellier amid clashes between France and Morocco fans following the World Cup semi-final. A statement issued by the local government office said the boy was “violently hit” by a car in the city, in the south of France, on Wednesday. He was transferred to the hospital, but died shortly

There are two places that can tell you just about everything about why people come from all over the world to northern France, and why they pay thousands of pounds to criminals just to get a place on board a flimsy dinghy. One is a migrant camp near the town of Grande-Synthe, near Dunkirk. The