World

A group of people tried to steal a Banksy mural from a battle-scarred wall in Ukraine, the governor of the region has said. They managed to slice off a section of board and plaster bearing the image of a woman in a gas mask and dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher. But they were spotted

The Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled for the fourth year in a row as the country tries to curb the spread of coronavirus with strict measures. Formula 1 said the Shanghai event, scheduled for 16 April 2023, would not happen “due to ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 situation”. The sport is now facing

The host of a conference in Kyiv alerted guests that air raid sirens were sounding, before assuring them they were safe and the event would carry on as planned. It is a small example of how people across Ukraine are learning to cope with the unpredictability of war while carrying on with their lives in

Germany have been knocked out of the World Cup, with a win against Costa Rica not enough to secure them a place in the last 16. Hansi Flick’s side came from behind to beat Costa Rica in their final group game 4-2. On a thrilling night in Qatar, Japan beat Spain 2-1 in the other

Major Chinese cities have started to lift COVID lockdowns and ease restrictions following widespread protests over stringent zero-COVID policies. Less than 24 hours after violent protests in Guangzhou, officials in at least seven districts of the sprawling port city north of Hong Kong announced they were lifting lockdowns. One district on Wednesday said it would

This winter will be the toughest in Ukraine’s history as an independent state as Russia targets power and water supplies, worsening the impact of the war, an energy boss has said. But Maksym Timchenko told Sky News that Moscow will fail to turn out the lights for too long with its missile strikes because of

Crowds in a major Chinese city have clashed with white hazmat-suited riot police, footage on social media shows, as the biggest anti-government protests in decades continue over stringent zero-COVID policies. The clashes took place in Guangzhou on Tuesday night, according to posts online. In one video posted on Twitter, objects can be seen flying at

Ukraine’s first lady has urged the UK to lead the way in the creation of a special international tribunal to prosecute Russia for aggression against her nation – as she stressed that “just to stop the war is really the first step”. Speaking to Sky News’ Beth Rigby Interviews programme, Olena Zelenska said Russia is

The risk of a miscalculation between Western and Chinese warships in the South China Sea is the highest it has ever been, an expert has said. With so many foreign navies sailing through what they see as international waters near China, the chance of Xi Jinping’s navy firing a misinterpreted warning shot is growing. Meanwhile,

The pictures we have been seeing from China have been astonishing. People using loudhailers to demand democracy – others calling for freedom, their faces exposed. We have not seen this for more than three decades for good reason. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:38 Why are people protesting in China?

I was part of a Sky News team on the ground in Wuhan when the world’s first COVID-19 lockdown was announced, in January 2020. It was so new that we were debating how to describe it – “shutdown” and “quarantine” were the other options. We certainly had no idea that we’d be living under some

Protests against stringent COVID restrictions have intensified across China – as a British journalist was beaten and kicked by police. Demonstrators and police clashed in Shanghai on Sunday night, despite being forcibly removed by officers using pepper spray only a few hours earlier. Sky’s Helen-Ann Smith described the atmosphere in Shanghai this morning as “very,

As night fell in Shanghai, they gathered in their hundreds. Ordinary, angry people who took their frustrations on to the streets. When we arrived, we followed the crowds right up to a barricaded road. It was blocked by a row of police standing shoulder to shoulder. They were preventing people from congregating at Wulumuqi Road,

Public anger in China towards continuing COVID-19 lockdowns has sparked rare protests in a number of major cities in recent days, with some demonstrators calling on the Communist Party to step down. The latest demonstrations were prompted by a fire in a high-rise apartment block in the northwestern Xinjiang region on Thursday. The fire, in

Landslides have destroyed buildings and left residents cut off on the Italian holiday island of Ischia, authorities have said. A woman has been found dead and about 10 people are still missing, Claudio Palomba, the prefect of Naples, told reporters. A further eight people who had gone missing have been found, including a child, Mr

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the mayor of Kyiv over the provision of emergency shelters, in a sign of discontent rarely seen between Ukrainian leaders since the start of Russia’s invasion. The president indicated that Vitali Klitschko, the boxing legend turned politician, had not done enough to help the capital’s residents cope with Moscow’s most devastating

Vladimir Putin has met with the mothers of Russian servicemen for a cosy cup of tea and a lengthy, televised exchange of views. Contrary to his long-table treatment of Russian officials, the Russian president sat up close and personal amongst the women at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence just outside Moscow, telling them he shared the pain

There is never a good time to visit the migrant camp in Grande-Synthe, but now it looks particularly grim.  The mud is so deep that I see a man’s foot disappear up to his ankle as he comes to charge his mobile phone. A puddle has turned into a lake, straddling the width of the

Saudi Arabia says it wants its investors to take over Manchester United and Liverpool – and hopes Cristiano Ronaldo comes to play in its domestic league. Sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal revealed the country’s latest sporting ambitions in an interview with Sky News – with the sovereign wealth fund already owning Newcastle and

In Beijing, business after business is bolted shut. The authorities won’t use the word, but this city is essentially in lockdown. In a number of districts across the capital, all non-essential shops are shut, restaurants and cafes are open for takeaway only and people are being asked to work from home. COVID cases here have

As if there weren’t other things for Russian MPs to worry about nine months into the Kremlin’s war with Ukraine. But as their president seeks to exalt traditional Russian values above what he has called the “outright Satanism” of the West, his parliament has adopted in the second reading a bill that further tightens the

At least one person has died and 14 people have been injured after two explosions at bus stops in Jerusalem in what Israeli police say was a suspected Palestinian attack. An explosion went off along a highway leading out of the city that is usually packed with commuters, and a second was reported in the

Children killed when their schools collapsed are among the 268 dead following an earthquake that devastated a town in Indonesia. More than 1,000 people were injured and 58,000 displaced after the 5.6-magnitude quake struck in mountains in West Java on Monday, causing significant damage to the town of Cianjur and burying at least one village

It was a day that football fans back home had been dreaming of. Wales, in their first World Cup for 64 years; England, getting their campaign under way with genuine hope of finally ending 56 years of hurt. ‘Tickets disappear from phones’ – World Cup latest And both can be satisfied with their opening salvos

At least 162 people have been killed following an earthquake in Indonesia, with the “majority” of them being children, according to West Java’s governor. As of 9pm local time, 326 people had minor or serious injuries, 2,345 houses were heavily damaged and 13,400 were displaced in the 5.6 magnitude quake, governor Ridwan Kamil said. Herman

Twelve years ago, Qatar was awarded the World Cup and scrutiny has barely let up since. But on Sunday evening, after a build-up as strange and muted as anything that’s gone before, the controversy was put to one side as the football finally took centre stage. Outside Al Bayt stadium, designed to resemble a Bedouin

Football fans must keep their shirts on and not be “visibly under the influence of alcohol” at World Cup stadiums in Qatar, organisers have said in a prepared code of conduct for the tournament. Fifa has prepared a “stadium code of conduct” that applies to all 64 matches in the Gulf state. A section advises

Countries have agreed a historic dedicated fund to help vulnerable nations hit by climate disasters, but failed to step up efforts to tackle the damaging emissions that cause them. Many questions also remain about the hard-won compensation scheme, including who pays in and who is eligible for the cash. But it was seen as a

Rishi Sunak has visited Ukraine for the first time since becoming prime minister, meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The two world leaders discussed Ukraine‘s military advances and reconstruction plans, and the British PM pledged a £50m package to bolster Ukrainian air defence. The package comprises 125 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter Iranian-supplied drones,

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has revealed his daughter to the world for the first time as they inspected an intercontinental ballistic missile ahead of its launch. Mr Kim’s daughter, whose existence had never been publicly confirmed before, was seen holding hands with her father. While state news agency KCNA did not name the

Talks are running right down to the wire at the COP27 climate summit, with host nation Egypt today extending the conference into Saturday in a bid to carve out a last-minute deal. The Egyptian COP presidency came under fire for leaving it to the final day of the two weeks of negotiations to draft a

At least 21 people have been killed and several others injured following a fire at a residential building in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, officials say. It took firefighters over an hour to control the flames which burst through the top floor of a four-storey residential building in the densely-populated Jabalia refugee camp.

US President Joe Biden has disputed Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s assertions that a missile that landed in Poland and killed two people was not of Ukrainian origin. Ukraine’s president said on Wednesday he had “no doubt” the missile “was not Ukrainian” and called for his officials to have access to the site of the blast. Ukraine war