World

The fact that China’s authorities will no longer report asymptomatic cases sounds technical but it’s really significant. It means the public will never know how bad the current dramatic surge of infections sweeping this country is. For the vast majority of the pandemic China has reported symptomatic and asymptomatic coronavirus cases separately. While it’s always

US scientists have carried out the first ever nuclear fusion experiment to achieve a net energy gain, paving the way for a “clean energy source that could revolutionise the world”. During a landmark news briefing at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, officials revealed the successful fusion experiment had taken place last week. As

The European Parliament has stripped a Greek MEP of her role as one of the body’s vice-presidents over allegations that Qatar had bribed her to influence decision-making. Eva Kaili, 44, one of the parliament’s 14 vice-presidents, was among four people arrested and charged by investigators in Belgium over the bribery and corruption scandal. It comes

The mother wept with relief as she cradled her newborn baby at the only maternity hospital still working in the Ukrainian city of Kherson. Yulia Khomchyk, 37, discovered she was pregnant after Russian forces had seized the regional capital during the first days of the full-scale invasion in February. But almost nine months later, a

Farmers living in the Republic of the Congo say that they have been barred from accessing their land so that the French oil giant Total Energies and the Congolese government can use it for a high-profile carbon offsetting project to plant 40 million trees in the next decade. According to an investigation shared exclusively with

The man accused of making the bomb that blew up the Pan Am 103 flight over Lockerbie in 1988 is now in US custody. Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir al-Marimi is said to be the “third conspirator” behind the attack. The US Justice Department has confirmed Mas’ud is in custody and said he will make

Vladimir Putin could use any peace talks with Ukraine as an excuse to rearm and recruit Russian troops, the foreign secretary has warned. James Cleverly told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday that negotiations need to be “real” and “meaningful”. The Russian president said on Friday that Moscow may have to strike a deal with

Morocco made history by becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final after beating Portugal 1-0. Each of the previous three African sides to reach a quarter-final were all eliminated at this stage – Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010. It was a strong start for Morocco, scoring just

Vladimir Putin has said Russia may have to strike a deal with Ukraine to end its war. Speaking at a news conference in Kyrgyzstan, the Russian president also admitted there had been problems in mobilising hundreds of thousands of conscripts to fight in the conflict. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks since launching

A middle-aged woman with a bright yellow hat stepped out of a white van close to the frontline Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Smiling cheerfully, Liudmyla Bila handed out a jumble of supplies – from woollen socks and metal pans to dried noodles and cans of beans

A huge fire has ripped through one of Moscow’s largest shopping centres, killing at least one person. The blaze spread over an area of about 7,000sq m in the Mega shopping centre in Khimki, northwest of the Russian capital, authorities said. The fire caused part of the building to collapse, hindering firefighters’ efforts to tackle

Iran says it has executed a prisoner arrested during the ongoing anti-government protests – the first known death sentence linked to the unrest. The execution on Thursday came after people are believed to have gathered around Azadi Square in the capital Tehran overnight. The prisoner has been identified as Mohsen Shekari by the Mizan news

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “the spirit of Ukraine” has been named Time magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year. The annual award by the US magazine’s editors is given to someone who is felt to have had the most global influence during the last 12 months. The magazine has previously said their Person of the Year

Around 3,000 police officers have carried out raids across Germany to stop an alleged plot by a far-right terrorist group to overthrow the government. Federal prosecutors said 25 suspected members and supporters of the Reichsburger group – the so-called Reich Citizens movement – were detained during the raids in 11 of the country’s 16 states

Standing by a makeshift stove at the bottom of a bitterly-cold ditch, the Ukrainian troops enjoyed a quick tea break. Suddenly there was a loud whistle and a crack as a Russian artillery round flew overhead and exploded in a field behind them. The soldiers barely flinched, hardened by months of war. Instead, their focus

Two girls have been stabbed on their way to school in a small town in the south of Germany. Both girls were seriously injured in the attack on Monday morning, a police spokesman said. The attacker had a knife, according to the newspaper Bild. Image: Pic: AP The attack happened in Illerkirchberg, a town of