World

Germany will make it a specific criminal offence to facilitate migrant smuggling towards the UK as part of a new co-operation deal. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, signed the deal with her German counterpart, Nancy Faeser, on Monday evening. Under the plan, Germany will clarify its domestic law to make it a criminal offence to

Israeli troops have seized a demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights in a move that has been criticised by Egypt and Qatar. Israel‘s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces had entered the 155-square mile area after a rebel advance ended Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s rule on Sunday. The zone was established by

Syria’s new rebel leaders are facing the daunting task of healing a divided nation – and the toppling of the Assad regime has not put an end to fighting in the country. In northern Syria, Turkey-backed opposition fighters are still battling US-allied Kurdish forces, while both Israel and the US have today launched airstrikes on

Syria’s ousted President Bashar al Assad has arrived in Moscow, Russian state media has confirmed. Mr Assad and members of his family arrived in the city on Sunday, a Kremlin source told the TASS news agency. The source said: “Assad and his family members have arrived in Moscow. Russia, for humanitarian reasons, has granted them

It’s over. Fifty-four years of brutal Assad dynasty rule has come to an end. The streets of Damascus have erupted in celebration. President Bashar al Assad has fled the country and the capital has fallen. What comes next is of great concern. Syria is deeply divided, geographically and socially. This is a moment of huge

Prince William has met Donald Trump for the first time since the American was re-elected president. The pair met at a ceremony in Paris to mark the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral – attended by leaders from around the world. They exchanged a few words and William patted the president-elect on the chest. Later in the

Any evidence that Russia tried to influence an election in a NATO state would expose a form of hybrid attack that is designed to weaken the alliance from within. So-called “political influence operations”, which can use social media to amplify a particular candidate to boost their chances of success, are deliberately difficult to attribute –

Romania’s top court has annulled the results of the first round of the country’s presidential election after claims of Russian interference. The unprecedented decision came after declassified intelligence documents alleged Russia was behind a campaign to promote far-right candidate Calin Georgescu on platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. Mr Georgescu was viewed as an outsider

Russia’s ability to outmatch Ukraine with artillery barrages on the battlefield has significantly reduced to just 1.5 Russian rounds for every Ukrainian shell fired back, Western officials have said. This compares with Russian forces launching at least five times as many artillery rounds as Ukraine could in the war previously – with the ratio at times

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to stay in office until the end of his term in 2027 following the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier. It comes after politicians in France’s National Assembly passed a no-confidence motion in the government on Wednesday. In an address to the nation on Thursday evening, Mr

Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians during its war against Hamas in Gaza. The human rights group said Israel sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians by launching deadly attacks, demolishing vital infrastructure and preventing the delivery of food, medicine and other aid. It said such actions met the legal threshold for the

The man at the centre of negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire has told Sky News Donald Trump wants a deal done before he takes power in January.  Speaking exclusively to Sky’s The World with Yalda Hakim, the prime minister of Qatar expressed cautious optimism but said it required “maximum pressure” on all parties to end

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using Ukraine as a “testing ground for experimental missiles” and is “not interested in peace”, NATO’s secretary general has warned. Mark Rutte made the remarks as foreign ministers from the alliance’s 32 members gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting where there will be several discussions on Ukraine. In a

A missing woman, whose dad took his own life after failing to find her, disappeared voluntarily, police have said. Hannah Kobayashi, 30, missed a connecting flight from Hawaii to New York in Los Angeles on 8 November and vanished days later after sending “alarming” texts to her family. Her father Ryan retraced her footsteps with

Syria’s military has said its joint airstrikes with Russia have killed at least 400 insurgents over the past 24 hours – as Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his support for Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The strikes are being carried out after insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al Sham and including Turkey-backed fighters launched a

Israel’s prime minister says he will “respond with force” after Hezbollah fired towards an Israeli military post in disputed territory in Lebanon. Two projectiles fell in open areas and no injuries were reported. Israel said they had been launched toward Mount Dov, a disputed Israeli-held territory known as Shebaa Farms in Lebanon, where the borders

Syria’s president has said his country will “defend its stability and territorial integrity” after rebels reportedly took control of most of the country’s second-largest city Aleppo. In his first public comments since the start of the offensive, Bashar al Assad said the regime would defeat the “terrorists and their supporters”. In comments released by the

Israel claims it has killed a Palestinian involved in the 7 October attack by Hamas. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Saturday that it had carried out a strike in Gaza on a “vehicle with a terrorist that took part in the murderous 7 October massacre”. The IDF said it was

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested to Sky News that he might consent to Russia temporarily holding on to occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a ceasefire deal. The Ukrainian president said such an arrangement could only be possible if land under his forces’ control was taken “under the NATO umbrella” – allowing him to negotiate the

A small number of young Israelis are refusing national service, and being jailed as a result. In Israel, young people are conscripted into the army for at least 24 months but a small number are objecting due to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. They are supported by Mesarvot, a small group supporting