World

Senior politicians from a German far-right party reportedly met neo-Nazi activists to discuss a proposal to deport “unassimilated” immigrants – even if they had citizenship. Investigative portal Correctiv said Roland Hartwig, the personal assistant to the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, attended the meeting in a hotel near Berlin late last year.

Spain is to reintroduce the mandatory wearing of face masks in hospitals after a spike in flu and COVID cases. The nationwide mandate by Spain’s central government is due to come into force on 10 January – despite opposition from some regional health authorities. Spain’s minister of health, Monica Garcia, said the move was necessary

German and World Cup football legend Franz Beckenbauer has died aged 78. The German defender – nicknamed “Der Kaiser” because of his sublime talent – was regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He was also famed for carving out his own role as a sweeper – now often known as a

Russia has launched a large-scale missile attack across Ukraine, injuring several people and hitting residential and industrial buildings, Ukrainian officials have said. All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts from around 6am local time (4am UK time) with Ukraine’s Air Force saying thecountry was under threat from several waves of cruise missiles and in

The bodies of two hikers have been found in the Italian Alps near Switzerland after they were struck by an avalanche. The force of the avalanche, which hit at around 12pm on Sunday, pushed one of the victims into a lake near the bottom of the slope, while the other body was found buried in

A football team from Martinique which made an 8,000 mile (12,900km) round-trip to play a cup tie in France lost the match 12-0. Golden Lion are the reigning champions on the island, an overseas region of France in the Caribbean, and one of several teams from outside the country to enter the French cup. Unfortunately

Despite Russia having significantly greater firepower, its illegal invasion of Ukraine has not gone according to plan. Although Ukraine was not a member of NATO, the West responded to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appeal for help with a mass of hi-tech weapons and ammunition. However, following nearly two years of high-intensity conflict, both sides are running

Israel’s defence minister has outlined his vision for the next stage of the war in Gaza, including a more targeted approach in the north while fighting Hamas in the south “for as long as necessary”. Yoav Gallant explained his proposal for how Gaza could be run once Hamas is defeated, with Israel keeping security control

A drone boat packed with explosives has detonated in the Red Sea. The US navy says the vessel belonged to Houthi rebels, and no damage or casualties have been reported since the blast. Houthis, who control much of Yemen and are aligned with Iran, have launched multiple attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II rode through the country’s capital in a gilded, horse-drawn coach as she concluded her New Year celebrations and made her final public appearance as monarch before abdicating this month. Europe’s current longest-serving monarch will step down on Sunday 14 January – exactly 52 years to the day of her accession to

At least 20 people have been killed at a cemetery in Iran where a ceremony was being held to mark the 2020 killing of Iran’s top commander Qassem Soleimani, state media has reported. The reports added there were two explosions at the site in the city of Kerman where the former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

As firefighters and rescue crews work on the ground following a huge plane fire at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in Japan, investigators behind the scenes will try to piece together how it happened. Captured in dramatic footage from the scene, a Japan Airlines aircraft can be seen bursting into flames and moving along the runway in

The number of people killed after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit Japan has risen to at least 30. A series of quakes struck Ishikawa prefecture on Monday afternoon, triggering a now-cancelled tsunami alert that caused some to flee to higher ground. Buildings collapsed, cracks opened in roads and fires broke out – with Japan‘s prime minister

Israel’s Supreme Court has struck down a controversial law passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government that rolled back some of the high court’s power and sparked nationwide protests. The new legislation had removed one of the methods by which the Supreme Court can quash government and ministers’ decisions. The law would have stripped

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said in his televised New Year address that his country’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable, renewing Beijing’s threats to take over the self-ruled island. Taiwan split from China amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing continues to regard the island of 23 million people as its territory. In recent years,

Denmark’s queen has unexpectedly announced her abdication in her traditional New Year’s Eve speech. Margrethe II will formally step down from the throne on 14 January – exactly 52 years to the day of her ascension to the throne in 1972. She will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik. This breaking news

At least 14 people – including two children – have been killed and more than 100 injured during shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod, officials in Moscow say. They have accused Kyiv of carrying out the attack – a day after an 18-hour aerial Russian barrage across Ukraine killed at least 39 people.

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem faced a second opponent during a match in Brisbane – one of Australia’s most venomous snakes. The former world number three was facing Australia‘s James McCabe during a first round qualifier at the Brisbane International when the snake slithered on to the court. The umpire stopped play after the

Two British skiers have been killed by an avalanche on Mont Blanc in France. Mountain rescuers found a 54-year-old mother and her 22-year-old son dead under snow that hit a narrow gulley around Saint-Gervais, a resort near Chamonix, on Thursday afternoon. Officials believe it may have been triggered by two ski tourers who were uphill

An airstrike that killed 86 people at a Gaza refugee camp was a “regrettable mistake”, an Israeli government spokesperson has admitted. Eylon Levy told Sky News the incident at the Maghazi site on Christmas Eve was down to the use of an “incorrect munition” and “should not have happened”. But he refused to apologise for