World

Preliminary results in the German election show the centre-left social democrats have beaten outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right bloc. SPD won 25.8% to the CDU/CSU’s 24.1%, according to figures from German broadcaster ARD and Reuters. The greens were next with 14.6%, followed by the FDP on 11.5%. The two parties have signalled they are willing

An exit poll in Germany suggests the two main rivals are tied in an election that will determine who will succeed Angela Merkel. No single party has ever won a total majority in the country’s Bundestag (lower house of parliament), meaning politicians will likely be plunged into negotiations in the coming days. One exit poll

The world of 2005 feels a long way away. We had president George W Bush and prime minister Tony Blair; Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Bombs in London and a hurricane battering New Orleans. Lance Armstrong winning the Tour de France yet again, despite those rumours; London winning the right to host the Olympic

Authorities have closed La Palma’s airport as a new vent opened in an erupting volcano, spreading more ash across the island. Flights to and from the Spanish island have been cancelled as a result of the volcanic eruption that has lasted nearly a week. Rivers of lava poured down the slopes of the volcano and

The Hofbrauhaus in the heart of Munich is a huge building dedicated to the art of beer. It’s been welcoming drinkers for 432 years, during which time Bavaria has been ruled variously by princes, emperors, kings, dukes, dictators and, latterly, a load of democrats. The walls here have heard every grumble and every political aspiration.

Three more towns have been evacuated on the island of La Palma in the Canaries amid “intensifying volcanic activity”, emergency services say. Authorities ordered the evacuation of the towns of Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and the part of Tacande de Arriba thathad not already been evacuated due to a volcanic eruption, emergency services said. Residents

The advance of lava from a volcanic eruption in Spain’s Canary Islands has slowed, rising in some places up to 50 feet as it thickens. One giant river of lava on the island of La Palma slowed to 13 feet (4m) per hour on Wednesday – on Monday, a day after the eruption, it was

Swathes of La Palma are swimming in volcanic ash. It’s everywhere, on the roads, covering cars and buildings and in your clothes, and probably lungs. The roar of the volcano can be heard for miles. It is thunderous and menacing. The lava is spewing from the crater, burning everything in its path, utterly consuming anything

A volcanic eruption in Spain’s Canary Islands could last three months, experts have said. The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said on Wednesday that the eruption on the island of La Palma and its aftermath could last for up to 84 days. Image: Since last Sunday’s eruption, powerful rivers of lava have swallowed up 185 buildings

Authorities have warned people on the island of La Palma of fresh dangers after a new volcanic vent blew open and rivers of unstoppable lava flowed towards more densely populated areas and the sea. Residents were cautioned on Tuesday about earthquakes, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acid rain after several small earthquakes shook the Spanish

The US will again double the money it gives to help developing nations respond to climate change, President Biden has announced. Mr Biden said in April that America would double its contribution to $5.7bn (£4.2bn), but speaking at the United Nations General Assembly he said it would increase again to over $11bn (£8bn). In his

Boris Johnson has criticised other world leaders over their efforts to tackle climate change, telling them he is growing “increasingly frustrated” that their commitments are “nowhere near enough”. Speaking during a meeting at the United Nations in New York, the prime minister said the gap between what has been promised by industrialised nations and what

At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured after a gunman opened fire at a university in the Russian city of Perm, officials have said. The gunman at Perm State University was “neutralised”, according to the independent Russian news agency Interfax. The Russian Investigative Committee said the suspect had been identified as a

Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is expected to secure an emphatic win as polls close in the country’s parliamentary election. Preliminary results from the Central Election Committee, based on just 9% of ballots counted, showed that United Russia had won 38.57% of the vote. Initial results also showed the Communist Party finishing in second place

The Taliban has replaced Afghanistan’s women’s ministry with an all-male “vice and virtue ministry”. The new ministry is tasked with enforcing the group’s extreme interpretation of Islam. Officials at the ministry told the Associated Press they had not been informed whether a new women’s ministry is being planned. Please use Chrome browser for a more

Maintaining unity between Western allies will “require a lot of effort” in light of an unfolding rift between France and members of a new security partnership, Germany’s ambassador to the UK has said. Andreas Michaelis was responding to France recalling its ambassadors to the US and Australia, after the latter’s government ditched a multi-billion dollar

France has recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in a backlash over a new security partnership. The country’s foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made the announcement following the deal between the UK, US and Australia – which aims to help Australia obtain nuclear-powered submarines. Mr Le Drian said in a statement that

The economic crisis in Lebanon is never-ending and now it’s ravaging the hospitals where medicines are running out. On the oncology outpatients ward we meet four-year-old Rudayana. She is fighting leukaemia but she still finds the strength to wipe a tear from her father Fawaz’s eyes. Image: The problems in healthcare are a symptom of

Google deleted a Russian tactical voting app from its online store after staff were threatened, sources at the tech giant have said. Both Apple and Google had come under significant pressure from Russian regulators to block the anti-government app, devised by allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny ahead of Friday’s election starting. The app

As the UK starts rolling out booster jabs, health experts have raised concerns about diverting resources from developing countries with much lower vaccination rates. Sky News analysis has found two-thirds of countries have vaccinated less than 40% of their population – the target that the World Health Organisation (WHO) set for the end of 2021.