Two more earthquakes have rattled the Spanish island of La Palma amid a fresh surge of lava from an erupting volcano. Part of the volcano’s crater has also collapsed – two weeks after the eruption on what is one of the Canary Islands situated off northwest Africa. Spain’s National Geographical Institute said it recorded two
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A bomb has exploded in the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, leaving a “number of civilians dead”, according to the Taliban. The blast happened as a memorial service was being held for the mother of deputy information minister Zabihullah Mujahid, who later tweeted the attack had claimed civilian lives. Those killed
An erupting volcano in the Canary Islands has turned “much more aggressive”, officials have warned, after two further cracks blew open, spewing lava. Amid reports of “intense” activity on La Palma, the fresh fissures, some 25m (50ft) apart, sent scorching rivers of molten rock down towards the sea, parallel to an earlier flow that reached
Air New Zealand has announced that it will require passengers to be vaccinated on international flights from February. The airline’s chief executive Greg Foran said in an email to customers that the move was “a step towards opening back up to the world”. He added: “It looks like proof of vaccination and pre-departure testing are
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced he is planning to retire from politics and will not be running for vice president in next year’s elections when his term ends next year. He said his decision had been prompted by many Filipinos who opposed his vice-presidential bid in surveys and public forums. It means he will
A serial killer who carried out a spate of murders and rapes in and around Paris in the 1980s and 1990s has been revealed as a retired police officer, according to reports in France. Francois Verove, 59, is said to have used his police identity card and handcuffs to abduct and restrain his victims. The
An erupting volcano in the Canary Islands has blown open a third fissure – sending a fresh river of lava down the mountainside. It came as authorities recorded eight new earthquakes up to magnitude 3.5 on the island of La Palma on Friday. They are now waiting to see whether lava from the new fissure
The 35-year hunt for a serial killer in France may finally have come to an end after a former police officer left a posthumous confession saying he was “the pockmarked killer”. The corpse of a 59-year-old man identified only as Francois V was found in the southern town of Grau-du-Roi near Montpellier on Wednesday, French
At least 116 people have been killed and 80 injured during a battle between gangs in a jail in what has been described as the worst prison massacre in Ecuador’s history. President Guillermo Lasso decreed a state of emergency in the country’s prison system, allowing the government to deploy the police and soldiers to jails.
People on the Spanish island of La Palma have been urged to stay indoors due to toxic gas fears after lava from an erupting volcano reached the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists have warned of breathing difficulties and irritation to eyes and skin due to the chemical reaction caused by the lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano
North Korea has claimed it has developed a new hypersonic missile following a test flight on Tuesday. If true it would represent a significant step forward in Pyongyang’s military technology. The North’s announcement came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries said they detected North Korea firing a ballistic missile into sea. Hypersonic
Lava flowing from an erupting volcano in the Canary Islands – that could create clouds of toxic hydrochloric acid vapour – is now within 800m of the ocean. While one of two lava rivers has slowed on La Palma, the other has picked up pace on its way to the shoreline, officials said on Tuesday.
Germany’s Social Democrats (SDP) will seek to start the process of trying to form a three-way alliance and lead the government for the first time in 16 years after Sunday’s tight election results. The SDP narrowly beat Angela Merkel’s Union bloc and the party’s leader, Olaf Scholz, hopes to strike a coalition deal before Christmas.
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
Polls have opened in the German election that will decide who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after 16 years in charge of Europe’s biggest economy. Polls point to a very close race between Mrs Merkel’s centre-right union bloc, with state governor Armin Laschet running for chancellor, and the centre-left Social Democrats, for whom outgoing finance minister
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
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.
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
After 16 years of Angela Merkel in the chancellorship, Germany can be said to value leaders who are regarded as strong and steady. It is something the leading contender in Sunday’s election, Olaf Scholz, is counting on as he bids to become the natural successor to the outgoing leader – despite being from a different
The UK must suspend funding for rainforest protection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) until the country drops contentious plans to increase logging, more than 40 NGOs have urged. The DRC is about to lift a 19 year moratorium on new industrial logging in the Congo Basin, the second largest rainforest in the
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. The institute said it had looked at calculations of the length of previous eruptions
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
China’s Xi Jinping is yet to commit to attending this year’s climate change summit in Glasgow, COP26 President Alok Sharma has admitted. Earlier this month, Mr Sharma held two days of talks in China ahead of the international summit being hosted by the UK in November. But, asked on Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday
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
The Pentagon has admitted a drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians, including up to 7 children, was a “tragic mistake”. General Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr, head of US central command, said it is “unlikely” the vehicle targeted on 29 August – or those who died – were associated with ISIS-K or were a
Prince William launched the Earthshot Prize so he could look his “children in the eye” and say he “did [his] bit” in the fight against climate change, a close aide has said. Ahead of the 15 finalists for the environmental prize being announced later today, the Duke of Cambridge has revealed why he felt he
Around 3,000 health workers in France have been suspended, reportedly without pay, for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of a deadline this week to have at least one jab. It comes as care workers in England must get their first vaccine dose by today and be double jabbed by 11 November to keep
Fossil fuel companies are suing governments across the world for more than $18bn (£13bn) after action against climate change has threatened their profits, according to research conducted by campaign group Global Justice Now and provided exclusively to Sky News. Five energy companies, including British companies Rockhopper and Ascent, are using a legal process that allows
A striking image of an endangered turtle among glass fish, taken on the spur of the moment, has won this year’s Ocean Photographer of the year award. Aimee Jan, a tour guide and photographer based in Western Australia, took the picture at a moment’s notice when she was told a turtle could be hiding down