World

The Netherlands will enter into a tough lockdown from tomorrow morning to curb the spread of Omicron, with non-essential shops, bars, restaurants, and other public places to close. Schools will also shut from Monday, and the lockdown will run until at least 14 January, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced. He added it was “unavoidable

Ukraine faces “a dozen tonnes” of pro-Russian disinformation aimed at justifying Moscow’s false claims to the territory and to soften the ground ahead of a possible new invasion, the Ukrainian information minister has said. With international concern growing over the threat of a large-scale Russian military offensive, Oleksandr Tkachenko said his country is already under

The Kurdish travel agent, responsible for 10 of the people who died crossing the Channel last month, has told Sky News he thinks about the dead every day and defended his role in the network. “Even if we don’t participate, the process will still happen,” he said. “As an agency in Kurdistan and Iraq, we

As many as 75,000 people in China are dying prematurely each year from air pollution caused by the country’s increasing meat consumption, a new study has found. Global increases in meat production over the past 50 years are most pronounced in east Asia, and particularly China, according to the paper, published in Nature Food. The

A small crowd has gathered, shuffling to keep warm and talking quietly. All of them are men, some in traditional Afghan clothing, others in jeans and jumpers; all of them pensive. At the heart of the crowd is Safi, and in his hand is a passport. It belonged to his uncle, Muhammad, one of the

2021 was the year that warnings on climate change went into overdrive. It was the year that scientists seemed to run out of patience. And it was the year that the consequences of climate change finally, indisputably, arrived at the doorstep of the western world. By summer, the UN’s special climate panel declared global warming

British tourists are to be banned from France amid concern over the “extremely rapid” rise in Omicron COVID cases in the UK. From Saturday morning, France is banning travel to and from the UK without “compelling reasons”. Those reasons do not include travel for tourism and business, Paris said. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said

A full invasion of Ukraine by Russia would spread conflict around Europe and could even trigger World War Three, a Ukrainian government minister has warned. Yuliia Laputina, the minister for veterans affairs – who previously served as a top officer in Ukraine’s equivalent of MI5 – told Sky News that her country was ready to

Up to 350 people are trapped on the roof of Hong Kong’s World Trade Centre after a major fire broke out in the skyscraper, police have said. The fire started to rip through the 38-story building, which houses both offices and a mall, in the bustling commercial and shopping district of Causeway Bay early on

The husband of a Belarusian opposition leader has been jailed for 18 years by a court in the country. Siarhei Tsikhanouski was charged with organising mass unrest and inciting hatred, among other offences, in a case widely seen as politically motivated. His sentence was announced on Tuesday, six months after his trial began behind closed

Coronavirus vaccine passports have led to an increase in people getting jabbed in countries with lower coverage, a study has found. The impact of COVID-19 certification – which requires people to have proof of complete vaccination, negative test, or a recovery certificate – was analysed in six countries where it has been introduced this year.

The Prime Minister has warned Vladimir Putin that there would be “significant consequences” if Russia invades Ukraine. Boris Johnson spoke to and Mr Putin by telephone on Monday to reinforce the UK’s commitment to Ukraine and tell the president that any destabilising action in the region by Moscow would be a “strategic mistake”. His call

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for coronavirus amid the growing prevalence of the Omicron variant in the country. It is not yet known if the 69-year-old is carrying the Omicron variant, which is believed to make up more than 70% of cases in the nation. He is receiving treatment for mild symptoms,

Celebrations and prayers ring out at the Singhu border where farmers and their supporters held a victory march today. It’s been more than a year of protests against three farm laws, led by people from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Not allowed to enter the national capital, they laid siege on some of the border

A father and son have pleaded not guilty to starting a massive California wildfire that destroyed 1,000 homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee. David Scott Smith, 66, and Travis Shane Smith, 32, are charged with reckless arson over the Caldor fire which started on 14 August. Five people were injured and

Sir Lewis Hamilton has failed in his bid to win a record eighth F1 world title after a last-lap drama in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After leading for almost all of the race, the 36-year-old British driver was overtaken on the final lap by championship rival Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances. It means Red

Foreign ministers of the world’s most powerful free nations converge on Liverpool this weekend for a meeting likely to be dominated by Russia’s threatening military build-up on the borders of Ukraine. The gathering comes days after Britain’s new head of armed forces issued a stark warning about the risk of war with Russia. Admiral Sir

Warning: This report contains graphic descriptions of alleged sexual abuse of a child. Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, is currently on trial, facing eight charges – including six counts of enticing minors and sex trafficking. Spanning a 10-year period from 1994 to 2004, the 59-year-old British socialite’s charges involve four alleged underage

Omicron coronavirus cases have surged by as much as 400% in some parts of South Africa – although the country’s health ministry has said there is mounting evidence the variant causes milder infection. South Africa reported more than 22,000 new infections on Thursday, a record during the fourth wave but still below the more than

As the world grapples with the challenge posed by the Omicron variant, scientists and residents in South Africa are coming to grips with the real-world impact of this worrying strain. This country has already seen two weeks of mass infection and the experience is generating the sort of anecdotal information and scientific observation that will

Tourists at a four-star Cancun resort were sent scrambling for cover when gunmen pulled up on jet skis and opened fire. Five men in military uniforms fired about 20 shots near the Oasis Palm resort on Tuesday, according to reports, but nobody was injured. Andy Guyrich was visiting from the US and said: “We just

A full Russian invasion of Ukraine would be on a scale “not seen in Europe since World War Two”, the new head of the armed forces has warned. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin described as “deeply worrying” an escalating crisis over Ukraine – where a build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops has raised Western

Olaf Scholz has become Germany’s ninth post-war chancellor, replacing Angela Merkel after her 16-year tenure. The 63-year-old’s government takes office with the aim of modernising the European Union‘s most populous country, as well as combatting climate change. However, it faces the immediate challenge of handling the coronavirus pandemic – which the nation is currently grappling

Analysis by Tom Clarke, science and technology editor This is the data scientists have been waiting for ever since the Omicron variant was first discovered. It is very preliminary, and the numbers are subject to change. But those numbers are significant. In people vaccinated against COVID-19 with two jabs of the Pfizer vaccine, the ability

US President Joe Biden has spoken to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European leaders to share growing concerns about Russia’s behaviour towards Ukraine. Mr Biden, Mr Johnson, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Angela Merkel, and Italy’s Mario Draghi all “shared concern about the Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s borders and Russia’s increasingly harsh rhetoric”, the White

Italians face tougher rules from Monday if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19. The ‘Super Green Pass’ will require vaccination, rather than including those who have received a recent negative test result, and it will be needed to attend sports events, concerts, theatres, indoor restaurants, and public events. The normal Green Pass, which can be

Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has received a four-year jail sentence as a court delivers the first verdicts in a number of cases which could see her imprisoned for decades. The 76-year-old has been in detention since 1 February when the military seized power in a coup. Ms Suu Kyi has been charged

Belgian police used tear gas and water cannon on protesters in Brussels to disperse crowds demonstrating against new coronavirus restrictions. Thousands gathered to reject new measures introduced by the government on Friday, the third week in a row measures have been tightened, following a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Most of the protesters marched peacefully,

There is a little park in Addis Ababa with a bench and some flowers and a big red wall. It was built on scrap land by the manager of a local hostel, and there is a five-year-old who comes to draw every afternoon. Her name is Kidist, and she sketches on the wall with small

The tallest volcano on the Indonesian island of Java has erupted, killing at least one person and sending huge clouds of ash into the air. TV footage shows Mount Semeru in the Lumajang district of East Java spewing giant clouds of ash at around 7pm local time (12pm UK) on Saturday as villagers run for

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will be investigated after he claimed coronavirus vaccines may increase the chance of contracting AIDS. Brazilian supreme court Justice Alexandre de Moraes instructed the country’s top prosecutor, Augusto Aras, to look into the accusation raised by a pandemic inquiry conducted by Brazil’s Senate. Mr Bolsonaro said in a live broadcast on

Strict new limits on Ireland’s hospitality sector and home visits have been announced by the country’s prime minister. From Tuesday, 7 December, nightclubs will close until 9 January, and bars will only be allowed to run table service with a maximum of six people per table in both bars and restaurants. Speaking in a televised

Lewis Hamilton has said he does not feel comfortable about racing in Saudi Arabia’s grand prix this weekend, as he expressed concern about human rights in the kingdom. The seven-times Formula 1 world champion will be competing in a night race around a street circuit in Jeddah. Hamilton said he had received a warm welcome on arrival,