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

At least 60 people were killed and dozens more injured after a petrol tanker overturned and exploded in northern Haiti. Late on Monday, the truck overturned in the coastal city of Cap-Haitien and exploded in a fireball, engulfing cars and homes in flames. Hours later, a local hospital was overwhelmed with injured people as it

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

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,

On the drive into the small town of Mayfield, we’re given no hint of what’s to come.  Tornadoes are among the most frightening of weather phenomena but they are also so localised. They are cruelly selective. The edge of the town is unscathed. We even questioned if we were in the right place. But then,

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

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