World

So the new variant has a name, but we’ve no idea about its reputation. On paper at least the Omicron variant looks terrifying. It has more mutations than any previously observed strain of COVID. And the mutations aren’t just a random jumble of genetic changes. A worrying number of them are in parts of the

The first victim of Wednesday’s tragedy in the Channel has been named as Mariam Nouri Hamadameen, a 21-year-old Kurdish woman from northern Iraq. She had travelled to Germany and on to France, hoping to join her fiance who already lives in Britain. Mariam was a student and recently engaged – she left her studies early

South Africa is racing to learn more about a new coronavirus variant that could be more transmissible and more resistant to vaccines. Just 53 cases related to the B.1.1.529 strain have been confirmed in the country so far, but there are fears the true number could be much higher. COVID-19 has been rapidly spreading among

A mayday call by French coastguard requesting urgent help from “all ships” during yesterday’s Channel boat emergency has been obtained by Sky News. Twenty-seven people – 17 men, seven women and two teenage boys and a girl – died while trying to cross to the UK in a flimsy boat, which capsized near Calais. Two

At least 24 migrants have drowned while trying to get to the UK across the Channel in an inflatable dinghy, a French official has said. Several others are thought to be injured after their boat capsized off Calais this afternoon, as they tried to cross the world’s busiest shipping lane. “Strong emotion in the face

An Iraqi people smuggler has told Sky News that officials are helping migrants cross borders illegally, sometimes in exchange for bribes, and huge risks are being taken to send people to the UK. Speaking in northern Iraq, the smuggler revealed details behind the network that sends thousands of migrants to Europe every year, and admitted

Fully vaccinated travellers will finally be able to enter New Zealand from 30 April 2022, easing border restrictions that have been in place since March last year. Meanwhile, fully vaccinated New Zealanders and residence visa holders in neighbouring Australia will be able to enter the country from 16 January. Fully vaccinated residents and visa holders

A man convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007 has been freed early from jail. Rudy Guede served about 13 years of a 16-year sentence, said his lawyer, Fabrizio Ballarini. He was convicted in 2008 and had been due to be freed on 4 January next year, but a

At least six people, including four children, have died after a ferry capsized off the coast of eastern Sri Lanka. A total of 12 people have been rescued so far, a spokesperson for the country’s navy, Captain Indika de Silva, confirmed. He added that a search operation was continuing to take place. Image: Sri Lankan

Germany’s health minister has warned that by the end of this winter “pretty much everyone” in Germany “will have been vaccinated, recovered or died”. Jens Spahn urged Germans to get vaccinated amid a rapid rise in COVID cases. Official figures showed more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases in Germany in the last 24-hour period, an

Austria is beginning another COVID-19 lockdown, as the government seeks to limit the spread of the virus. The lockdown is the first since vaccines became widely available, but it comes as just 65% of the population is fully vaccinated. Most gathering places – such as restaurants, cafes, bars, theatres, non-essential shops, and hairdressers – will

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, believed to have been missing for nearly three weeks, has held a video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee. In the 30-minute call, she told Thomas Bach that she was safe and well. “She explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing,

Missing Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has purportedly appeared in a video in which she is seen with friends in a restaurant. Peng, a former Wimbledon doubles champion, is seen smiling and is having fun in the apparently new footage released by state media. The video was posted on Twitter by Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of

Seven people have been arrested after rioters clashed with police in The Hague for a second night of violence in the Netherlands, sparked by protests over new COVID-19 restrictions. The unrest came a day after police opened fire on protesters in Rotterdam amid what the port city’s mayor called “an orgy of violence”, leaving three

At least seven people have been injured – including police – during riots in Rotterdam against COVID-19 restrictions. It comes as the Netherlands re-imposed some lockdown measures in a bid to curb a fourth wave of the coronavirus. Police confirmed they fired warning shots after a demonstration broke out on Friday night, with the injuries

Across Europe, sweeping COVID-19 restrictions are being imposed in a bid to tackle a fourth wave of the virus currently surging across the continent. With Europe once again the epicenter of the pandemic, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia have reintroduced restrictions in the run-up Christmas, amid a debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame