World

AstraZeneca will cut deliveries of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union by 60% in the first quarter of the year, according to Reuters news agency. The company was expected to deliver around 80 million doses to the 27 EU countries by the end of March, an EU official told the agency. However, it

Joe Biden has warned that the fight to bring coronavirus under control in the US is a “wartime undertaking” – devoting much of his first full day in office to tackling the pandemic. The new president signed 10 executive orders on Thursday that are designed to ramp up testing, tackle vaccine shortages, and increase mask

At least 32 people have died and dozens more are wounded after a double suicide attack in Iraq’s capital. According to police in Baghdad, the explosions hit a commercial area in the centre of the city. Many of the wounded – of which there are at least 73 – are reported to be in a

Joe Biden is preparing to be sworn in as the next US president, replacing Donald Trump after a tumultuous four years. The inauguration ceremony is usually attended by millions of people – but instead, Mr Biden will address a small, socially distanced crowd in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the recent, deadly riots on

At least two people have died following an “extremely loud” explosion in Madrid’s city centre – with rescue teams, firefighters and police sent to the scene. Spanish media reports said the blast took place in a building near a nursing home and a school – and videos and images shared on social media showed rubble

The US State Department has declared that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity in a campaign targeting Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.  In a statement, outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “I believe this genocide is ongoing, and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uighurs by the

The first real-world analysis of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine suggests it is matching its performance in clinical trials, but raises serious questions about the UK’s decision to delay the second dose. Scientists in Israel – which is leading the COVID-19 vaccination race – have told Sky News that they are “very hopeful” having studied preliminary

Snow has fallen in the Sahara desert after temperatures dropped to -3C (27F). Karim Bouchetata recorded the rare event in Ain Sefra, Algeria, with thawing ice creating beautiful patterns on the sand. The Sahara desert, which covers most of Northern Africa, has gone through shifts in temperature over the past few hundred thousand years –

There is a road north of the capital, Kampala, that few Ugandans wish to follow. It is a rough, potholed track which leads to the home of the opposition leader, Bobi Wine. The 38-year old has not left his home since last Thursday, when he cast his vote in the general election. He came second

The 100 millionth coronavirus case has been recorded worldwide – just over a year since the first officially diagnosed case of the deadly virus. The total number of cases reached 100,032,461 on Tuesday evening (UK time), while at least 2,149,818 people have died after catching the illness, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.

Dominic Raab has called for the immediate release of Putin critic Alexei Navalny. The foreign secretary has joined a host of leading politicians who have condemned Mr Navalny’s arrest on his return to Russia, after he was poisoned with a nerve agent last year. Mr Raab said: “It is appalling that Alexei Navalny, the victim

Poisoned Putin critic Alexei Navalny has arrived in Russia, where he faces the threat of arrest. The Russian dissident flew back from Germany where he had been recovering after being exposed to the Soviet-era novichok nerve agent in August. The plane he was travelling on had been scheduled to land at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport but

Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner of the Uganda presidential election with 58.64% of the total votes, according to the country’s electoral commission. The incumbent will now serve a sixth term as president of the east African nation following some of the worst pre-election violence since the 76-year-old took office in 1986. His main

India has began its ambitious project of vaccinating its 1.3 billion citizens – as it aims to administer 300 million jabs by August. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the voluntary vaccination programme at 3,006 locations across the country this morning. About 300,000 health workers will be vaccinated today and the numbers will increase as more

The Dutch government led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte has resigned over a childcare subsidies scandal. Mr Rutte, who leads the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy as part of a four-party ruling coalition, stepped down following a cabinet meeting. In a statement, Mr Rutte said: “We are of one mind that if the

With shaking hands, broadcast live to the nation, a doctor administered Indonesia’s first COVID-19 vaccination. The recipient was President Joko Widodo, a man who hopes to get 181.5 million Indonesians vaccinated this year. It’s a huge challenge, almost three times the population of the UK and so far one of the largest rollouts in the