Australia has condemned Qatari authorities over “grossly disturbing” reports that women were subjected to invasive strip-searches before a flight from Doha to Sydney. The women, including 13 Australians, were searched in an ambulance after a newborn baby was found abandoned in a terminal toilet at Hamad International Airport on 2 October. Australia’s foreign affairs department
World
France has called on Arab nations to end “baseless” calls for a boycott of its goods – after French President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of the right to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The French foreign ministry also urged authorities in the countries to speak out against such protests in order to help French companies
Police in Belarus have fired stun grenades to disperse protesters ahead of a nationwide strike called by opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Ms Tikhanovskaya, who is in exile in neighbouring Lithuania, had previously set out a “people’s ultimatum” for President Alexander Lukashenko to step down by Sunday night, pledging industrial action if that did not happen.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Emmanuel Macron needs mental health treatment over his attitude towards Muslims – prompting France to recall its ambassador. Paris has described Mr Erdogan’s remarks as unacceptably rude, adding: “We are not accepting insults.” During a party meeting, the Turkish leader had said: “What is the problem of this
At least 18 people have been killed including teenage students following a suicide bombing at an education centre in Afghanistan. Another 57 people were wounded in the blast which struck in a heavily Shia neighbourhood of western Kabul on Saturday. Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Adrian said the attacker was trying to get into the centre
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for COVID-19. His spokesperson Blazej Spychalski tweeted that the conservative leader received the result after taking a test on Friday. Mr Spychalski says the president feels well and will be in quarantine. Image: Polish president Andrzej Duda with US president Donald Trump Mr Duda’s diagnosis follows a sharp
An attempt by Donald Trump to secure an election endorsement from the Israeli prime minister has backfired during a White House photo call. With reporters gathered in the Oval Office to mark the signing of a historic US-brokered peace deal between Israel and Sudan, the US president asked Benjamin Netanyahu, who was on speakerphone, if
The coronavirus second wave is spreading more quickly than the first outbreak in spring, a top French scientist has warned, amid a growing resurgence of the virus across Europe. “The virus is circulating more quickly… the resurgence of the pandemic started in August,” French government scientific adviser Arnaud Fontanet told BFM TV on Friday. He
Nigeria’s protests against police brutality are “the most important moment” in the country’s history, music star Burna Boy has told Sky News. His words come two weeks after protests began, sparked by a video showing a man being beaten, apparently by police officers from SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad). Since then, the End SARS movement has
At least 12 people were killed when government forces fired upon protesters during anti-police brutality demonstrations in Nigeria, Amnesty International has claimed. Shots were fired at protesters by the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos on Tuesday night, causing injuries and an unknown number of deaths. Human rights group Amnesty has said an investigation has uncovered
Spain has become the first country in western Europe to record one million coronavirus cases – marking a doubling of its tally in just six weeks. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country is now at 1,005,295, after reporting 16,973 cases on Wednesday, according to the Spanish health ministry. Spain‘s coronavirus infection rate
An intensive care specialist in Belgium’s worst-hit COVID-19 region has told Sky News he fears the moment when the hospital is full and he has to choose who will live and who will die. Dr Laurent Jadot says the situation has become so bad that many people are now calling it “the new Lombardy”, in
Nigerian police have reportedly opened fire on protesters in Lagos after 12 days of demonstrations against police brutality. Two people are believed to have been shot after more than 20 officers started shooting at demonstrators in the city’s Lekki district on Tuesday, witnesses told Reuters. State officials have already imposed a 24-hour curfew on the
A convicted murderer, who killed a journalist on board his submarine, has been surrounded by police after trying to escape prison. Peter Madsen, 49, tried to flee Herstedvester Prison, where he is serving a life sentence for the murder of Kim Wall in 2017. Danish police have said a man has been arrested after an
Ireland’s government has agreed to return the country to the highest level of coronavirus restrictions from midnight on Wednesday. Cabinet ministers agreed with the measures to contain COVID-19 during a meeting at Government Buildings in Dublin. It means Ireland will go to Level 5 coronavirus restrictions – the most severe – which had been recommended
Protests turned violent in Chile after thousands took to the streets of Santiago to mark one year since mass demonstrations that left 30 dead and thousands injured. Police engaged in a tense stand-off with protesters, using tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds in the capital on Sunday. A church was also seen on