Almost from the day of the Brexit vote, questions have been asked about the thousands of lorries that cross between Dover and Calais every day. It is the busiest shipping route in the world – the artery that brings supplies from the continent, and takes goods to European markets. And tonight it is seizing up.
World
Countries across Europe, including Ireland, have begun banning travel to and from the UK after a spike in cases of a new, more contagious coronavirus strain. Ireland’s restrictions on flights and ferries will last for an initial 48 hours before being reviewed during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Sky News understands. Several mainland European countries
Belgium has joined the Netherlands in banning air travel from the UK due to fears over the new strain of the coronavirus. The move comes after Dutch health authorities confirmed at least one case of the same variant that has prompted London and large parts of southeast England to return to lockdown rules. UK flights
A French modelling agent who knew the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been charged with the rape and sexual harassment of minors over 15 years of age. Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday as he waited to take a flight to Senegal, and has been remanded in custody.
Italy is to go into a new lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year period to tackle a rise in coronavirus cases. Bars, restaurants and non-essential shops will close between 24 and 27 December, New Year’s Eve to 3 January, and 5 to 6 January. Italians will only be allowed to travel for
A small number of UK organisations are known to have been affected by a suspected Russian hacking campaign that has also penetrated top secret US government agencies. No public sector bodies are yet known to be among the UK-based victims, according to a security source. But British officials are investigating whether there has been any
The bodies of COVID-19 victims in a German city are having to be stored in a shipping container as the pandemic continues to spiral in the country. Germany‘s Robert Koch Institute – the government agency responsible for disease control and prevention – added another 33,777 confirmed cases of coronavirus in its most recent numbers, bringing
The killer of a young British backpacker can finally be named after he lost an appeal against his murder conviction and sentence. Jesse Kempson murdered Grace Millane the night before her 22nd birthday in December 2018. They met on dating site Tinder and went for a drink together in Auckland, New Zealand, and he strangled
More than 300 schoolboys who were kidnapped purportedly by militant group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria have been freed, according to the governor of Katsina state. Aminu Bello Masari said that a total of 344 students held in a wood in the neighbouring Zamfara state had been released by their captors and handed over to
France’s president Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for coronavirus, his office has said. The Elysee Palace said he was tested after showing early symptoms. He will now isolate for seven days but will continue to work and carry out his activities remotely. Image: Mr Macron speaks with Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban next to Poland’s
An audacious cross-border kidnap plan carried out in Istanbul and involving a “honeytrap” is further straining relations between Turkey, Iran and Europe. Sky News has been given exclusive access to Turkish counter terrorism files which show how Iranian opposition activist Habib Chaab was lured into the trap and smuggled back into Iran. Dissident Mr Chaab
The ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has donated more than £3bn ($4bn) to frontline charities helping in the pandemic in four months, she has revealed. In a blog post Mackenzie Scott, who was previously known as Mackenzie Bezos, said she was inspired by the philanthropic efforts of others during the coronavirus pandemic. In July,
Some European countries are tightening restrictions over the coming weeks – while others are relaxing them for Christmas. In many nations, coronavirus cases are rising again after dipping at the end of November. These are the COVID-19 restrictions and Christmas rules around the continent: The Netherlands A second lockdown starts on Tuesday for at least
A man dubbed Japan’s “Twitter killer” has been sentenced to death for murdering and dismembering nine people he contacted through the social media platform. Takahiro Shiraishi was arrested in 2017 after body parts were found in his flat in the city of Zama, near Tokyo. The 30-year-old admitted strangling and dismembering eight women and one
The Netherlands will enter a tough second lockdown for at least five weeks, the country’s prime minister has announced. Households have been urged to welcome no more than two visitors over the age of 13 from Tuesday, although an exception will be made for three days around Christmas when they can welcome three. In a
An explosion on an oil tanker in the Red Sea happened after it was hit by “an external force”, a shipping company has said. The incident happened just after midnight on Monday off the coast of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The 22 crew of the Singapore-flagged BW Rhine all escaped unharmed, the vessel’s owners, Hafnia,