World

Protests are continuing to grow over controversial new farming laws in India – but the country’s prime minister is refusing to back down. Demonstrations have been taking place across India and have now spread to other cities around the world, including the UK, the Netherlands and Canada. Farmers say the three federal laws, which deregulate crop

Germany is to be plunged into a national lockdown over Christmas amid rising cases of coronavirus. Under new measures which will last from 16 December until 10 January, schools and non-essential shops will be closed. Bars and restaurants will remain shut, while the sale of fireworks will be banned ahead of New Year’s Eve. Drinking

The UN secretary general has called on all countries to declare a climate emergency or face “catastrophic” results. Dozens of world leaders spoke at the virtual Climate Ambition Summit on Saturday – from the smallest nation’s worst-hit by climate change to the world’s worst polluters. Nations at the UN summit were urged to “stop the

There is a “long and difficult road ahead” with 12 months to go until the landmark COP26 climate conference hosted by the UK, the UN secretary-general’s special adviser on Climate Action has said. Selwin Hart was speaking ahead of a virtual climate ambition summit on Saturday when around 70 countries will reveal how much they

UK holidaymakers on the Canary Islands have hit out at new quarantine rules which have disrupted their Christmas plans. Travellers arriving in the UK from the popular Spanish islands from 4am on Saturday must self-isolate for two weeks. Tour operator TUI said it has around 5,000 UK holidaymakers on the islands, with a further 800

A painting worth more than €280k (£250k) which was accidentally left at a German airport has been reunited with its owner after being found at the bottom of a nearby recycling bin. The businessman, who chose not to be named, forgot to take the painting by French surrealist Yves Tanguy when he left the check-in

The trial of a prominent women’s rights activist has begun in Saudi Arabia, three years after she was first jailed. The family of Loujain al Hathloul has told Sky News they were informed late on Wednesday night that she would appear at Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court for a trial which United Nations Human Rights

The Chinese embassy in the US has said its Twitter account was hacked after it retweeted a baseless claim from President Donald Trump that the Democrats cheated in the election. “If somebody cheated in the Election, which the Democrats did, why wouldn’t the Election be immediately overturned? How can a Country be run like this?,”

Canada has become the latest country to approve Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine – describing it as “safe, effective and of good quality”. In a statement, Health Canada said the authorisation was a “critical milestone” in the fight against COVID-19 – and stressed that the review process had been “rigorous”. The country is set to

There are fears that poorer countries could be left behind as richer nations “hoard” more doses of coronvirus vaccine than they need. Wealthy countries have amassed a big enough stock of vaccine doses to immunise their people nearly three times over by the end of next year, assuming the vaccines in clinical trials are all

Farmers have gone on strike across India in a dispute over new agriculture laws, with thousands continuing to block key roads on the edge of New Delhi in protest. Heavy security is in place across the country to try to prevent any violence. In Delhi, the capital, police are out in strength and have warned

Breakdancing has been added as an Olympic sport for the 2024 games being held in Paris. The decision was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee on Monday, as it seeks to attract a younger audience to the historic competition. Other newly added sports include skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, all of which will debut at

At least one person has died and 200 others are in hospital in India due to a mystery illness. The first cases were detected on Saturday evening in the ancient city of Eluru, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Patients are suffering from symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to seizures, convulsions and loss of

Iran’s top nuclear scientist was killed by a satellite-controlled machine gun, according to the country’s media. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh died in hospital on 27 November after gunmen fired at his car near Tehran, in an ambush Iran‘s president has blamed on Israel. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Commodore Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic

The first reports from China of an unusual pneumonia in December 2019 worried Professor Chuang Yin-ching. “We were very cautious about that,” he told Sky News. “Because Taiwan is so close to China. It’s very important to prevent it, rather than treating it.” When he arrived on the ground in Wuhan in mid-January and spoke

Police clashed with protesters in Paris as demonstrations over a new French security law turned violent. Thousands took to the streets of the French capital and other major cities on Saturday to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed legislation, which they claim would restrict civil liberties and increase surveillance. Demonstrators were also marching against police brutality,