World

On the quayside in Boulogne-sur-Mer, a small crowd is gathering. As they watch, a boat ties up and starts to unload its haul. In this fishing town, they know the significance of this. The tradition is that nobody goes to sea on New Year’s Day, so this is the first catch of 2021 – crabs,

More than 2,500 people have attended an illegal rave in France, clashing with police who attempted to stop the event. The rave, held in a disused warehouse at Lieuron near Rennes in Brittany, started on New Year’s Eve and came to an end on Saturday morning. Mass gatherings are not allowed under French COVID-19 restrictions

A coroner in Malaysia has ruled the death of British teenager Nora Quoirin was most likely a misadventure that did not involve other people. The 15-year-old from Balham, southwest London, vanished from a hotel in August 2019. Rescue teams searched for 10 days before her body was found by a stream just over a mile

The Australian national anthem has been changed to reflect the nation’s “spirit of unity” and its indigenous population, the country’s prime minister has said. The one-word change to Advance Australia Fair, from “For we are young and free” to “For we are one and free” takes effect on Friday. Speaking on New Year’s Eve, Scott

New Year’s Eve celebrations were muted by coronavirus restrictions in London and New York, while countries including Australia and New Zealand welcomed in 2021 with impressive firework displays. Big Ben ushered in 2021 with its chimes in an eerily subdued London, which would typically be packed with swathes of people waiting to watch a dazzling

Britain and Spain have reached an initial agreement over Gibraltar’s post-Brexit status, Spain’s foreign minister has said. Under the deal the territory will remain part of European Union agreements such as the Schengen free movement area, Arancha Gonzalez Laya told reporters. London and Madrid had been negotiating how to police the land border between Spain

The Pacific Island of Tonga has become the first country to mark the start of 2021, with millions around the world celebrating the New Year at home because of COVID-19. Many New Year celebrations have been disrupted by the pandemic as officials seek to limit crowds that can spread COVID-19. France has mobilised 100,000 police

Ireland will return to Level 5 restrictions for a least one month in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the prime minister Micheal Martin has said. Addressing the nation, he described the situation as “extremely serious”, saying the new variant of the virus is “spreading at a rate that has surpassed the

Ten people have been wounded and 26 are missing after a landslide in southern Norway, police said. One of the victims was critically injured and more than a dozen buildings were swept away early on Wednesday in the municipality of Gjerdrum, about 19 miles north of Oslo. The missing people were from homes in Ask

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake has hit Croatia, with reports of injuries and damaged buildings near Zagreb. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the tremor hit 28 miles southeast of the capital city. The same area was struck by a 5.2 magnitude quake on Monday. Croatia’s PM Andrej Plenkovic tweeted to say he was on his

Russia has admitted its coronavirus death toll is more than three times higher than previously reported. New figures show that more than 186,000 Russians have died from the virus, up from the 55,265 the country officially reported. This means that Russia has the third-highest number of fatalities, moving ahead of India and sitting behind only

Thailand has brought in a range of new restrictions after the country’s first coronavirus death in nearly two months. Bangkok betting businesses will be shut, while bars, nightclubs and music venues in the capital will be forced to close at midnight until 4 January. It comes as the government tries to contain an outbreak that

South Korea has become the latest country to confirm the presence of the new coronavirus variant. The new variant, listed as VUI-202012/01, was discovered in the UK and is thought to be up to 70% more transmissible – meaning it can spread much faster than the original version. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

Flanked by a police escort, a paramedic emergency vehicle, its hazard lights flashing, speeds through town towards the main hospital. An emergency Christmas delivery handed to medical staff. A small green refrigerated bag then hurried inside the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital, followed by two police officers. The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in the northern Italian

Europe has launched a vaccination programme that it hopes will end the coronavirus pandemic and allow a return to normal life. The European Medicines Agency approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on 21 December and the aim is for all adults to be vaccinated by the end of 2021. Some countries have called on doctors and nurses

George Blake – perhaps the most notorious double agent – has died, but his treachery was not the only scandal to befall Britain’s Secret Service in the 20th century. Blake’s double-crossing is often mentioned alongside the notorious Cambridge spy ring – another group of establishment Britons who leaked countless secrets to the Soviets. It was