World

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use by the EU’s drug regulator. The decision by the European Medicines Agency came on the same day as the Netherland’s began administering its first doses against coronavirus. EMA executive director Emer Cooke said: “This vaccine provides us with another tool to overcome the current emergency.” The decision,

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has admitted his economic development plans for the country are a failure. In his opening speech to the congress of the Workers’ Party, Mr Kim confessed his five-year finance programme had failed to achieve its goals “in almost all areas to a great extent”. According to the country’s official

The head of the World Health Organisation has said he is “very disappointed” China has denied its experts access to investigating the origins of coronavirus. A ten-strong team of international scientists and virologists had been due to set off in early January as part of a long-awaited mission to probe early cases of coronavirus, first

Critics of the National Security Law (NSL) imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong have described its powers as sweeping – and today authorities swept wide.  More than 50 pro-democracy figures have been arrested under the law. It is the largest, most high profile, most significant crackdown since the NSL came into force in June last

Olympic athletes should be given priority access to coronavirus vaccines to save the Tokyo Games from cancellation, according to a prominent International Olympic Committee (IOC) member.  Sky News understands conversations are underway between government and the British Olympic Association (BOA) about securing athletes a COVID-19 vaccination by July, when the delayed Tokyo Olympics are due

A dog has been found alive in the rubble of a deadly landslide in Norway, boosting hopes among rescuers who are still searching for missing people. The landslide, which carried away homes in the Norwegian village of Ask, took place on 30 December. Seven people have died, and three others remain missing. The dog was

At least 100 people are now known to have been killed in attacks by suspected jihadists on two villages in Niger, the country’s prime minister has said. Brigi Rafini said 70 people were killed in the village of Tchombangou and 30 others in Zaroumdareye, both near Niger’s western border with Mali, on Saturday. During remarks

Donald Trump’s hour-long call urging Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to “find 11,780 votes” sounded desperate and deluded. The recording was a worrying insight into the president’s state of mind – seemingly convinced by the many conspiracy theories about why he lost the election, and unwilling to listen to the facts from members of his

Three bodies have been recovered and seven people are still missing after a landslide in Norway. Rescue teams in the village of Ask, near Oslo, have yet to find any signs of life after the disaster tore down buildings in the area on Wednesday. Two bodies were recovered from the rubble on Saturday after the

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