World

A flight carrying 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has arrived in Ghana as part of a global effort to immunise the world’s poorest people. The delivery comes eight months after the launch of the COVAX initiative – the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) sharing scheme which is aimed at ensuring global vaccine equity. The

Ireland’s prime minister Micheal Martin has confirmed the country will continue at the highest level of coronavirus restrictions until at least 5 April. The Taoiseach said there will be a difference in the current Level 5 restrictions, with the phased reopening of schools from 1 March. The government’s revised Living With COVID plan will also

China, Russia and India have been accused of engaging in “vaccine diplomacy” as they cherry-pick nations to give their COVID-19 vaccines to in order to bolster their influence. Sky News analysis has found 47 countries, plus the African Union which represents 55 nations, have made or been offered vaccine deals with India, China and Russia.

Facebook will lift a block on news pages in Australia following a week-long standoff between the social media giant and the government.  The site had removed access to all news content in the country on its platform and also prevented people around the world from posting links to Australian publications after the government considered legislation

Boris Johnson will warn the United Nations Security Council that unless urgent action is taken to tackle climate change, the world risks worsening conflict, displacement and insecurity. In a virtual address, the prime minister will call on all members to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to the impact of climate change and cut emissions.

A second incident involving a Boeing plane’s engine catching fire and dropping parts has been reported – this time in the Netherlands. A woman was injured by falling debris when the Boeing 747-400 cargo plane dropped engine parts after taking off from Maastricht Airport on Saturday. It comes after a United Airlines 777 bound for

The UK foreign secretary is to demand the instigators of the coup in Myanmar stand down and release the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In an address to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Dominic Raab will say the democratic wishes of the nation should be respected, and violent scenes like those over the

The risk of becoming ill with coronavirus falls by 95.8% after the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, Israel’s health ministry has said. The vaccine was also 98% effective in preventing breathing problems or a fever and 98.9% effective in preventing hospitalisations and death, the ministry added. It comes only days after a vaccine efficacy

Russia has recorded the world’s first cases of humans being infected with the H5N8 strain of bird flu. The cases were confirmed by Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, on Saturday. Seven poultry workers in the south of Russia were infected in December but have since recovered and “the situation did not develop

The huge pile near Gelendzhik on Russia’s Black Sea Coast which Alexei Navalny calls “Putin’s Palace” has a way of coming back to haunt the Russian president. In 2012, Boris Nemtsov, a former prime minister and fierce Putin critic, published a report detailing the wealth and luxurious properties the president had allegedly accumulated in his

NASA has released new images of the Perseverance rover two metres above the surface of Mars as it gave more details of the mission. The space agency’s robot successfully landed on the Red Planet just before 1pm local time on Thursday. Speaking at a news briefing in California on Friday, NASA officials revealed the rover

The UN Commission on Human Rights has asked for proof that Dubai’s missing princess is alive. Princess Latifa is a daughter of one of the world’s richest men, Dubai’s billionaire ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. She has accused her father of holding her hostage in secret videos released to Sky News, following attempts to

NASA’s mission to search for signs of ancient life on Mars has sent back its first images from the surface of the Red Planet after a successful landing. The historic moment was the culmination of a seven-month journey in space and a considerably shorter trip through the Martian atmosphere. Claps and cheers erupted from the

New details of the forcible return of Dubai’s “missing” princess reveal the moment the royal daughter knew her escape had failed – the sound of boots.   Princess Latifa is the daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. She attempted to flee in 2018. Until video messages emerged this week, she had not been heard from since her

Dubai’s royal ruler is back in the spotlight after videos were released of his daughter, Princess Latifa, in which she claims he is holding her hostage. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is one of the Middle East’s most powerful men – and as well as being the billionaire ruler of Dubai, he is vice

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the case of Princess Latifa is “concerning” and the pictures of her are “very distressing”, adding that people want to see that “she is alive and well”. The Dubai princess has accused her father of holding her hostage in secret videos released to Sky News, following attempts to flee