European Union leaders are divided over developing vaccine passports to open the continent up to tourism this summer. Some countries want an EU-wide approach instead of individual nations having their own certificates, while others are concerned such documentation could result in discrimination. Leaders of the EU’s 27 countries met online on Thursday to start a
World
Six people have been killed after an illegal gold mine in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island collapsed on nearly two dozen people working inside. One other worker is missing following the incident, officials said on Thursday. An estimated 22 people became trapped in the rubble when the mine in Central Sulawesi province’s Parigi Moutong district collapsed late
The first big peer-reviewed real-world study of the Pfizer vaccine has confirmed it is very effective at preventing serious illness or death – even after one dose. In a potential landmark moment, results from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel showed the jab is roughly as effective in the real world as it was in
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
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.
There are calls to deport an Australian woman who refused to take a COVID test while spending 28 days in quarantine at a New Zealand hotel. Lucinda Baulch travelled to New Zealand as a foster carer last month with three children who were moving into the care of local families. The children tested negative and
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.
The behaviour of Australian Open fans who booed the mention of a COVID-19 vaccine rollout after Sunday’s men’s final has been branded “disgusting”. Tennis Australia president Jayne Hrdlicka was loudly heckled when she mentioned vaccines in her presentation speech after Novak Djokovic’s victory. Michael McCormack, Australia’s deputy prime minister said: “Well, that’s un-Australian (the booing
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
A huge rumble and a belch of steam and rocks erupts from the crater of the volcano that towers above us. It’s truly terrifying feeling such power, so near. I looked about me, wondering where I would I hide if the volcano’s eruptions suddenly intensified. And then I realised – and it’s obvious really –
Facebook has been described as a “school yard bully” over its decision to block access to news media in Australia, rather than pay them. Amid a row about licensing, Australians woke up on Thursday to find they could not share or view domestic and international news content on Facebook ahead of new a law which