World

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

Bangladesh has sent a second group of Rohingya refugees to a remote island, despite concern from human rights groups. About 1,800 refugees were moved from crowded camps in Cox’s Bazar and housed overnight at a transit centre. They then boarded naval ships at Chittagong and set off for the Bay of Bengal on the island

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

A Chinese citizen journalist who reported on the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan has been jailed for four years. A Chinese court handed the term to Zhang Zhan, 37, on grounds of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, her lawyer said. Zhan, the first person known to have been tried on those charges, was among a

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

Sydney officials are under pressure to make a decision over whether its traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks display can go ahead. Some Australian media say the event is “definitely happening”, despite dissenting voices from the Australian Medical Association. Doctors have warned it risks public safety as policing the crowds would take essential workers away from

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

France has reported its first confirmed case of the new coronavirus variant which was first discovered in the UK, the country’s health ministry has said. The case is a French citizen who lives in England and had left London for Tours, France, on 19 December. He is currently self-isolating at home and is said to

A further 39,036 confirmed coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK – the second-highest daily total to date – according to government figures. The only day which has surpassed this daily figure was Wednesday, when 39,237 new cases were confirmed. However, it is important to note the amount of testing has increased in the

Brexit talks have continued through the night as hopes were raised that a trade deal could finally be on the brink of being agreed. Sources in London and Brussels told Sky News on Wednesday evening that an agreement could be close. Eric Mamer, the chief spokesman for the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,

The faster-spreading COVID-19 variant believed to behind a surge in cases in England has been detected in Ireland and Northern Ireland, officials say. This relates to the coronavirus strain first revealed by Downing Street last week, named VUI-202012/01 – not the second variant that has since been linked to contacts of travellers from South Africa.

Three police officers have been killed by a gunman who had taken his partner hostage in central France. The gendarmes had been responding to a report of domestic violence at a house in Saint Just, Puy-de-Dome, when the attacker began shooting at them. He then set fire to the building. After a lengthy stand-off, the

For Michael Morrissey, a trip across the Irish Sea for the sad occasion of his sister’s funeral became even more difficult when his flight home was cancelled. On Sunday, the Irish government joined other EU nations in banning inward travel from Great Britain, amid widespread concern over the spread of the new coronavirus variant. It