Caviar was the traditional delicacy of the Caspian Sea but these days production has a new headquarters: China. Qiandao (Thousand Island) lake lies 220 miles south of Shanghai. Fringed with mountains, it is a popular holiday spot for Chinese residents fleeing the summer heat of the city. But it is also home to Kaluga Queen,
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BioNTech’s boss has said he is confident the company’s vaccine will be effective against the new coronavirus variant. Ugur Sahin said more tests were needed before he could be completely sure of the efficacy of the drug. The Pfizer/BioNTech jab is the only vaccine approved for use in the UK so far. It is also
Like so many of us around the world, the people of Bethlehem have spent the year in and out of lockdown and they are spending Christmas under a strict curfew. It has been a devastating year, but Bethlehem is a town built on a story of faith. Its people have lived through huge challenges and
Countries across Europe, including Ireland, have begun banning travel to and from the UK after a spike in cases of a new, more contagious coronavirus strain. Ireland’s restrictions on flights and ferries will last for an initial 48 hours before being reviewed during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Sky News understands. Several mainland European countries
The Dutch government has banned air travel from the UK due to fears over a new strain of the coronavirus. The move comes after health authorities in the Netherlands confirmed at least one case of the same strain that has prompted parts of the UK to return to lockdown rules. The Dutch health ministry said
Italy and Austria have joined the Netherlands and Belgium in banning air travel from the UK due to concerns over the new strain of coronavirus. The Netherlands was the first country to ban flights after health authorities confirmed at least one case of the same variant that has prompted the UK to tighghten lockdown rules.
The EU’s medical regulator has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for use across the European Union. The move from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) paves the way for rollout across the continent, though the European Commission still needs to give this the green light. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she expects a
Italy is to go into a new lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year period to tackle a rise in coronavirus cases. Bars, restaurants and non-essential shops will close between 24 and 27 December, New Year’s Eve to 3 January, and 5 to 6 January. Italians will only be allowed to travel for
A small number of UK organisations are known to have been affected by a suspected Russian hacking campaign that has also penetrated top secret US government agencies. No public sector bodies are yet known to be among the UK-based victims, according to a security source. But British officials are investigating whether there has been any
The bodies of COVID-19 victims in a German city are having to be stored in a shipping container as the pandemic continues to spiral in the country. Germany‘s Robert Koch Institute – the government agency responsible for disease control and prevention – added another 33,777 confirmed cases of coronavirus in its most recent numbers, bringing
The killer of a young British backpacker can finally be named after he lost an appeal against his murder conviction and sentence. Jesse Kempson murdered Grace Millane the night before her 22nd birthday in December 2018. They met on dating site Tinder and went for a drink together in Auckland, New Zealand, and he strangled
More than 300 schoolboys who were kidnapped purportedly by militant group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria have been freed, according to the governor of Katsina state. Aminu Bello Masari said that a total of 344 students held in a wood in the neighbouring Zamfara state had been released by their captors and handed over to
Vladimir Putin has told his annual news conference that Russia is developing new “hypersonic weapons” in response to a new arms race, which he says was triggered by the US. The Russian leader wants the US to agree to a one-year extension of the START treaty, which maintains a nuclear balance between the two nations
An audacious cross-border kidnap plan carried out in Istanbul and involving a “honeytrap” is further straining relations between Turkey, Iran and Europe. Sky News has been given exclusive access to Turkish counter terrorism files which show how Iranian opposition activist Habib Chaab was lured into the trap and smuggled back into Iran. Dissident Mr Chaab
The ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has donated more than £3bn ($4bn) to frontline charities helping in the pandemic in four months, she has revealed. In a blog post Mackenzie Scott, who was previously known as Mackenzie Bezos, said she was inspired by the philanthropic efforts of others during the coronavirus pandemic. In July,
Some European countries are tightening restrictions over the coming weeks – while others are relaxing them for Christmas. In many nations, coronavirus cases are rising again after dipping at the end of November. These are the COVID-19 restrictions and Christmas rules around the continent: The Netherlands A second lockdown starts on Tuesday for at least