Seven people have been arrested after rioters clashed with police in The Hague for a second night of violence in the Netherlands, sparked by protests over new COVID-19 restrictions. The unrest came a day after police opened fire on protesters in Rotterdam amid what the port city’s mayor called “an orgy of violence”, leaving three
World
Rotterdam’s mayor has condemned “an orgy of violence” at protests against COVID-19 restrictions in the Dutch port city, in which seven people were hurt and more than 20 arrested. The trouble flared as the Netherlands moved to curb a fourth wave of the coronavirus. Hundreds of rioters torched cars, set off fireworks and threw rocks
Austria is to become the first country in Europe to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory by law and has announced a full national lockdown from Monday, amid a fourth wave sweeping the continent. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said the coronavirus lockdown would run for a “maximum of 20 days”. He also announced it would be a “requirement
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has revealed how she and Prince Harry are “happy” living in California, during a television interview with Ellen DeGeneres. The duchess, 40, sat down with the US chat show host eight months after she and the Duke of Sussex gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey, leaving the Royal Family
On a sunburnt playing field at an Addis Ababa school, where hundreds of unlikely soldiers tried to march in time, I watched a sergeant from the police force trying to keep his cool. “To the left, turn to the left,” he said to one ad-hoc battalion of city residents, who were wearing bright orange bibs.
“Take it from me, please don’t come… it’s bad here.” This is one of hundreds of messages sent by migrants on the Belarus border seen by Sky News. The texts warn others not to follow in their footsteps. “To those who are saying ‘the border is open’, it’s not open. It’s a lie,” another migrant
Human remains have been found in a New Zealand coal mine more than a decade after one of the country’s worst industrial disasters, police have said. Twenty-nine men were killed after a series of methane gas explosions ripped through the Pike River mine on the west coast of the South Island in November 2010. Two
Teenager Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted of all charges after pleading self-defence over the killings of two people shot dead during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The fierce, televised clashes between the prosecution and defence attorneys continued until the very end of this hugely anticipated, widely followed murder trial. Lasting just two
Ireland is introducing new COVID-19 restrictions including a midnight closing time for pubs, nightclubs and restaurants as the country battles a fourth wave of infections. The measures, which come into effect from Friday, will also see household contacts of those with COVID required to restrict their movements for five days, even if they have been
A “reckless and irresponsible” Russian weapons test has created more than 1,500 pieces of debris now endangering the seven crew aboard the International Space Station, US officials have said. Crew members were forced to take emergency measures on Monday after debris floated dangerously close by – and took cover in their docked capsules amid fears
After a week shivering in sodden woodland, the largest group of migrants stuck between the serried ranks of Belarusian and Polish border guards decided to move. We were en route to their camp but they had other plans. “It’s too cold and we are in a place that’s quite open, we have no protection from the
Austria is placing millions of people not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in lockdown as of today as Europe becomes the epicentre of the pandemic once again. Anyone over the age of 12 who has not been double-jabbed is now only allowed to leave their homes for work, school, exercise and buying essential supplies – with
Driving through the Bialowieza forest – next to Poland’s border with Belarus – a green light shines out from the porch of a house. The bulb throwing off a luminous hue into the darkness around. Pulling up to look, the owner comes out to talk. The green light is part of local movement offering help
The world was hoping for a lot from China at COP26. Or, at least, something. But there were no major new pledges from the world’s biggest polluter. That shouldn’t be a surprise: you only have to listen to the man who wasn’t there – President Xi Jinping. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible
A new draft climate deal has been published in Glasgow this morning as COP26 talks spill over and could last well into Saturday after passing the original deadline. Negotiators were given a new draft of the final agreement early on Saturday, which kept controversial phrasing on fossil fuel commitments. It calls on countries to accelerate
The Netherlands will return to a partial lockdown from Saturday amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, its government has announced. Under the three-week lockdown, bars, restaurants and supermarkets will have to close at 8pm, while professional sports matches will be played in empty stadiums. Stores selling non-essential items will have to close at 6pm, and
World leaders have reached the most significant climate change pact since the landmark Paris Agreement, following a turbulent two weeks of fraught negotiations in Glasgow. With a stroke of the gavel, COP26 President Alok Sharma has brought the talks to a close after almost 200 nations finally reached consensus on how to navigate the climate
A key commitment on fossil fuels has been watered down in a draft of the final agreement between nearly 200 nations at the COP26 climate summit – and the latest text has sparked a backlash from campaigners. An earlier draft text had stated that nations should pledge “to accelerate the phase-out of coal and subsidies
A promise to end fossil fuel subsidies must not disappear from a final COP26 agreement despite opposition, the European Union’s climate policy chief has warned. Major fossil fuel exporters including Saudi Arabia and Australia have been accused of trying to water down or remove a section in the draft version that calls for an accelerated
Clinical trials are starting for a new Ebola vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, designed to tackle the two strains responsible for nearly all outbreaks and deaths worldwide. The university has launched a Phase I trial to test the vaccine in human volunteers, with the first jabs taking place today. The study is currently recruiting