Paris is among 16 regions of France facing new lockdowns from midnight tomorrow, the country’s prime minister Jean Castex has announced. He said the nation was in a third wave because of coronavirus variants. Schools will remain open under the latest measures, but all non-essential shops will be required to close. The lockdown will last
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Amidst the turmoil and rancour in Brussels, there is one sure thing today – the name of AstraZeneca will be in the headlines again. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is due to give its statement on the safety of the company’s vaccine on Thursday afternoon. Most countries in the European Union have paused their use
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has threatened to block vaccine exports to the UK and other countries with markedly higher rollouts of coronavirus jabs. The EU’s delivery of COVID vaccines has been slower compared with the UK rollout, where nearly 25 million adults have now had their first dose. With the bloc facing
Companies in the UK “still cannot guarantee that their supply chains are free from forced labour” from the Uighur people in Xinjiang in China, a House of Commons select committee has warned. The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee also called on the government to impose sanctions on Chinese officials implicated in human rights abuses
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to continue using the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine – as global medical experts meet to discuss reports of blood clots. UK leaders and medical professionals have joined in their defence of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after some European countries – including Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France and Sweden
The breadth and depth of human suffering in the Ethiopian region of Tigray is perfectly clear to humanitarian workers, human rights groups and the international diplomatic community. After four months of warfare between Ethiopia’s national defence force and fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), observers are collecting a worrying selection of data. More
Germany is suspending use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in order to investigate reports of blood clots. The country’s Health Ministry said the measure was a “precaution”. Germany is the latest European country to suspend use of the coronavirus vaccine amid concerns over possible links to the clots. Live COVID updates from the UK and
After a decade of war, you might expect every city in Syria to be in ruins, and many are. Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, Raqqa, the places which have become synonymous with the horror of this past 10 years, are all in pieces. But while the disintegration of a country at war begins with the deaths and
Ireland should temporarily halt its use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab after some reports of blood clots in vaccinated people, health authorities say. The call came after a review from the Norwegian Medicines Agency showed four new cases of “serious blood clotting in adults” had occurred after the jab. Ireland’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan
The Metropolitan Police has launched a preliminary investigation into Asma al Assad, Sky News understands. The British-born wife of Syrian President Bashar al Assad is accused of supporting and encouraging terrorism. If charged, the Met could seek her extradition. Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers accuses her of being among a number of “influential actors” who
A homemade submarine capable of smuggling up to 2,000kg of drugs has been seized by police in Spain. Investigators discovered the 9m (30ft) narco craft while it was being built in Malaga, on the Costa del Sol, during an international drug operation. The light blue semi-submersible vessel, which is 3m (10ft) wide, is made of
Gunmen have attacked a school in northwestern Nigeria and snatched at least 30 students in the latest of a string of such kidnaps. The abduction happened at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization on the outskirts of Kaduna, nearly 400 miles from the capital Lagos. The gang struck at around 11.30pm on Thursday, according to
Italy is set to impose another national lockdown over the Easter weekend to combat growing numbers of coronavirus cases. It will see non-essential shops closed from 3 April to 5 April, with people only allowed to leave their homes for work, health or emergency reasons, according to a draft government decree seen by Reuters news
The family of a man who was fatally run over by a bulldozer that the police were using to chase him have been given $475,000 (£340,000) in compensation. Gregory Longenecker, 51, was being pursued by officers after he was caught growing 10 marijuana plants in Pennsylvania. The pursuit took place on public land, with Pennsylvania
The European Medicines Agency has launched an investigation into the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab after reports of blood clots in vaccinated people. At present there is no firm evidence to suggest the two are linked and incidents of clotting have not been reported in the UK. The Danish Health and Medicines Authority has suspended the use of the
Twenty-seven people have been killed after a bus carrying children and some parents plunged into a ravine in Indonesia. At least 39 more are injured after a suspected brakes malfunction caused the accident on Indonesia’s main island of Java late on Wednesday. The bus driver lost control of the vehicle shortly before the crash in