World

2021 was the year that warnings on climate change went into overdrive. It was the year that scientists seemed to run out of patience. And it was the year that the consequences of climate change finally, indisputably, arrived at the doorstep of the western world. By summer, the UN’s special climate panel declared global warming

A vocal pro-democracy website in Hong Kong has been shut down after police raided its office, froze its assets and arrested senior staff. Stand News said in a statement that its website and social media were no longer being updated and would be taken down. It said all employees have been dismissed. The outlet was

The tallest volcano on the Indonesian island of Java has erupted, killing at least one person and sending huge clouds of ash into the air. TV footage shows Mount Semeru in the Lumajang district of East Java spewing giant clouds of ash at around 7pm local time (12pm UK) on Saturday as villagers run for

Strict new limits on Ireland’s hospitality sector and home visits have been announced by the country’s prime minister. From Tuesday, 7 December, nightclubs will close until 9 January, and bars will only be allowed to run table service with a maximum of six people per table in both bars and restaurants. Speaking in a televised

International passengers heading to the US will have to be tested for COVID-19 within one day of travel regardless of their vaccination status, as the Omicron variant spreads around the world. The tightening of coronavirus rules by the White House comes after America reported its first known case of community transmission of the highly contagious

Lewis Hamilton has said he does not feel comfortable about racing in Saudi Arabia’s grand prix this weekend, as he expressed concern about human rights in the kingdom. The seven-times Formula 1 world champion will be competing in a night race around a street circuit in Jeddah. Hamilton said he had received a warm welcome on arrival,

Unvaccinated people in Germany are to be excluded from non-essential stores, cultural and recreational venues, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. In addition, parliament will consider making coronavirus jabs mandatory from February. About 68.7% of the population in Germany is fully vaccinated, far below the 75% minimum ministers are aiming for. Image: Angela Merkel says the

The world’s rich nations must help vaccinate the poorest nations or else they will face a continual cycle of economic shocks and restrictions in the face of new variants, the OECD’s chief economist has said. Laurence Boone told Sky News that the Omicron variant could cause the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to downgrade

All WTA tournaments have been suspended in China over concerns for the safety of player Peng Shuai. The head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said it was taking the step after Shuai, a Grand Slam doubles champion, accused a former high-ranking government official in China of sexual assault. Peng dropped out of public view

NASA has called off a spacewalk due to the threat of dangerous space debris. Two US astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, were due to replace an external antenna on Tuesday. However, the expedition was cancelled when Mission Control found pieces of orbiting space junk had come dangerously close

China has for the first time become the single greatest focus for MI6, with its chief warning the risk “is real” of a miscalculation by Beijing through underestimating western resolve to push back. Pointing to Taiwan, Richard Moore said a desire by the ruling Chinese Communist Party – backed by an increasingly powerful military –

The Prince of Wales has formally acknowledged “the appalling atrocity of slavery” in the Caribbean, saying “it forever stains our history” at an event to mark Barbados becoming a republic. Prince Charles was invited to speak at the transition ceremony formalising the Caribbean island’s decision to remove the Queen as its head of state. Speaking

The speed with which new variants of the COVID-19 virus spread around the world can leave government’s scrambling to catch up. What is sometimes more remarkable is the speed with which those new variants are detected. It has taken barely two weeks from the initial testing of ‘patient zero’, before potentially the entire globe is

The Prince of Wales will reaffirm the “myriad connections between the people of our countries” as he flies to Barbados for a ceremony to remove the Queen as head of state and transition to a republic. Prince Charles, who said he believes it is “important” for him to attend the ceremony, arrived in Barbados late

Authorities in the Netherlands have detected 13 cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant among passengers from South Africa. Health officials said the infected people were on flights from the southern African nation earlier this week. A total of 61 people on the planes tested positive for the virus – and 21% of those had Omicron.