World

France’s president Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for coronavirus, his office has said. The Elysee Palace said he was tested after showing early symptoms. He will now isolate for seven days but will continue to work and carry out his activities remotely. Image: Mr Macron speaks with Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban next to Poland’s

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

“Even if I die, even if I am beheaded, or killed by bullets – I will not back down. Our community will never leave the battlefield and run away.” “We will take our rights back, these laws have to go,” Gurjit Singh, an ex-military man and now a farmer, tells Sky News. He is among

The Netherlands will enter a tough second lockdown for at least five weeks, the country’s prime minister has announced. Households have been urged to welcome no more than two visitors over the age of 13 from Tuesday, although an exception will be made for three days around Christmas when they can welcome three. In a

An explosion on an oil tanker in the Red Sea happened after it was hit by “an external force”, a shipping company has said. The incident happened just after midnight on Monday off the coast of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The 22 crew of the Singapore-flagged BW Rhine all escaped unharmed, the vessel’s owners, Hafnia,

Protests are continuing to grow over controversial new farming laws in India – but the country’s prime minister is refusing to back down. Demonstrations have been taking place across India and have now spread to other cities around the world, including the UK, the Netherlands and Canada. Farmers say the three federal laws, which deregulate crop

The UN secretary general has called on all countries to declare a climate emergency or face “catastrophic” results. Dozens of world leaders spoke at the virtual Climate Ambition Summit on Saturday – from the smallest nation’s worst-hit by climate change to the world’s worst polluters. Nations at the UN summit were urged to “stop the

The first aid convoy has arrived in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray State, 10 days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government said humanitarian organisations would have “unimpeded, sustained and secure access” to areas under its control. Seven trucks belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were sent to the city’s

There is a “long and difficult road ahead” with 12 months to go until the landmark COP26 climate conference hosted by the UK, the UN secretary-general’s special adviser on Climate Action has said. Selwin Hart was speaking ahead of a virtual climate ambition summit on Saturday when around 70 countries will reveal how much they

UK holidaymakers on the Canary Islands have hit out at new quarantine rules which have disrupted their Christmas plans. Travellers arriving in the UK from the popular Spanish islands from 4am on Saturday must self-isolate for two weeks. Tour operator TUI said it has around 5,000 UK holidaymakers on the islands, with a further 800

A painting worth more than €280k (£250k) which was accidentally left at a German airport has been reunited with its owner after being found at the bottom of a nearby recycling bin. The businessman, who chose not to be named, forgot to take the painting by French surrealist Yves Tanguy when he left the check-in

The trial of a prominent women’s rights activist has begun in Saudi Arabia, three years after she was first jailed. The family of Loujain al Hathloul has told Sky News they were informed late on Wednesday night that she would appear at Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court for a trial which United Nations Human Rights

The Chinese embassy in the US has said its Twitter account was hacked after it retweeted a baseless claim from President Donald Trump that the Democrats cheated in the election. “If somebody cheated in the Election, which the Democrats did, why wouldn’t the Election be immediately overturned? How can a Country be run like this?,”

Canada has become the latest country to approve Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine – describing it as “safe, effective and of good quality”. In a statement, Health Canada said the authorisation was a “critical milestone” in the fight against COVID-19 – and stressed that the review process had been “rigorous”. The country is set to