World

The Notre-Dame cathedral choir has sung inside the gothic landmark for the first time since last year’s devastating fire – complete with hard hats and social distancing in place. The 20 singers also wore protective suits as they performed without an audience for the Christmas Eve concert. Members of the public are still not allowed

Brexit talks have continued through the night as hopes were raised that a trade deal could finally be on the brink of being agreed. Sources in London and Brussels told Sky News on Wednesday evening that an agreement could be close. Eric Mamer, the chief spokesman for the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,

The faster-spreading COVID-19 variant believed to behind a surge in cases in England has been detected in Ireland and Northern Ireland, officials say. This relates to the coronavirus strain first revealed by Downing Street last week, named VUI-202012/01 – not the second variant that has since been linked to contacts of travellers from South Africa.

Three police officers have been killed by a gunman who had taken his partner hostage in central France. The gendarmes had been responding to a report of domestic violence at a house in Saint Just, Puy-de-Dome, when the attacker began shooting at them. He then set fire to the building. After a lengthy stand-off, the

Ireland will introduce stricter coronavirus measures on Christmas Eve, with Prime Minister Micheal Martin claiming the new variant is probably already circulating there. Under the fresh restrictions, restaurants and gastro pubs will be forced to close at 3pm on 24 December. Non-essential shops, as long as they do not host January sales, are allowed to

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

Almost from the day of the Brexit vote, questions have been asked about the thousands of lorries that cross between Dover and Calais every day. It is the busiest shipping route in the world – the artery that brings supplies from the continent, and takes goods to European markets. And tonight it is seizing up.

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

Belgium has joined the Netherlands in banning air travel from the UK due to fears over the new strain of the coronavirus. The move comes after Dutch health authorities confirmed at least one case of the same variant that has prompted London and large parts of southeast England to return to lockdown rules. UK flights

A French modelling agent who knew the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been charged with the rape and sexual harassment of minors over 15 years of age. Jean-Luc Brunel, 74, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday as he waited to take a flight to Senegal, and has been remanded in custody.

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