Queen Elizabeth’s funeral: For one day, the nation stood still
It was a day when people stood still – on the streets and in their homes – to witness Queen Elizabeth II’s final journey. Royals and world leaders were inside Westminster Abbey. But outside there were many more, ordinary mourners lining the streets of central…
Hug but be cautious, England to be told
State Opening of Parliament scaled back due to Covid In a normal year, tomorrow’s State Opening of Parliament would be the most colourful event of the parliamentary calendar – but pomp and ceremony has been reduced to prevent any spread of coronavirus. The Commons and…
Capitol riot: Policeman tells 6 January hearing he feared he would die
A police officer who defended the US Capitol during a riot by Donald Trump supporters on 6 January has said he feared he would be crushed by the mob. “This is how I’m going to die,” a tearful Aquilino Gonell told a Congressional committee as…
Election results 2021: PM calls Covid recovery summit after SNP victory
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited the leaders of the devolved nations to a summit on how “Team UK” can recover from the pandemic. It follows the SNP’s fourth Scottish Parliament election win in a row and Labour’s win in the Welsh Parliament. The SNP’s…
Alexei Navalny: Thousands across Russia defy ban on protests
Thousands of people around Russia have joined unauthorised rallies to protest against the detention of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. They are calling for Navalny, who has been on hunger strike for weeks, to receive proper medical care. More than 1,000 people were reportedly arrested….
Is Russia going to war with Ukraine and other questions
Sabre-rattling or preparations for war? Since mid-March, there have been many warnings from Ukraine and Western governments that Russia is massing troops in Russian-annexed Crimea and around the eastern Ukraine conflict zone. Russia’s intentions are far from clear, but here’s a quick guide to the…
Gruppe S: German far-right group on trial for ‘terror plot’
The trial of 11 suspected members of a far-right “terror” group opens in the German city of Stuttgart on Tuesday. The suspects, aged between 32 and 61, were arrested in February last year. Prosecutors say the 11 men – all Germans – were members of…
Russian ‘troop build-up’ near Ukraine alarms Nato
Russia has warned Nato against sending any troops to help Ukraine, amid reports of a large Russian military build-up on its borders. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take “additional measures” if Nato were to make such a move. Sporadic, low-level clashes continue in…
Covid-19: France enters third national lockdown amid ICU surge
France has entered its third national lockdown as it battles a surge in cases of Covid-19 that threatens to overwhelm the country’s hospitals. All schools and non-essential shops will shut for four weeks, and a curfew will be in place from 19:00 to 06:00. On…
Meghan and Harry interview: Urgent Palace talks over claims
Crisis meetings involving senior royals have taken place following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. It was “increasingly unsustainable for Buckingham Palace to say nothing” about Prince Harry and Meghan’s claims. She said the Palace “will not want to feel rushed…
Italy becomes sixth country to surpass 100,000 Covid-19 deaths
Italy’s coronavirus death toll topped 100,000 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University data, making it the sixth country to record a death count above six figures. Italian Health Ministry data showed the country registered a further 318 deaths in the 24 hours to Monday,…
Explosion reported near Covid-19 test center in the Netherlands
An explosion has been reported near a Covid-19 testing center in the Netherlands, police officers said Wednesday. No injuries resulted from the incident, which took place in the northwestern province of North Holland. The blast comes in the wake of several anti-lockdown demonstrations in the…
German Chancellor and state premiers to discuss extending Covid-19 lockdown
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet with 16 state premiers on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the next steps in combating the coronavirus crisis. Under discussion will be whether to extend the current lockdown till March 28, as well as the possibility of loosening…
Italy recommends AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 55
Italy will administer the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to people under 55 years old. They will start administering the vaccine to schoolteachers, army and police forces, prison staff and inmates. The decision follows a Wednesday meeting between the government and regional governors to discuss the country’s…
Navalny slams ‘illegal’ Russian case against him
Russian anti-Putin campaigner Alexei Navalny has denounced his detention as “demonstratively illegal” in an appeal hearing via video link. A judge heard, and then rejected, his appeal against detention for 30 days. He was arrested on 17 January for not complying with a suspended sentence….
Coronavirus: Germany facing ’10 tough weeks’ of vaccine shortages
Germany is likely to face a shortage of coronavirus vaccines until at least April, the country’s health minister has warned. “We will still have at least 10 tough weeks with a shortage,” Jens Spahn wrote on Twitter. The pace of Germany’s rollout has been criticised,…
Italian PM Conte to resign following pandemic criticism
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is set to hand in his resignation on Tuesday, following criticism of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 85,000 Italians have died with Covid-19. Mr Conte hopes to be given a mandate by the president to form a…
UK and EU in row over bloc’s diplomatic status
A diplomatic row has broken out between the UK and EU over the status of the bloc’s ambassador in London. The UK is refusing to give Joao Vale de Almeida the full diplomatic status that is granted to other ambassadors. The Foreign Office is insisting…
Coronavirus: EU anger over delayed Pfizer vaccine deliveries
Several EU countries are receiving significantly fewer doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine than expected, after the US firm slowed shipments. Six nations called the situation “unacceptable” and warned it “decreases the credibility of the vaccination process”. Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia urged…
Pope Francis receives vaccine
The Vatican has confirmed that both Pope Francis and his predecessor, former Pope Benedict XVI, have received the coronavirus vaccine. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said that they were given the first dose “as part of the Vatican City State vaccination programme”. It had been reported that…
Italy political crisis erupts over EU Covid spending
The coalition government of centrist Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is in chaos after ex-PM Matteo Renzi withdrew his tiny party from it. Mr Renzi objects to Mr Conte’s plans for spending €209bn (£186bn; $254bn) of EU recovery funds – part of a huge EU…
Covid-19: Almost half of all cases in Ireland reported in last two weeks
Almost half of all recorded cases of Covid-19 in the Irish Republic have been reported in the past fortnight. Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Prof Philip Nolan said that 44% of all cases were recorded in the last two weeks. He was…
The tormented genius who became one of football’s greatest players
A little bit with the head of Maradona and a little bit with the hand of God.” Those four words — “the hand of God” — describe one of the most iconic moments in football history, a goal that belongs to one of the most…
COVID Latest Updates: Biden Implores Americans To Wear Masks
The coronavirus continues to disrupt daily life around the globe, with more than 50.5 million people confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 since Chinese officials implemented the first coronavirus lockdown in the city of Wuhan in January. But Monday brought some potentially good news: Pfizer released…
Coronavirus: Belgium facing ‘tsunami’ of new infections
Belgium could soon be overwhelmed by new coronavirus infections, the health minister has warned, amid soaring case numbers across the country. Frank Vandenbroucke said new cases were close to a “tsunami” where authorities “no longer control what is happening”. New measures to try to halt…
Coronavirus: Republic of Ireland to move to highest restrictions
The Irish government is to move the country to the highest level of coronavirus restrictions, broadly similar to the spring lockdown. Cabinet ministers have agreed to level five restrictions from midnight on Wednesday in a bid to combat the rise in cases. The restrictions are…
Belarus protests: Police authorised to use lethal weapons
Police in Belarus have been authorised to use lethal force if necessary against anti-government protesters, a senior government official says. The move was in response to increasingly radicalised, violent anti-Lukashenko groups, he said. Separately, EU foreign ministers have said they are ready to impose sanctions…
Cyprus to suspend ‘EU golden passports’ scheme
Cyprus is suspending a scheme that grants citizenship and guarantees visa-free travel throughout the EU for those who invest a minimum of €2m (£1.8m). It comes after Al Jazeera reporters filmed Cypriot officials using the scheme to assist a fictional Chinese businessman with a criminal…
Brexit: PM and EU president to ‘take stock’ of trade talks
Boris Johnson will speak to the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday to “take stock” of post-Brexit trade negotiations and “discuss next steps”. The UK and the EU have been holding their final formal rounds of trade talks in Brussels…
Coronavirus: Israel passes law to ban mass protests during lockdown
Israel’s parliament has handed the government the power to ban mass protests during the country’s second nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Demonstrators will be confined to groups of up to 20 people and must stay within 1km (0.6 miles) of their homes. The law should have been…
