Harris addresses the nation on inauguration night

Newly inaugurated Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the nation on Wednesday night.

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  • Angela Merkel refuses Oxford jab amid calls to 'lead by example'

    Angela Merkel dismissed suggestions she should ignore her government's guidelines and take the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. There had been calls for Mrs Merkel to "lead by example" and be vaccinated on camera in order to dispel German public fears over the jab. "I do not belong to the recommended age group for AstraZeneca," Mrs Merkel told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently only approved for under-65s in Germany, and Mrs Merkel is 66. Germany is one of a number of European countries where the AstraZeneca vaccine is not currently approved for the over-65s because regulators said there was not enough clinical data on its effectiveness in older people. Emmanuel Macron, who claimed the AstraZeneca vaccine was only "quasi-effectual" in the over-65s, said at a press conference on Thursday night he would take the jab if he was offered it. Germany has a large anti-vaxxer movement and a recent poll found 34 per cent of its citizens do not want to take any vaccine against the Covid.

  • Oprah Winfrey: Presenter asks teenage Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen what size they are in resurfaced interview

    Mary-Kate entered rehab for eating disorder treatment later in 2004

  • Trumps accused of treating White House staff like ‘concierge’

    Employees also claim that Barack Obama and his family craved privacy while in executive mansion

  • SNP divisions grow as Sturgeon enrages former deputy leader by 'questioning Salmond trial verdict'

    Nicola Sturgeon was on Thursday struggling to contain a growing SNP rebellion after she was accused of using “weasel words” to question the innocence of Alex Salmond. Jim Sillars, a former deputy leader of the party, lodged a formal complaint that the First Minister had breached the ministerial code with comments she made in a press briefing on Wednesday. Ms Sturgeon launched an outspoken attack on her predecessor, claiming his conduct towards women, rather than the conspiracy he has alleged, were the "root" of claims against him She added that just because he had been cleared of criminality, “that doesn’t mean that the behaviour [women] complained of didn’t happen.”

  • Opening school windows ‘more effective’ way to reduce transmissions than masks, says scientist

    A scientist who advises the Government suggested schools should unseal windows painted shut to reduce the transmission of Covid. Professor Calum Semple, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies [Sage], said he was not a “great fan” of young children wearing face masks. Instead, he said improving ventilation such as unsealing windows would be a “more effective” way to reduce transmission.

  • Exporters hit by new red tape are paying price for Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit, says David Cameron

    ‘Bureaucracy’ at the borders is ‘because we chose to leave the single market’ says former prime minister

  • 'It didn’t hurt at all’: Queen calls on all Britons to get the COVID vaccine when they can

    The Queen said people should think of others when deciding to get the coronavirus vaccine.

  • The walls are closing in on Trump. Soon he’ll be a prisoner of Mar a Lago

    Florida Governor DeSantis will be loyal to the president — but that doesn’t necessarily leave Trump in a good position

  • Ursula von der Leyen issues Covid vaccine export warning at EU summit

    Ursula von der Leyen issues Covid vaccine export warning at EU summitCommission head reassures leaders she will ban vaccines leaving EU if suppliers fail to deliver againCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Ursula von der Leyen was put under pressure to speed up work on a common vaccination certificate. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/AFP/Getty Images

  • When is the Europa League last 16 draw? Dates, fixtures, teams and more

    Manchester United, Arsenal and Rangers join Tottenham in the next round

  • Polish and Romanians top nationalities applying for EU settlement scheme

    More than five million applications in total have been made since the scheme opened.

  • Mount Etna Records Sixth Eruption in Eight Days

    Mount Etna erupted for the sixth time in eight days on February 24, according to local media, with footage from the area showing lava fountains shooting 500 meters into the air.Local resident Giuseppe Distefano filmed this footage near his home in Catania, a city along Sicily’s coast near Mount Etna, as lava spewed from a crater. Credit: Giuseppe Distefano/Etna Walk via Storyful

  • London Covid cases by borough revealed as coronavirus infections fall but at slower rate

    Cases are down 25% in a week but public health chiefs want Londoners to drive rates down further

  • CPAC 2021 - live: Gold Trump statue unveiled as Republican summit branded ‘Woodstock for election liars’

    Follow the latest updates

  • Covid UK LIVE: Vaccine passports for Europe ‘available before summer’ as Queen hails coronavirus jab

    Speaking after leaders of the 27 EU countries met online, Angela Merkel said that digital vaccination certificates enabling people to travel will probably be available before the summer. It came as the Queen encouraged Brits to get a Covid vaccine as she told health leaders that she had felt “protected” since getting her first dose in January.

  • Joe Biden speaks to Saudi king before Jamal Khashoggi report in sign US is freezing out Prince Salman

    US president Joe Biden spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Salman ahead of the release of a potentially explosive US intelligence report which is set to accuse his nephew Mohammed bin Salman of complicity in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mr Biden, who has already seen the intelligence report, is said to have insisted that he speak to King Salman only - and not to Mohammed bin Salman, his nephew and Crown Prince. During the presidential election campaign, Mr Biden described Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” and claimed its government had “very little social redeeming value". Mr Biden's insistence in speaking to King Salman is seen as an attempt to sideline 35-year-old Mohammed bin Salman, who is regarded as the de facto ruler of the country. “The president’s intention, as is the intention of this government, is to recalibrate our engagement with Saudi Arabia,” Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said this week, signalling that the Crown Prince could become persona non grata under President Biden.

  • Face coverings in secondary schools will not be compulsory, says minister

    Nick Gibb appealed to parents to allow their children to take part in voluntary rapid coronavirus tests.

  • Sturgeon under pressure over claims that complainer's name was leaked to Salmond camp

    Nicola Sturgeon has denied that the identity of a woman who accused Alex Salmond of sexual assault was leaked to him, but refused to say whether she ordered an investigation into the "astonishing" claim. The First Minister came under intense pressure at Holyrood on Thursday over the allegation that an official in her government had committed an "extraordinary breach of confidentiality" by passing the name of a civil servant to Geoff Aberdein, Mr Salmond's former chief of staff. The incident is claimed to have happened before the First Minister spectacularly fell out with her ex-mentor. Mr Salmond, who is to give evidence to a Scottish Parliament committee investigating the affair on Friday, has put forward the allegation in written testimony.

  • Nixon lawyer John Dean says Donald Trump's kids should be worried about New York investigation

    The former presidential lawyer said the Manhattan District Attorney secured nearly a terrabyte of the former terabyte’s tax information

  • EU summer holidays uncertain as member states clash over coronavirus passports

    British minds are understandably already straying to the possibility of a sun-kissed summer holiday in Europe. Unfortunately, European Union leaders won’t be in a position to guarantee British holidaymakers will be able to travel to the bloc in the near future. The 27 prime ministers and presidents are holding a video summit on coronavirus this evening, Thursday. With the bloc still lagging far behind Britain, the US, Israel and even Serbia and Turkey, there is no prospect of them lifting the ban on non-essential travel into the region. Instead, leaders will reiterate the need for restrictions to stay in place and for vaccinations to rapidly increase. There is a desire on behalf of the EU institutions to do whatever is possible to save the coming tourist season, which is vital for the economies of southern member states such as Greece and Spain. That desire extends to allowing travel from non-EU countries such as Britain, but member states are at odds, to the extent that tonight’s summit will dodge tackling the issue of coronavirus passports head on. Britain is still not on the EU’s list of non-EU countries that are exempt from the non-essential travel restrictions, which is updated every fortnight. The chances of it being taken off in the near future are slim. Greek and Spanish ministers have been vocal in their demands for accelerated work towards the passports, which would smooth the influx of tourists. But tourism-dependent countries face opposition from, among others, France and Germany, which are the two most influential EU member states. Berlin and Paris don’t believe now, with so few EU citizens vaccinated, is the time to talk about coronavirus passports. There are anxieties about the threat of new variants and concerns over the lack of data on whether vaccinated people can transmit Covid-19 or not. One senior EU official said the leaders wanted to do all they could to avoid a new “death season”. France, which has a significant anti-vax movement, is concerned about the risk of discrimination between vaccinated and unvaccinated tourists