International news

A gunman who took four people hostage at a Dallas-area synagogue and was himself killed as federal agents stormed the temple was identified on Sunday as a British citizen, while police in England said they had detained two teenagers for questioning in the investigation.

North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) on Monday from an airport in its capital city of Pyongyang, South Korea's military reported, the fourth test this month to demonstrate its expanding missile arsenal.

Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights on Monday to assess damage in Tonga, isolated from the rest of the world after the eruption of a volcano that triggered a tsunami and blanketed the Pacific island with ash.

An FBI Hostage Rescue Team stormed a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas on Saturday night to free three remaining hostages of a gunman who had disrupted a religious service and began a standoff with police more than 10 hours earlier.

Tsunami-hit Tonga remained largely uncontactable on Sunday with telephone and internet links severed, leaving relatives in faraway New Zealand praying for their families on the Pacific islands as casualty reports had yet to come through.

A North Korean cargo train pulled into a Chinese border town on Sunday, in what would be the first confirmed crossing since anti-coronavirus border lockdowns began, media reports said.

England's health service said it will expand its COVID-19 booster vaccination programme to include 16- and 17-year-olds from Monday.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will visit Kyiv next week to reaffirm support for Ukrainian sovereignty and reinforce efforts to deter "aggressive actions" by Russia, Ottawa said on Saturday.

Tsunami waves were observed in Tonga's capital and the capital of American Samoa, a U.S.-based tsunami monitor said.

Hundreds of students in Boston and Chicago walked out of classes on Friday in protests demanding a switch to remote learning following a surge in COVID-19 cases fuelled by the Omicron variant.

British police will not investigate gatherings held in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's residence during a coronavirus lockdown unless an internal government inquiry finds evidence of potential criminal offences, the Metropolitan Police said.

North Korea fired at least two ballistic missiles on Friday, the third test in two weeks, just hours after criticising a US push for new sanctions over the previous launches as a "provocation".

North Korea defended its missile tests as its legitimate right to self-defence and said the United States is intentionally escalating the situation by imposing new sanctions, state media reported on Friday, citing the foreign ministry.

The UK Royal Family has removed Prince Andrew's military links and royal patronages and said he will no longer be known as "His Royal Highness", as the son of Queen Elizabeth fights a US lawsuit in which he is accused of abuse.

The minimum COVID-19 self-isolation in England will be cut to five days from seven if someone tests negative twice.

Germany's STIKO vaccine committee recommended on Thursday that all children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive a COVID-19 booster shot even though the European Union's drugs regulator has not given approval for this age group.

The Biden administration has imposed its first sanctions over North Korea's weapons programmes following a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised for attending a lockdown party at his official residence during Britain's first coronavirus lockdown, as opponents said he should resign.

Saudi Arabia has registered its highest daily number of new COVID-19 infections so far, health ministry data showed, breaking through 5,000 cases on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden has made a full-throated appeal for US voting rights legislation stalled in Congress, saying Democratic lawmakers should rewrite Senate rules to overcome Republican opposition.

Japan recorded a surge in new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with infections reaching four-month highs in the major metropolitan areas of Tokyo and Osaka as the Omicron variant spreads.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for boosting the country's strategic military forces as he observed the test of a hypersonic missile, state media said on Wednesday.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) technical body said on Tuesday that current COVID-19 vaccines may need to be reworked to ensure they are effective against Omicron and future variants of the coronavirus.

A US man with terminal heart disease was implanted with a genetically modified pig heart in a first-of-its-kind surgery, and three days later the patient is doing well, his doctors reported.

European Parliament President David Sassoli has died, his spokesperson Roberto Cuillo said in a tweet on Tuesday.

North Korea appeared to test fire a ballistic missile on Tuesday for the second time in less than a week, drawing condemnation from South Korea and Japan where officials said the repeated launches risked destabilising the region.

China's aviation regulator has ordered the cancellation of more than 60 scheduled flights from the United States in recent weeks, after numerous passengers tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in China.

The United States reported at least 1.13 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, the highest daily total of any country in the world.

Nepal banned large public gatherings and closed schools for nearly three weeks after a spike in coronavirus cases.

The Czech Republic said on Monday it would allow critical workers such as doctors and teachers to go to work after a positive COVID-19 test.

Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, will be boarding Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity and blasting off to space on Sunday.

Singapore is reviewing penalties for violent offences following an outcry over a 12-day prison sentence for a student who strangled his girlfriend until she blacked out.