International news

A strong earthquake measuring 5.8 shook the island of Crete in southern Greece on Monday, the Athens Geodynamic Institute said, sending people out of their homes and buildings.

Up to 90 per cent of British fuel stations ran dry across major English cities on Monday after panic buying deepened a supply chain crisis triggered by a shortage of truckers that retailers are warning could batter the world's fifth-largest economy.

Germany's Social Democrats narrowly won Sunday's national election, projected results showed, and claimed a "clear mandate" to lead a government for the first time since 2005 and to end 16 years of conservative-led rule under Angela Merkel.

Australia's New South Wales (NSW) government plans to unveil its roadmap on Monday for reopening the state from COVID-19 shutdowns, detailing the differing levels of freedoms to be afforded to citizens based on their vaccination status.

Taliban authorities in the western Afghan city of Herat have killed four "kidnappers" and hung their bodies up in public to deter others.

Indian farmers opposed to reforms they say threaten their livelihoods renewed their push against the changes with nationwide protests on Monday, a year after laws on the liberalisation of the sector were introduced.

Germans vote in a national election on Sunday that looks too close to call, with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) mounting a strong challenge to retiring Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives.

A deep depression over India's Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm that is expected to make landfall on Sunday.

At least three people have died and several more suffered injures after an Amtrak train derailed in north-central Montana.

Lava continues to flow from the volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma, forcing the airport to close due to ash accumulation.

Norway will reopen society on Saturday, the government said on Friday, ending pandemic-curbing restrictions that have limited social interaction and hobbled many businesses.

Two middle-school students, aged 13 and 14, will be in a Florida court this week for allegedly planned a shooting at their school in Lee County and even attempting to recruit other students.

Mexican officials are urging Haitians on the Texas border trying to reach the United States to give up and return to Mexico's frontier with Guatemala to request asylum.

Petito's boyfriend, whom police have sought for six days in connection with her death, was charged on Thursday with fraudulently using her bank debit card.

The European Union aims to have a common charging port for mobile phones, tablets and headphones under a European Commission proposal presented on Thursday in a world first.

The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised a booster dose of the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those 65 and older, all people at high risk of severe disease, and others who are regularly exposed to the virus.

Melbourne's streets were largely quiet on Thursday after three days of anti-lockdown protests, with hundreds of police officers on patrol in the city to prevent another rally as COVID-19 cases in Victoria hit a daily pandemic record.

The United States has promised to donate 500 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses to other countries as it comes under increasing pressure to share its supply with the rest of the world.

The exhaustive search for slain travel blogger Gabby Petito's fiance in a vast Florida wilderness entered a sixth day on Thursday as the mystery deepened around a case that has engrossed Americans.

Britain warned its food producers on Wednesday to prepare for a 400 per cent rise in carbon dioxide prices after extending emergency state support to avert a shortage of poultry and meat triggered by soaring costs of wholesale natural gas.

US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the dangers of climate change and bantered about the joys of rail travel during an Oval Office meeting aimed at underscoring the US-UK alliance.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, one of the country's biggest quakes on record.

Manila mayor, Francisco Domagoso, said on Wednesday he will run for the Philippine presidency in the 2022 election.

Police and FBI agents planned to resume their search of a swampy Florida wilderness for Gabby Petito's fiancé on Wednesday, one day after the local coroner in Wyoming identified a body found there as the missing 22-year-old travel blogger.

A body found in a US national park in Wyoming was identified as Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old "van life" traveller who went missing during a road trip with her fiance, the FBI said on Tuesday, adding a local coroner had ruled her death a homicide.

British police said on Tuesday a third Russian had been charged in absentia with the 2018 Novichok murder attempt on former double agent Sergei Skripal, saying they could also now confirm the three suspects were military intelligence operatives.

Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday a second shot of its COVID-19 vaccine given about two months after the first increased its effectiveness to 94 per cent in the US against moderate to severe forms of the disease.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Russia was responsible for the 2006 killing of ex-KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko who died an agonising death after he was poisoned in London with Polonium 210, a rare radioactive isotope.

India's foreign minister on Tuesday urged Britain to remove a rule requiring Indians visiting there to quarantine even if they are fully vaccinated.

Police in Melbourne used pepper balls and rubber pellets to scatter thousands of protesters who defied stay-at- home orders to damage property, block a freeway and injure three officers, leading to over 40 arrests.

Sudanese authorities have contained a failed coup attempt and the situation has been brought under control, a member of the country's ruling council told Reuters on Tuesday.

Spas, cinemas and mahjong salons in the Chinese city of Harbin were ordered to close on Tuesday to prevent COVID-19 spreading in poorly ventilated spaces, state television reported.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hung onto power on Monday as his main rival conceded defeat, but his Liberals fell short of his goal for a majority win.

US President Joe Biden's administration wants to nearly double the number of refugees admitted to the United States.

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Monday their COVID-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response in children aged between 5 and 11 years.

The United States will re-open to air passengers from China, India, Britain and many other European countries who have received COVID-19 vaccines in early November.

The Canary Islands' first volcanic eruption in 50 years has forced the evacuation of about 5,000 people, including about 500 tourists, officials said on Monday, adding they were hopeful they would not need to evacuate more people.

A student armed with a hunting rifle opened fire at a university in the Russian city of Perm on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding many others.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the resumption of face-to-face classes in areas deemed low risk for COVID-19, with up to 120 schools to join a two-month pilot reopening run, his education minister said on Monday.

New Zealand eased coronavirus curbs slightly in its largest city of Auckland on Monday, as the government expressed confidence that there was no widespread regional transmission of the Delta variant.

Days after Gabby Petito went missing, police and FBI agents have found a body "consistent" with the description of the 22-year-old woman.

A volcano erupted on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma on Sunday, sending fountains of lava and a plume of smoke and ash into the air from the Cumbre Vieja national park in the south of the island.

The Greek prime minister said that Mediterranean nations must lead the way in addressing climate change, the Greek prime minister said, warning that the cost of doing nothing was unimaginable, with mankind possibly struggling to survive beyond the turn of the next century.

Boxing star Manny Pacquiao said on Sunday he will run for president of the Philippines next year.

The quartet of newly minted citizen astronauts comprising the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission safely splashed down in the Atlantic off Florida's coast on Saturday, completing a three-day flight of the first all-civilian crew ever sent into Earth orbit.

Russians vote on Sunday in the final stretch of a three-day parliamentary election that the ruling party is expected to win after a sweeping crackdown that crushed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's movement and barred opponents from the ballot.

The chief minister of the Indian state of Punjab resigned on Saturday, deepening a crisis within the Congress party ahead of state elections scheduled before March.

With the Canadian election in a dead heat two days before the September 20 vote, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Conservative rival implored supporters to stay the course and avoid vote splitting that could hand their opponent victory.

The British government simplified rules on Friday for international travel to England in a boost to the tourism industry.

Vietnam has approved Cuba's Abdala vaccine for use against the new coronavirus, the government said on Saturday, as the Southeast Asian country is battling its worst outbreak.

Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has died at 84, the presidency said on Friday, more than two years after he stepped down under pressure from mass protests and the army.

A third shot of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine leads to a rebound in antibody levels that drop months after a second dose, a small-scale Chinese study showed.

Australian officials will trial a home quarantine system for fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in Sydney, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, as the country moves to reopen its borders despite persistent COVID-19 cases.

The Netherlands will require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test for entry to restaurants, museums, theatres and other cultural events from September 25, as almost all social distancing measures are dropped.

The Italian government has approved some of the strictest anti-COVID measures in the world, making it obligatory for all workers either to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he would have to spend "a few days" in self-isolation after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with COVID-19, the TASS news agency reported.

Hospitals, care homes and health centres have suspended around 3,000 workers across France for failing to comply with mandatory COVID vaccination, the government said on Thursday, as countries around Europe weigh how far to go to combat the pandemic.

Delhi authorities ordered a ban on the storage, use and sale of firecrackers in the Indian capital late on Wednesday ahead of the Diwali festival to curb air pollution levels which cause thousands of deaths each year.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the military forces had killed IS militant Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of the terror group in the Greater Sahara.

A SpaceX rocket ship blasted off from Florida on Wednesday carrying a billionaire e-commerce executive and three private citizens he chose to join him in the first all-civilian crew ever launched into Earth orbit.

China launched an emergency response on Thursday after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the southwestern province of Sichuan killing at least three people, state media reported.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed his party's first female foreign secretary on Wednesday in a reshuffle, replacing ministers who had drawn criticism with the declared aim of tackling economic inequality after COVID-19.

Judges at the International Criminal Court have approved a formal investigation into possible crimes against humanity allegedly committed under the leadership of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in the context of his "war on drugs".

American army officers who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus could be suspended from their duties and possibly discharged, the US Army said on Tuesday.

South Korea successfully tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on Wednesday, becoming the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a system as it aims to better counter North Korea's growing capabilities.

North Korea fired a pair of ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Wednesday, ratcheting up tensions just days after testing a cruise missile with possible nuclear capabilities.

China's COVID-19 outbreak in Fujian province, which has reported 152 local cases in five days, has prompted cities in other parts of the country to issue travel warnings ahead of major holidays, though state media warn against imposing blanket travel curbs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is self-isolating as a precaution after several members of his entourage fell ill with COVID-19, but is "absolutely" healthy and does not have the disease himself, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

New local COVID-19 infections more than doubled in China's southeastern province of Fujian, health authorities said on Tuesday, prompting officials to quickly roll out measures including travel restrictions to halt the spread of the virus.

The Philippines' capital region will exit wide-scale coronavirus restrictions from Thursday, as the government launches a pilot test of localised lockdowns, amid efforts to balance reopening the economy and containing the spread of the coronavirus.

All 12- to 15-year-olds in the UK will be offered COVID-19 jabs after top medical advisers said on Monday that it will help reduce disruption to their education.

Two hundred Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan are set to depart the war-ravaged country on charter flights from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban government agreed to their evacuation, a US official said.

North Korea celebrated the 73rd anniversary of its foundation with a nighttime military parade in the capital, state media reported on Thursday, publishing photographs of marching rows of personnel in orange hazmat suits but no ballistic missiles.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday accepted his party's nomination to run for vice president in next year's election, pushing ahead with a plan criticised by rivals as an attempt to maintain his grip on power.

A fire tore through an overcrowded block in a jail in Indonesia's Banten province in the early hours of Wednesday, killing at least 41 people and injuring dozens.

China on Wednesday banned private tutors from giving classes online or in unregistered venues such as residential buildings, hotels and coffee shops, ramping up its effort to stamp out all for-profit tutoring.

A powerful earthquake struck southwestern Mexico near the beach resort of Acapulco on Tuesday, killing at least one man, and causing rock falls and damaging buildings.

Philippine Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday declared his candidacy for next year's presidential election, the first to confirm a run for the top post to replace the controversial but popular incumbent Rodrigo Duterte.

The Taliban have announced an interim government in Afghanistan.

Thousands of Indian farmers gathered in a large grain market outside New Delhi on Tuesday, protesting new agricultural laws they say threaten their livelihoods and actions by police during similar demonstrations last week.

Vietnam jailed a man on Monday for five years for breaking strict COVID-19 quarantine rules and spreading the virus to others, state media reported.

South Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submarine, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, becoming the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a capability.

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.