International

At least seven people were killed on Tuesday when a blast hit a vehicle carrying oil workers in northern Afghanistan, police said.

North Korea said on Tuesday it had ordered military units to fire more artillery shells into the sea, the North's official KCNA news agency reported, in response to South Korea's ongoing drills across the border.

Ukraine warned there would be emergency blackouts once again in several regions as it repaired damage from missile attacks it said destroyed homes and knocked out power, while Moscow accused Kyiv of attacking deep inside Russia with drones.

People in China's capital Beijing on Tuesday were allowed to enter supermarkets, offices and airports without having to show negative COVID tests, the latest in a mix of easing steps nationwide after last month's historic protests.

Two girls were injured when they were attacked on their way to elementary school by a man wielding a knife in southwestern Germany, a police spokesperson said, confirming a report by German daily Bild.

India's capital, New Delhi, was engulfed in thick smog early on Monday as cooler weather exacerbated pollution and the government banned private construction in and around the city to try to limit dust and emissions.

A patchwork easing of the world's toughest COVID-19 curbs sowed confusion across China on Monday, spurring hopes for more clarity as officials shift tone on the dangers posed by the coronavirus in the wake of last month's unprecedented protests.

Thousands of residents in Indonesia's East Java were on high alert on Monday after a violent eruption at the island's tallest volcano prompted authorities to impose an 8-km no-go zone and forced evacuations of entire villages.

Residents of a central North Carolina county faced a second night of freezing weather without power on Sunday after vandals opened fire on two electric substations in what authorities called a "targeted attack".

Indonesian authorities raised the warning on Semeru volcano to the highest level on Sunday, Kompas TV reported, after an eruption spewed a column of ash high into the air.

Daesh (IS) claimed responsibility for an attack on Pakistan's embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday.

More Chinese cities announced an easing of coronavirus curbs on Sunday as China tries to make its zero-COVID policy more targeted and less onerous after unprecedented protests against restrictions last weekend.

Prince William announced five winners of the 2022 Earthshot Prize – entrepreneurs and innovators spearheading ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.

A quake of 6.1 magnitude hit Indonesia's West Java area on Saturday, the country's geophysics agency BMKG said, sending people running out of buildings.

A group of people tried to take a mural by graffiti artist Banksy in Ukraine on Friday by cutting it off a battle-scarred wall where it was painted, the governor of Kyiv region said.

Russia said it would continue to find buyers for its oil, despite what it said was a "dangerous" attempt by Western governments to introduce a price cap on its oil exports.

The first round of negotiations on a global plastics treaty ended on Friday with agreement to end plastic pollution but a split on whether goals and efforts should be global and mandatory, or voluntary and country-led.

Beijing residents on Saturday cheered the removal of COVID-19 testing booths while Shenzhen said it would no longer require commuters to present test results to travel.

Pakistan's embassy in Kabul came under attack on Friday with gunfire injuring a Pakistani security guard, officials said, in what Islamabad called an attempt to assassinate its head of mission, who was unhurt.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "open to negotiations" on Ukraine but the West must accept Moscow's demands, the Kremlin said on Friday, a day after US President Joe Biden said he was willing to talk if Putin were looking for a way to end the war.

Further easing of COVID-19 testing requirements and quarantine rules in some Chinese cities was met with a mix of relief and worry on Friday, as hundreds of millions await an expected shift in national virus policies after widespread social unrest.

Joe Biden on Thursday used the first state visit of his presidency to demonstrate unity with France's Emmanuel Macron on Ukraine, show willingness to speak to Russia's Vladimir Putin and assuage European anger over U.S. subsidies.

Spain has stepped up security at public and diplomatic buildings after a spate of letter-bombs were sent to targets including the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the Ukrainian embassy, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat began voting on Thursday with his Hindu nationalist party expected to win a seventh straight term, but any unexpected slip could herald a tighter contest in national polls due by 2024.

The recently liberated Ukrainian city of Kherson has lost its power supply after heavy shelling by Russian forces, the regional governor said on Thursday.

China is set to announce in coming days an easing of its COVID-19 quarantine protocols and a reduction in mass testing, sources told Reuters, a marked shift in policy after anger over the world's toughest curbs fuelled widespread protests.

China will allow positive cases of COVID-19 to quarantine at home under certain conditions, among supplementary measures to be announced in coming days, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces were trying to advance in the northeast and east and "planning something" in the south, while NATO sought on Wednesday to reassure other countries that fear destabilisation from Moscow.

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin died on Wednesday at the age of 96 of leukaemia and multiple organ failure, Chinese state media reported.

People in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Guangzhou clashed with white hazmat-suited riot police on Tuesday night, online videos showed, the latest in a string of protests that escalated over the weekend over stringent COVID-19 lockdowns.

A Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber rammed a police escort for a polio vaccination team in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding more than 30, police said.

The United States and its NATO allies will pledge money and equipment for Ukraine on Tuesday to help restore power and heat knocked out by Moscow's relentless missile and drone campaign against civilian infrastructure.

Thick smog engulfed India's capital New Delhi on Tuesday as air pollution worsened with the setting in of winter, shooting up concentrations of fine particles in the air three times above the acceptable limits.

Australia's largest state will withdraw or refund tens of thousands of fines issued during the COVID pandemic after government lawyers conceded on Tuesday that some fines were invalid in a test case brought by a legal advocacy group.

Chinese authorities have begun inquiries into some of the people who gathered at weekend protests against COVID-19 curbs, three people who were at the Beijing demonstrations told Reuters, as police remained out in numbers on the city's streets.

The world's largest active volcano, began erupting on Sunday for the first time since 1984, ending its longest quiet period in recorded history.

Somali security forces stormed a hotel in the capital late on Monday ending a siege by Al Shabaab militants following a nearly day-long battle in which at least nine people were killed, police said.

Gunfire was heard on Monday from inside a besieged hotel in the Somali capital that was attacked on the weekend, a nearby resident and a police officer said, while parliament said it had postponed a scheduled session.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy cautioned on Sunday that Russia was "planning new strikes" on his country, urging defence forces and citizens to be prepared to withstand a new week of strain on the power grid amid freezing temperatures.

At least seven people were killed on the southern Italian holiday island of Ischia after a landslide caused by torrential rain devastated a small town, an official said on Sunday.

Two seriously injured people trapped inside a small plane that crashed into high-voltage power lines near Washington DC and caused mass outages have been rescued, authorities said early on Monday.

China posted another record high COVID-19 infections on Monday, after an extraordinary weekend of protests across the country over restrictive coronavirus curbs, in scenes unprecedented since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine next year

Emergency workers stepped up efforts on Sunday to find 11 people missing on the southern Italian holiday island of Ischia a day after a landslide caused by torrential rain devastated a small town.

Heavy snowfall was expected in Kyiv starting on Sunday, with temperatures dropping below freezing day and night, while millions of people who still live in and around the Ukrainian capital remain with little electricity and heat.

Protests against China's heavy COVID-19 curbs spread to more cities, including the financial hub Shanghai on Sunday, nearly three years into the pandemic, with a fresh wave of anger sparked by a deadly fire in the country's far west.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his first public appearance since being wounded in a gun attack earlier this month, said on Saturday he was calling off his protest march to Islamabad because he feared it would cause havoc in the country.

A landslide engulfed buildings during heavy rain on the southern Italian holiday island of Ischia on Saturday, and there was confusion among government ministers over the death toll.

Rare protests broke out in China’s far western Xinjiang region, with crowds shouting at hazmat-suited guards after a deadly fire triggered anger over their prolonged COVID-19 lockdown as nationwide infections set another record.

Hundreds of Indonesians prayed out in the open next to rice paddies and in the streets on Friday, as the death toll from an earthquake that flattened their town in western Java rose to 310.

NASA's uncrewed Orion spacecraft - equipped with 16 cameras on its exterior and interior— has released new images of the moon's surface.

Frustration simmered on Friday among residents and business groups in China navigating stricter COVID-19 control curbs as the country reported another record high of daily infections just weeks after hopes had been raised of easing measures.

Twitter will roll out verified gold and grey check marks as it relaunches the coveted blue check service next Friday, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in a tweet, after holding off the rollout earlier this week.

Much of Ukraine remained without heat or power after the most devastating Russian air strikes on its energy grid so far, and in Kyiv residents were warned to brace for further attacks and stock up on water, food and warm clothing.

Pakistan on Thursday named Lieutenant-General Asim Munir as chief of its army.

Indonesian authorities struggled on Thursday to get aid to thousands of people displaced by a deadly earthquake in western Java, as rain-triggered landslides and difficult mountainous terrain hampered the efforts of rescue teams.

Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader and finally, opposition leader.

Pakistan's outgoing army chief rejected on Wednesday as "fake and false" claims by ousted prime minister Imran Khan that a U.S.-backed conspiracy had toppled his government, and also said the military would play no role in national politics in future.

Britain's next national election will be an effective referendum on Scottish independence, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday after the UK's top court blocked her party's bid for a new independence vote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to take action to stop Russian air strikes targeting vital infrastructure that have once again plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold as winter sets in.

The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever "parastronaut" in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space.

Driving rain and the danger of landslides disrupted Indonesian rescue workers on Wednesday as they searched for survivors of an earthquake that killed 268 people, with an official warning that time was running out for anyone trapped in rubble.

The United Kingdom's top court ruled on Wednesday that the Scottish government cannot hold a second referendum on independence without approval from the British parliament, dealing a hammer blow to nationalists' hopes of holding a vote next year.

Two explosions at bus stops on Jerusalem's outskirts killed one person and wounded at least 14 others on Wednesday, health officials said.

Seven people were killed and several wounded in a shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Tuesday night, authorities said, just days after a gunman killed five and injured 17 at a Colorado nightclub.

Ukraine promised shelters with heat and water and encouraged its people to save energy as a harsh winter loomed amid relentless Russian strikes that have left its power structure in tatters.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck western Turkey on Wednesday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, while the interior minister said there were no immediate reports of deaths or significant damage.

King Charles hosted his first state visit since becoming British monarch on Tuesday, welcoming Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace, where the South African president invoked Nelson Mandela as he paid tribute to the close ties between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia has declared a national holiday on Wednesday, November 23, in celebration of its stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup.

An earthquake that struck Indonesia's West Java killed at least 268 people, many of them children, with 151 still missing, disaster relief officials said on Tuesday.

At least one person was killed when a car bomb exploded inside a police compound in southern Thailand on Tuesday, a police official said.

Beijing shut parks, shopping malls and museums on Tuesday while more Chinese cities resumed mass testing for COVID-19, as China fights a fresh nationwide spike in cases that has deepened concerns about its economy.

Authorities in the Solomon Islands said no tsunami warning would be issued after two earthquakes on Tuesday afternoon, including one with a magnitude of 7.0 just off the southwest coast.

Ukrainians are most likely to live with blackouts at least until the end of March, the head of a major energy provider said on Monday, as the government started free evacuations for people in Kherson to other regions.

International passengers flying into India will no longer need to submit the 'Air Suvidha' online registration form.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 160 people and wounded hundreds in Indonesia's West Java province on Monday, with rescuers trying to reach survivors trapped under the rubble as aftershocks hit.

A strong earthquake struck the Greek island of Crete in the early hours of Monday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has warned that whoever fired artillery at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was "playing with fire" as his team prepared to inspect it on Monday for damage from the weekend strikes.

Students in schools across several Beijing districts buckled down for online classes on Monday after officials called for residents in some of its hardest-hit areas to stay home, as COVID cases in China's capital and nationally ticked higher.

Nepalis were voting on Sunday in a general election that few expect to bring drastic change - or a government able to quickly revive the economy.

New coronavirus case numbers held steady in China near April peaks on Sunday as many shops and restaurants in Beijing's most populous district were shut and schools in the area said classes would go online for the coming week.

Countries adopted a hard-fought final agreement at the COP27 climate summit early on Sunday that sets up a fund to help poor countries being battered by climate disasters - but does not boost efforts to tackle the emissions causing them.

Britain's new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, made his first visit to Kyiv on Saturday, pledging to continue the firm support for Ukraine that was a focus of policy under his predecessors.

Russia's surge in missile strikes in Ukraine is partly designed to exhaust Kyiv's supplies of air defences and finally achieve dominance of the skies above the country, a senior Pentagon official said on Saturday.

Indian Police raided the houses of several journalists on Saturday in an investigation of anonymous online threats to around a dozen journalists in Indian Kashmir, a top police official said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to counter US nuclear threats with nuclear weapons as he inspected a test of the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state media KCNA said on Saturday.

Elon Musk started a Twitter poll late on Friday asking followers to vote on whether to reinstate former US President Donald Trump's account on the platform, with early results showing roughly 60% voting yes.

India launched its first privately developed rocket, the Vikram-S, on Friday, a milestone in the country's effort to create a commercial space industry.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she will discuss China's human rights record and geostrategic tension when she meets President Xi Jinping on Friday.

Nancy Pelosi is wrapping up a long career of congressional leadership in which she became the only woman to serve in the powerful post of US House of Representatives speaker.

Flood-weary residents in Australia's southeast were urged to remain on high alert for major flooding through the weekend, authorities said, as swollen rivers continued to roll downstream despite the ease in severe weather conditions.

North Korea fired what was apparently an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) a day after it launched a smaller missile and warned of "fiercer military responses" to the US, boosting its regional security presence.

The renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative was welcomed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which had been due to expire on Saturday.

The first draft of a deal being hashed out at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt would keep a target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius but left many of the most contentious issues in the talks unresolved ahead of a Friday deadline.

China plans to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations and will release information to the public in due course, the head of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Thursday as it warned of "fiercer military responses" to US efforts to boost its security presence in the region with its allies, saying Washington is taking a "gamble it will regret".

Ukraine said it faced fierce attacks in the east from Russian forces reinforced with troops withdrawn from Kherson in the south, while NATO and Poland concluded a missile that crashed in Poland was probably a stray fired by Ukraine's air defences.

A tanker was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman on Tuesday causing minor damage to the hull with no injuries or spillage of the gas oil cargo, Eastern Pacific Shipping, which manages tanker Pacific Zircon, said on Wednesday.

NASA's huge next-generation rocketship was on course Wednesday for a crewless voyage around the moon and back hours after blasting off from Florida on its debut flight, half a century after the final lunar mission of the Apollo era.

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations deplored Russia's aggression in Ukraine "in the strongest terms" on Wednesday and demanded its unconditional withdrawal in a declaration adopted at the end of a two-day summit.

Donald Trump, who has mounted relentless attacks on the integrity of US voting since his 2020 election defeat, on Tuesday launched a bid to regain the presidency in 2024, aiming to pre-empt potential Republican rivals.

NATO and G7 countries said on Wednesday they would remain in close contact to decide any possible reaction to a blast caused by a rocket that fell in Poland close to the Ukraine border and killed two people.

Russia pounded cities and energy facilities across Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least one person and causing widespread power outages in what Kyiv said was the heaviest wave of missile strikes in nearly nine months of war.

Civil defence forces have put out a fire that broke out in the departure hall of Iraq's Baghdad international airport.

Ground teams at Kennedy Space Center prepared on Tuesday for a third try at launching NASA's towering, next-generation moon rocket, the debut flight of the U.S. space agency's Artemis lunar program, 50 years after Apollo's last moon mission.

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.