World news

Omicron: Biden tightens travel rules amid new Omicron cases

President Joe Biden has unveiled stricter Covid-19 travel rules as the US confirmed a handful of cases of the Omicron variant from coast to coast. From next week, international travellers to the US, including Americans, must take a Covid test no more than one day before travel

Inflation in 19 nations using euro hits record high of 4.9%

Official figures show that consumer prices across the 19 countries that use the euro currency are rising at a record rate LONDON -- Consumer prices across the 19 countries that use the euro currency are rising at a record rate as a result of a huge spike in energy costs this year, official

Omicron: WHO warns of 'high infection risk' around globe

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Omicron coronavirus variant poses a high risk of infection surges around the globe. The variant could lead to severe consequences in some regions, the WHO said on Monday. The head of the organisation, Dr Tedros

South Africa's president calls for lifting of Omicron travel bans

South Africa's president has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbours over the new coronavirus variant Omicron. Cyril Ramaphosa said he was "deeply disappointed" by the action, which he described as unjustified, and called for the bans to be urgently lifted

Belarus-Poland border: Putin warns Belarus over gas threat to EU

Belarus's threat to cut off gas supplies to Europe would be a breach of contract with Russia, President Vladimir Putin has warned. In a TV interview, Mr Putin said President Alexander Lukashenko may have made the threat in a fit of temper. Mr Lukashenko is facing new sancti

Erdogan: Turkey investigates posts about president's health

Turkish authorities have opened a legal inquiry against 30 people accused of tweeting disinformation about the health of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They posted "manipulative content" on Twitter using the hashtag #olmus (dead in Turkish), police said. The hashtag started tr

Missing 4-year-old found alive in Australia

A four-year-old girl missing for 18 days in a remote part of Western Australia has been found alive and well in a locked house, police have said. Cleo Smith disappeared from her family's tent at a campsite near the town of Carnarvon on 16 October, triggering a massive search.

Explosions and gunfire at Kabul military hospital in deadly attack

The Afghan capital Kabul has been rocked by two explosions and gunfire at the site of a military hospital. A Taliban spokesman said the first blast happened in front of the 400-bed Sardar Daud Khan hospital and the second was nearby. The spokesman said there had been casual

Covid-19 deaths pass five million worldwide

More than five million people are known to have died of Covid-19 worldwide, 19 months since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University. Vaccines have slowed the death rate, but some health experts say the true toll could be far higher. The milestone comes ami

Moscow shops and restaurants shut in partial lockdown

Shops, restaurants and schools have shut in Moscow in a partial lockdown, as Russia battles record Covid deaths and infections. Only essential shops like supermarkets and pharmacies are allowed to open in the capital, while food outlets are only providing takeaways. Authori

Texas nurse guilty of killing patients by injecting them with air

A Texas nurse has been found guilty of the murder of four patients who died after he injected them with air following heart surgeries. William Davis, 37, was convicted of capital murder by a jury on Tuesday and could now face the death penalty. Prosecutors said he targeted

South Korea launches first homegrown space rocket Nuri

South Korea has launched its first homegrown rocket, stepping up the country's ambitions in space. The Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle II, known as Nuri, took off from Goheung, about 500km (310 miles) south of Seoul. President Moon Jae-in said the vehicle completed its full

Havana syndrome reported at US embassy in Colombia

US officials are investigating possible cases of Havana syndrome illness in Colombia, days before a visit by the Secretary of State, US media say. US embassy staff in Bogota may have been injured by the mysterious illness, which causes a painful sound in the ears, fatigue and dizzines

North Korea: Kim Jong-un vows to build 'invincible military'

North Korea's leader has vowed to build an "invincible military" in the face of what it says are hostile policies from the United States, state media report. Kim Jong-un added that weapons development was for self-defence, and not to start a war. Mr Kim made the comments at

Nepal bus crash kills at least 25 in Mugu district

At least 25 people have been killed and many others injured in a bus crash in north-west Nepal, police say. The vehicle was travelling through Mugu district when it left the road shortly after midday on Tuesday, local media report. The cause of the crash is unclear, but som

China floods: Nearly 2 million displaced in Shanxi province

More than 1.76 million people have been affected by severe flooding in China's northern Shanxi province, according to local media. Torrential rain last week led to houses collapsing and triggered landslides across more than 70 districts and cities in the province. Heavy rai

China-Taiwan tensions: We will not bow to Beijing pressure, says leader

Taiwan will not bow to pressure from China and will defend its democratic way of life, President Tsai Ing-wen has said in a defiant speech amid heightened tensions over the island. "The more we achieve, the greater the pressure we face from China," she said. Her speech on T

Abdul Qadeer Khan: 'Father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb' dies

The man regarded as the "father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb", Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, has died aged 85 after being hospitalised with Covid-19. Dr Khan was hailed as a national hero for transforming his country into the world's first Islamic nuclear power. But he was also notor