International

Germany and Italy detected cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, with more nations imposing restrictions on travel from southern Africa.

The new Omicron coronavirus variant kept spreading around the world on Sunday, with two cases detected in Australia, even as more countries tried to seal themselves off by imposing travel restrictions.

Bahrain has banned entry to travellers from four more African states, increasing the number of banned countries on its red list to 10, due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

Britain announced new measures to try to slow the spread of the newly identified Omicron coronavirus variant and a top health official said there was a "reasonable chance" that vaccines could be less effective against it.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior has halted flights from and to Malawi, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Mauritius and the Comoros Islands.

Thousands of Spanish police officers marched through Madrid on Saturday to protest against a proposed security law reform that they say will hamper their ability to do their work.

Several countries have imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa on Saturday after the discovery of the new Omicron coronavirus variant sparked global concern and triggered a market sell-off.

At least two people died and tens of thousands were left without power as Storm Arwen brought strong winds across many parts of the United Kingdom, with gusts of up to 100 mph (160 kph).

Sudanese politicians were released from detention along with others less than a day after beginning a hunger strike, the country's information ministry said in a statement early on Saturday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to the new B.1.1.529 variant of COVID-19, saying they should take a "risk-based and scientific approach".

Bahrain is the latest country to ban entry to travellers from six countries from southern Africa amid concerns about the new COVID-19 variant.

The European Union aims to halt air travel from the southern African region amid rising concern about a new COVID-19 variant, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

India issued an advisory to all states to rigorously test and screen international travellers from South Africa and other "at risk" countries amid concerns over a new coronavirus variant, after easing some of its travel restrictions earlier this month.

The UK said it was concerned by a newly identified coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa that might make vaccines less effective and imperil efforts to fight the pandemic.

The Philippines will reopen its borders to tourists from some countries on a trial basis from December 1, its government said on Friday, as part of efforts to rebuild an economy hit hard by the pandemic.

A shallow and strong earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck the Myanmar-India border region early on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

South African scientists have detected a new COVID-19 variant in small numbers and are working to understand its potential implications.

The EU's drug regulator approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11 on Thursday.

British and French officials traded blame on Wednesday after 27 migrants died when their dinghy deflated as they made a perilous crossing of the English Channel.

At least 11 people died in an accident at a coal mine in Russia's Siberia on Thursday, local authorities said, as emergency workers tried to rescue dozens more miners who were still trapped deep underground.

Schools and colleges in India's capital will reopen on Monday after closing for nearly 15 days due to a spike in air pollution, the government said, even though air quality remains very poor in New Delhi and its neighbouring cities.

New Zealand will keep its borders closed to most international travelers for a further five months, the government said on Wednesday.

Coronavirus infections broke records in parts of Europe on Wednesday, with the continent once again the epicentre of a pandemic that has prompted new curbs on movement and seen health experts push to widen the use of booster vaccination shots.

A leader of Germany's Greens, set to be part of a new government, expressed support on Wednesday for mandatory vaccinations as the number of infections jumped again.

Sweden's first female prime minister, Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson, resigned after less than 12 hours in the top job after the Green Party quit their two-party coalition, stoking political uncertainty.

South Africa has asked Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer to delay delivery of COVID-19 vaccines because it now has too much stock, health ministry officials said, as vaccine hesitancy slows an inoculation campaign.

Singapore and Malaysia will next week launch a quarantine-free travel lane at their land border crossing, one of the world's busiest, for people vaccinated against COVID-19, the two countries said on Wednesday.

The man accused of driving his vehicle into a traditional Christmas parade near Milwaukee made his first court appearance on Tuesday since the weekend rampage and was charged with homicide, as the death toll rose to six.

At least 45 people, including 12 children, died as a bus carrying mostly North Macedonian tourists crashed in flames on a highway in western Bulgaria on Tuesday, officials said.

Thousands of migrants in southern Mexico have accepted a government offer to quit a U.S.-bound caravan in exchange for Mexican visas, officials said on Tuesday night.

China's cyberspace regulator said on Tuesday it will tighten oversight over how celebrity information is disseminated online, such as the publishing of their personal details and the placements of their advertisements on internet sites.

The Netherlands on Tuesday started transporting COVID-19 patients across the border to Germany to ease pressure on Dutch hospitals struggling to deal with a surge in coronavirus cases.

The man accused of deliberately driving his car into a Christmas parade near Milwaukee, killing five people and injuring dozens, was out on bail from a domestic abuse case and was suspected in another violent altercation earlier that day, officials said on Monday.

Austria entered its fourth national lockdown on Monday after tens of thousands of people protested in Vienna against renewed curbs on movement as Europe again becomes the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.

Five people were killed and more than 40 injured when an SUV sped through a Christmas parade in the small town of Waukesha, Wisconsin, ploughing into dozens of people including young children.

India is not considering authorising booster COVID-19 doses yet as many in the country have been naturally infected and the government believes two doses of a vaccine offers sufficient protection for now, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.

A Sri Lankan court on Monday began the first of three trials connected to bombings that killed nearly 270 people on the island in 2019, amidst appeals for greater accountability from victim support groups.

New Zealand will adopt a new system of living with the coronavirus virus from December 3, which will end tough restrictions and allow businesses to operate in its biggest city, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

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.