world
PoliticsAustralian Associated PressUS climate credibility on line at COP26
President Joe Biden wants to show the UN climate conference in Scotland that the US is back in the fight against global warming.But continued haggling in Congress over legislation to advance his climate goals threatens to undermine that message on the world stage.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBeirut blast questioning put on hold
Lebanon's Beirut blast probe judge Tarek Bitar has suspended the interrogation of former prime minister Hassan Diab after Diab filed a suit, a legal source says.The suit was filed by Diab over his prosecution by Bitar on Wednesday.
NewsAustralian Associated PressSweeping lockdown in Moscow on virus surge
The Russian capital has brought in its strictest lockdown measures since June 2020 as hospitals confront a rising wave of coronavirus cases that has sent one-day pandemic deaths to record highs.The partial lockdown, in which only essential shops like pharmacies and supermarkets are allowed to remain open, while schools and state kindergartens are shut, comes ahead of a nationwide week-long workplace shutdown from October 30.
NewsAustralian Associated PressTurkey's Lake Tuz hit by climate change
For centuries, Lake Tuz in central Turkey has hosted huge colonies of flamingos that migrate and breed there when the weather is warm, feeding on algae in the lake's shallow waters.This summer, however, a heart-wrenching scene replaced the usual splendid sunset images of the birds captured by wildlife photographer Fahri Tunc.
NewsAustralian Associated PressSingapore probes unusual COVID surge
Singapore is looking into an "unusual surge" of 5324 new infections of COVID-19, the city-state's health ministry says, its highest such figure since the beginning of the pandemic, as beds in intensive care units fill up.Ten new deaths on Wednesday carried the toll to 349, after 3277 infections the previous day, while the ICU utilisation rate is nearing 80 per cent, despite a population that is 84 per cent fully vaccinated, with 14 per cent receiving booster doses.
NewsAustralian Associated PressClaim UK soldiers involved in Kenya murder
The head of the British Army has said he is "appalled" by claims British soldiers were involved in the killing of a Kenyan woman whose body was found in a septic tank.The body of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru was found at the Lions Court Hotel in the town of Nanyuki, close to the Batuk (British Army Training Unit Kenya) camp, two months after she disappeared in March 2012.
NewsAustralian Associated PressIndia tests nuclear-capable missile
India has test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5000km from an island off its east coast amid rising border tensions with China.The successful launch on Wednesday was in line with "India's policy to have credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to no first use," said a government statement.
NewsAustralian Associated PressFrance to be tough with UK over fishing
France has seized a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence and issued a verbal warning to a second vessel, amid a bitter row between the neighbours over access to fishing grounds after Brexit.Furious that Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licences to operate inside British waters that France says is warranted, Paris announced on Wednesday retaliatory measures if there was no progress in talks.
NewsAustralian Associated PressUS troops training with Taiwanese
A small number of US forces are stationed in Taiwan to train with Taiwanese soldiers, President Tsai Ing-wen says, confirming the presence of US troops on the self-governing island that China considers its own.Tensions between Taiwan and China, which has not ruled out taking the island by force, have escalated in recent weeks as Beijing raises military and political pressure.
NewsAustralian Associated PressAustralia misses out in NZ border changes
Trans-Tasman families are set for a second-consecutive Christmas apart as the New Zealand government opts against a border reopening to Australia this year.Under long-awaited changes to NZ's managed isolation and quarantine - or MIQ - regime, arrivals from next month will need to spend seven days in quarantine rather than 14.
EntertainmentAustralian Associated PressStan Lee Marvel cover art up for auction
Ten artworks showing Stan Lee on the covers of his comic books and signed by the late Marvel superhero creator will go up for blockchain auction, with winning bidders getting the physical as well as digital versions of the canvases.Pop artist Rob Prior began working with the man behind, among others, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Black Panther in 2017 on "The Legacy Collection: Portraits of Stan Lee", and depicts him as his famed characters or in cameo images.
NewsAustralian Associated PressAuckland is Lonely Planet's 2022 top city
New Zealand's biggest city might be locked down and battling population decline, but Auckland has been named by Lonely Planet as the world's top city to visit in 2022.The Melbourne-founded travel authority bestowed the honour on the City of Sails on the same day it entered an 11th week of COVID-19 lockdown, one of the world's longest active streaks.
NewsAustralian Associated PressBiden hits at China on Taiwan at ASEAN
President Joe Biden has told Southeast Asian nations the United States will stand with them in defending freedom of the seas and democracy and called China's actions towards Taiwan "coercive" and a threat to peace and stability.Speaking on Wednesday at a virtual East Asia Summit attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Biden said Washington would start talk with partners in the Indo-Pacific about developing a regional economic framework, something critics say his regional strategy has lacked.
NewsAustralian Associated PressWorld Bank halts Sudan operations
The World Bank has halted disbursements for operations in Sudan in response to the military's seizure of power from a transitional government, while state oil company workers, doctors and pilots joined civilian groups opposing the takeover.Thousands of people have taken to the streets since Monday's coup led by armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and several have been killed in clashes with security forces.
NewsAustralian Associated PressRome could have flying taxis by 2024
Passengers flying into Rome from 2024 onwards will be able to go airborne for their taxi ride into the city centre, if a project between the company operating its main airport and a German startup lifts off on schedule.Startup Volocopter hopes to make Fiumicino Airport a pioneer site for the rotor-bladed, battery-powered two-seater air taxi it is developing.
NewsAustralian Associated PressPortugal MPs reject budget, election looms
The failure of the Portuguese parliament to pass a budget for 2022 has thrown the future of Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa's government into doubt.The spending proposal failed by 117 votes to 108, with five abstentions, according to the Publico newspaper.
NewsAustralian Associated PressNo lockdown in Christchurch as Delta lands
Christchurch has recorded two community cases of COVID-19, breaking the city's 358-day run without the virus.The New Zealand government has opted against sending South Island's biggest city into lockdown, with Chris Hipkins saying there were "no major exposure events".
NewsAustralian Associated PressIndia rejects net zero emissions target
India has rejected calls to announce a net zero carbon dioxide emissions target and says it was more important for the world to lay out a pathway to reduce such emissions and avert a dangerous rise in global temperatures.India, the world's third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States, is under pressure to announce plans to become carbon neutral by mid-century or thereabouts at next week's climate conference in Glasgow.
NewsAustralian Associated PressIsrael approves settler homes, ignores US
Israel has given final approval for thousands of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank despite criticism from the United States.A spokesperson for the responsible authority confirmed on Wednesday that 3130 housing units have been approved for construction.
NewsAustralian Associated PressAssange could go to an Australian jail: US
US authorities have told British judges that if they agree to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges, the WikiLeaks founder could serve any US prison sentence he receives in his native Australia.In January, a lower UK court refused a US request to extradite Assange over WikiLeaks' publication of secret US military documents a decade ago.
NewsAustralian Associated PressUS issues first passport with 'X' gender
The United States has issued its first passport with an "X" gender designation, marking a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who do not identify as male or female, and expects to be able to offer the option more broadly next year.Advocates said the decision to join over a dozen countries that allow a third-gender option would allow people to travel as their authentic selves and possibly keep them safer doing it.
NewsAustralian Associated PressPrince Charles to kick off COP26 summit
Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles will speak at the opening ceremony of the COP26 United Nations climate summit to welcome world leaders, his office says, a day after Queen Elizabeth pulled out on doctors' advice.The 95-year-old Queen is a draw for other world leaders so her withdrawal is a blow to the event in Glasgow.
NewsAustralian Associated PressEastern Europe cases up, Thais eye opening
Coronavirus infections are rising in several eastern European countries as Thailand prepares to open up to vaccinated foreign tourists.Poland reported 8361 daily COVID-19 cases and 133 deaths on Wednesday, with the number of new infections reaching the highest level since late April.
NewsAustralian Associated PressSunak promises more spending for UK
Finance minister Rishi Sunak has promised higher public spending and new tax cuts as the United Kingdom's economy rebounded more strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic than previously expected and he vowed to protect households from rising inflation.Sunak used a half-yearly budget statement on Wednesday to announce multi-billion-pound investments to help Prime Minister Boris Johnson meet his "levelling up" promises to voters and ease a cost-of-living squeeze for low-earning households.
NewsAustralian Associated PressPope to visit Canada for 'reconciliation'
Pope Francis has agreed to visit Canada to help ongoing efforts at reconciliation with indigenous peoples following shocking revelations of the Catholic church's role in the abuse and deaths of thousands of native children, the Vatican says.In a brief statement, the Holy See's press office said that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has invited the pontiff to make an apostolic journey to Canada "also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with indigenous
