Russia threatens YouTube ban after German RT outlet blocked

Moscow threatened on Wednesday to block the YouTube video platform after the internet media firm removed the German-language channels of Russia’s RT state media outlet.

WHO sounds alarm at global vaccination targets being missed

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of vaccinating at least 10 per cent of the population in every country in the world by the end of September is not going to be met, according to its latest figures.

Ruling party elects Kishida as leader in win for Japan establishment

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) anointed former foreign minister Fumio Kishida as its new leader on Wednesday, a victory for the party elite that virtually ensures the soft-spoken consensus-builder will become prime minister within days.

China energy crunch triggers shutdowns, pleas for more coal

China faces mounting pressure to ramp up coal imports and ensure supplies to keep lights on, factories open and water flowing as a severe power crunch roils the northeastern industrial heartland.

Russia opens new criminal case against Navalny

Russia sharply escalated a campaign against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, opening a new criminal case against President Putin’s fiercest domestic critic that could allow the authorities to hand him another decade in jail.

German SPD seeks three-way alliance to succeed Merkel

German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz vowed on Monday to strengthen the European Union and keep up the transatlantic partnership in a three-way coalition government he hopes to form by Christmas to take over from Angela Merkel’s conservatives.

Germans vote in historic election, Merkel set to step down

Germans are voting to elect a new parliament that will then replace the veteran Chancellor Angela Merkel. The race has been extremely tight, and the coalition-building to follow will likely be messy.

Iceland elects Europe’s first female majority parliament

Iceland’s ruling left-right coalition strengthened its majority after a national election that for the first time saw more women than men elected to a European parliament, final results showed on Sunday.

N. Korea says open to talks if South drops double standards

South Korea’s call for a formal end to the Korean War is premature but the door for dialogue is open if it scraps its double standards and hostile policy, a senior North Korean official said in comments published by state media on Friday.

World’s youth take to the streets again to battle climate change

Young people around the world took to the streets on Friday to demand urgent action to avert disastrous climate change, in their largest protest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three dead in Delhi courtroom shootout

A mob boss has died after gunmen from a rival gang entered a courtroom where he was on trial and opened fire. The gunmen, dressed as barristers, were subsequently shot by police and died of their wounds.

US envoy resigns over expulsions to Haiti from Texas camp

The US envoy to Haiti dramatically resigned on Thursday in a letter that excoriated Washington for deporting hundreds of migrants to the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation from a border camp in recent days.

China’s Xi calls for jointly facing challenges at UNGA

Speaking at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday proposed a Global Development Initiative, calling for bolstering confidence, jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all.

UN commissioner urges international effort on Myanmar

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday warned of a human rights catastrophe under military rule in Myanmar and urged the international community to do more to prevent conflict from worsening.

Earthquake strikes near Melbourne, tremors rattle southeast Australia

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, Geoscience Australia said, one of the country’s biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in the country’s second-largest city and sending tremors throughout neighbouring states.

New WHO air-quality guidelines aim to cut deaths linked to fossil fuels

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday issued its first air quality guidelines since 2005 aimed at reducing deaths from key pollutants that cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Canada PM Trudeau’s bid for majority fails

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday acknowledged he will need to work with other parties after he fell short of winning a majority in parliamentary elections, leaving him once more dependent on opposition legislators to govern.

Berlin voices support for France in AUKUS submarine row 

Germany, (dpa.com) 21 September 2021-EU powerhouse Germany says France being snubbed by Australia in favour of a partnership with the US and the UK is a signal to continental European nations to stand together and boost self-reliance.

China, France condemn ‘Aukus Defence Pact’ warns of arms race

China has warned that Australia’s new defence agreement with the United States and Britain is “extremely irresponsible” and risks triggering an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region.

Over 10,000 migrants sleeping under Texas bridge

Haitians fleeing a country hammered by political turmoil and two natural disasters made up most of over 10,000 migrants sleeping on the ground and desperate for food in a squalid camp under a bridge in southern Texas on Friday, in a growing humanitarian and political challenge for U.S. President Joe Biden.

India breaks own COVID vaccination record

India broke its daily COVID-19 vaccination record on Friday by administering over 20 million doses of vaccines in a single day as states organised a special inoculation drive on the occasion of prime minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.

UK court to ensure sexual assault papers can be served on Prince Andrew

London’s High Court said on Wednesday it would take steps if necessary to serve papers on Britain’s Prince Andrew in a U.S. lawsuit brought by a woman who accuses him of sexually assaulting her two decades ago.

North and South Korea conduct duelling missile tests

North Korea and South Korea test fired ballistic missiles on Wednesday, the latest volley in an arms race that has seen both countries develop increasingly sophisticated weapons while efforts to get talks going on defusing tension prove fruitless.

SpaceX set to make history with first all-civilian crew launched into orbit

The latest in a recent line of space-obsessed billionaires was set for liftoff on Wednesday with three less wealthy private citizens along for the ride aboard a SpaceX rocket ship, seeking to become the first all-civilian crew launched into Earth orbit.

China races to squash new Covid-19 cluster among schoolchildren

Southern Chinese cities closed schools and ordered testing for millions on Tuesday in a race to curb a new Covid-19 outbreak which has sparked concerns over infections among unvaccinated schoolchildren.

Drop in COVID antibodies within four months of vaccination: Indian study

A study of 614 fully vaccinated health workers in India found a “significant” drop in their COVID-fighting antibodies within four months of the first shot.

Foreign forces must leave Syria: Putin to al-Assad

The presence of foreign troops in Syria - the ones not invited by Damascus - are hindering Syria’s revival, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Bashar al-Assad during a surprise visit to Moscow by the Syrian president.

Taliban response to Afghan protests increasingly violent: UN

The U.N. rights office on Friday said that the Taliban response to peaceful marches in Afghanistan has been increasingly violent, with authorities using live ammunition, batons and whips and causing the deaths of at least four protesters.

Australia’s daily COVID-19 cases near 2,000 as Delta gains ground

Australia’s COVID-19 daily cases topped 1,900 for the first time in the pandemic on Friday as an outbreak fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant continued to gain ground in locked-down Sydney and Melbourne, its largest cities.

Facing stalemate in ties, Biden and Xi discuss avoiding conflict in call

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke for 90 minutes on Thursday, in their first talks in seven months, discussing the need to ensure that competition between the world’s two largest economies does not veer into conflict.